We hope that this collection will sit on your bookshelf for years to come and that you will occasionally find value in a back issue. But, though we strive for timeless contributions, we must also recognize that we work with phenomena and technologies that are themselves rapidly changing. We are putting our heads deeply in the sand if we believe that our research is immune to long publication delays. Furthermore, even for work that does stand up well over the years, few will harvest the benefits until the article gets into print. The costs associated with the delays in publication cycle times can become very personal.
Time ticking away on an assistant professor's tenure clock is a dear and irreplaceable asset.
That article review request that has been sitting on your desk for two months could be, and often is, a key element of a tenure or reappointment decision. And, the delays noted in the above table represent only part of the total time requirements. Other time sinks include the time required to conduct the research, write it up, and, in some instances, delays incurred in unsuccessful attempts to publish the work in another journal. These can easily double the total time outlay - thus perhaps requiring, on average, a total of something approaching five years to create and publish a quality research contribution. As tenure decisions are often made after about five and one half years, it becomes apparent why time is so essential to non-tenured faculty.