Greetings and happy new year to all of our readers, reviewers, authors, and guests! 2020 was a very challenging year globally for our families and colleagues, however, there are some CORROSION highlights to share with you, as well as some exciting things to look forward to in 2021.
Five stellar invited critical reviews provided a bridge between 2019 and 2020. At the conclusion of 2019, outstanding reviews on finite element modeling in corrosion (Chao Liu and Rob Kelly), atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry (Kevin Ogle), and cathodic protection of steel in soil and concrete (Ueli Angst), as well as another on atomistic theory applied to analysis of selected corrosion processes (Huibin Ke and Christopher Taylor) deserve mention again.
In the January and February issues, reviews on liquid cell transmission electron microscopy by Arjan Mol and coauthors, as well as on cavity formation during stress corrosion cracking in light water reactors by Koji Arioka were published. CORROSION also published a review on ceramic coatings by Kaixuan Ye and Zili Li later in the year. All of these reviews are outstanding summaries of the state-of-the-art on various topics presented by preeminent global experts in the corrosion field. If you have not yet read these articles, please do so.
CORROSION’s May 2020 issue was a collaboration with the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA), featuring articles by many of the presenters at the ACA’s Advances in Corrosion Science and Corrosion Engineering Symposium held in Melbourne. Special thanks to the organizer, Warren Green. In the fall, CORROSION published perspectives on classic articles, penned by Narasi Sridhar and Sannakaisa Virtanen, which explained the significance of several high impact research papers from the CORROSION archive and how the field was affected and has subsequently evolved since the original paper was published.
The journal held a Social Distancing Open Access Week in March, unlocking recent issues in an effort to help researchers access our articles as everyone transitioned to working remotely. This initiative added to our collection of regular permanent and temporarily open content, including gold and green open access and monthly featured articles.
CORROSION also launched our CORROSION Interview Series on NACE Podcasts this fall, featuring conversations on different topics with experts in the field. We are grateful to Nick Birbilis (ANU), Ji Ma (UVA), and Chip Blankenship (UVA) for joining on our two additive manufacturing episodes. Episodes can be found on CORROSION’s new Multimedia webpage.
Additionally, CORROSION recently relaunched our website. You will find our full archive of articles, featured open content, podcasts, and more with an improved search function and mobile-friendly experience. We encourage everyone to go explore the new website.
CORROSION’s metrics in the 2019 Journal Citation Report©, released June 2020, continued to show growth, with our highest 5-Year Impact Factor (2.061, an 8.4% increase from the prior year) and most citations to date (6,689, up 14.42% from the prior year). Our Cited Half-Life remains strong—at 18.6 years—reflecting the lasting impact and significance of CORROSION’s articles.
We are grateful to our distinguished Editorial Board who ensures manuscripts are given a fair review, working with authors during the peer-review process to address any concerns and improve their manuscripts. We are honored to work with such a diverse group of authors and reviewers and to continually publish relevant and timely articles on a wide range of topics.
As we look forward in 2021, there are a few changes and features to look forward to. First, CORROSION will only be available in a digital format starting this year. We look forward to taking this opportunity to further enhance CORROSION’s online experience and continue providing our community with top corrosion research.
Additionally, CORROSION will have a number of featured articles in special issues this year. Starting with a special issue on magnesium-related corrosion research in our upcoming February issue, guest edited by Joey Kish and Geraint Williams, we will have another special issue later this year on emergent materials focusing on high entropy alloys and additive manufacturing, guest edited by Eric Schindelholz and Rajeev Gupta.
CORROSION will continue to publish invited critical reviews and perspectives on classic articles this year. Keep an eye out for Part 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic editorial series, which will continue exploring the role of electrochemical materials science and corrosion in controlling this pandemic. Part II focuses on antimicrobial effects of materials that might be used in PPE such as face masks used to fight virus transmission. If you haven’t read Part 1, it is available in CORROSION’s June 2020 issue.
We will also continue CORROSION’s podcast episodes and will have additional features on our website and social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter), including additional Hot Topic features, short monthly videos, and more.
As we enter into a new year, we are excited to continue to improve the CORROSION experience for readers and authors, and remain open to your suggestions and ideas. We look forward to some return to normal life and seeing many of you in person. We thank those of you that were a part of the CORROSION community in 2020 as well as our new acquaintances. We wish each of you a safe, healthy, and happy 2021.
