Reinventing The Science Journal – From Drab To Exciting!

Dull, definitely all dull! Science journals beginning with the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to that of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, are uninviting to read, even by those who are scientists – except if they have a paper published in that issue. From Atlanta in the US to Zimbabwe in Africa, are all The Editors In Chief dull, passionless, as dry as dust? From America to Asia, look at the above images – seriously, they are telling you, “Science is nothing to be excited about!” 
(“Science” from pngegg.com, “Asian” from ccsenet.org)

How do you make science journals sexy?

How intelligent are the world’s science journals? On the cover, all could be visually attractive, but either they don’t know how, or they don’t care.

Today, Wednesday, 07 Feb 2024, Manila, suddenly I have an idea of how to reinvent the technical journal so that readers anticipate each issue and the surprises it brings! And it is any or all of these:

1.   Publish speculative, theoretical, non-research papers by any professional in any field within the journal’s wide subject territory;

2.   Include contrary views that are presented with passion but not poison;

3.   Publish digitally at least quarterly (4 times a year).

If you do all 3, the universe of science publications will never be the same again!

I have been thinking of how to make each issue of a journal more exciting since I saw on Facebook the post about the Journal Of Human Ecology & Sustainability (JHES) being published by the College of Human Ecology (CHE) of UP Los Baños, my alma mater (BS Agriculture, major in Ag Edu, 1965). (Yes, I’m a Senior!)

Congratulations! Extremely glad that UP Los Baños is now publishing online a science journal – this teacher & editor says furthering education should not be limited to printed pages of journals.

As far as this digital denizen know, the Journal of Human Ecology and Sustainability (JHES) is a historical first in all educational institutions in my country. Publishing a science journal online is an open invitation for contributions to knowledge, and I must congratulate the publisher CHE of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) for this educational endeavor.

My question is: “Who is The Editor In Chief?” The many-authored post does not include the name. Not that I am applying for the position, but I want to congratulate her/him for that first-in-history digital journal in the Philippines!

I have farther/further suggestions:

(1)   For the JHES, search for a Financial Sponsor so that within CHE you can create a good-sized Journal Team that would include a Board of Editors (including from abroad), an Executive Adviser, and Internet connections for the journal staff at the office and at home.

(2)   Make sure that the Managing Editor knows what s/he should be doing, including spending for and spinning stories or articles.

(3)   Choose The Editor In Chief as someone who has a proven outstanding experience in the world of digital publishing.

Good luck, College of Human Ecology, UP Los Baños!@517