I am excited and honored to take on the role of Editor-in-Chief of Optics Continuum. This is a special journal with a unique role within the Optica Publishing Group’s library of journals. It seeks to publish well-written, scientifically-sound papers of value to our readers, but without an expectation of significance or impact. The journal publishes papers across all areas of optics and photonics, and, as an open access journal, it serves authors and readers around the world.

In an age of information overload, it is easy to dismiss the role of scientific journals. However, publishers such as Optica ensure the high standards of their publications through attention to editorial quality and systematic peer review. A journal’s editorial quality rests with its Editorial Board. As I get to know the Editors of Optics Continuum, I am delighted to be working with this group of highly capable, committed Editors, all volunteers, whose passion for this journal is evident. Their expertise spans the wide range of topics published in Optics Continuum. Our Editors uphold the mission of Optics Continuum to publish peer-reviewed articles in all areas of optics and photonics, with a focus on technical accuracy, scientific rigor, and presentation quality. Our independent peer reviewers are critical to the quality of the journal. I am very grateful to the many reviewers who volunteer their time to read manuscripts and write constructive reviews for the authors. The journal offers authors and reviewers the option to publish transparent peer reviews. The journal also considers manuscripts transferred from other Optica journals, following an editorial process to assess suitability for publication.

Optics Continuum aims to publish papers that are relevant and useful for readers. I will maintain the standards and current policies of the journal, and I will introduce feature issues or new publication formats where appropriate. The staff at Optica promote the articles in Optics Continuum to a range of potential readers. We aim to increase the visibility of the publication through email and social media marketing with a goal to expand the geographical and scientific reach of the journal for both authors and readers.

I want to particularly acknowledge the enormous contribution of Prof. Takashige Omatsu, the Founding Editor-in-Chief of OSA Continuum, now Optics Continuum: the success of the journal is a tribute to his hard work and his enthusiasm. A special thank you to Dr. Erik Vartiainen, who recently completed his term as founding Deputy Editor. Takashige and Erik developed the manuscript transfer and publication policies for Optics Continuum.

I am delighted to introduce our new Deputy Editor Dr. Gualtiero Nunzi Cotti, of the Italian National Research Council. He has broad research expertise in optics and photonics and a wealth of experience as Editor, previously serving as Associate Editor for Optics Continuum, and Topical Editor for Applied Optics.

For authors, Optics Continuum is an open access journal, with papers available to readers everywhere. Due to the hard work of the Optica staff, the journal Editors, and our many peer reviewers, the journal offers a rapid path from submission to publication, with a median time to publication of 67 days. I invite authors and readers to take a closer look at the papers we publish—Optics Continuum is a great place for your next article, and as an open access journal, it can facilitate a broad readership.