Although one of the fundamental criteria for papers accepted for publication in this Journal is innovation in scientific research, none of us should forget the important role of the review article in providing the foundations from which research developments can take place.
Reviews play two important roles.
One is to introduce newcomers to the basic concepts that will support their research. A second is to alert established researchers to developments in related fields of analytical geochemistry. We are, therefore, delighted to introduce in this issue a new series of commissioned 'back to basics' tutorial reviews, that are designed eventually, to cover in a comprehensive manner the fields relevant to the scope of this Journal. The first of these three introductory reviews has been contributed by Jean Kane and covers the use and role of reference materials, a fundamental, but sometimes misunderstood topic relevant to all areas of analytical chemistry. We intend to extend this series of reviews over forthcoming issues and hope that you will benefit from their publication.