During Optics Letters’ 40th anniversary year, we have been happy to bring our readers special content—including Editors’ Picks Collections of important articles from the Journal’s past, editorials by past Editors-in-Chief that provided some history of the Journal, and a list of the most-cited papers ever. For those who attended Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science in Washington, DC in September, we also hosted a 40th birthday celebration during OSA’s Meet the Editors event (Figs. 1 and 2).

 

Fig. 1. OL’s Editor-in-Chief Xi-Cheng Zhang and Chair of the OSA Board of Editors Martijn de Sterke celebrate OL’s 40th anniversary (along with the 20th anniversary of Optics Express) at FiO + LS in Washington, DC on 19 September, 2017.

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Fig. 2. Xi-Cheng Zhang with students at the Meet the Editors event at FiO + LS 2017.

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This year has been a wonderful opportunity to look back on the history of the Journal and to appreciate the work done by OL’s extraordinarily distinguished past Editors-in-Chief: Robert W. Terhune (1977–1983), Paul L. Kelley (1984–1989), Peter W. E. Smith (1990–1995), Anthony M. Johnson (1996–2001), Anthony J. Campillo (2002–2007), and Alan Willner (2008–2013). Their vision and leadership made the Journal’s current excellence possible. Now, OL provides rapid dissemination of new results in all areas of optics and photonics with short, original, peer-reviewed communications. The novelty and impact of articles, justifying the need for rapid publication, is the signature of OL.

In his editorial earlier this year, Alan Willner recalled some of the major changes to the Journal during his tenure, including adding Deputy Editors (DEs) to the editorial board and increasing the page limit from three to four pages. Looking back on his experience with the Journal, the contributions of staff, editors, and reviewers “inspired [him] to believe that Optics Letters represents our community at its best, striving to achieve significant impact on the world of optical science and engineering.” [1]

Tony J. Campillo recounted the extraordinary changes in technology during his time as Editor-in-Chief, as well as a higher volume of submissions to OL, and how the Journal adapted to keep pace. He also remembers his evolution from an OL reader to an author, and eventually to Topical Editor (TE) and then Editor-in-Chief. Tony spent 15 years as an editor for OL in various capacities, and he looks back on it as “a highly rewarding experience.” [2]

Anthony M. Johnson gives credit for his tenure with OL to another past Editor-in-Chief, Paul L. Kelley, who took note of Anthony’s reviews of OL manuscripts and urged him to become a TE. “How could I turn down one of our optics icons?” was Anthony’s response. He again could not refuse when asked by Peter W. E. Smith to take over as Editor-in-Chief in 1996. Anthony remembers his 12 years with OL as “a window into the OSA that benefited me greatly—it was a labor of love!”

In its history, OL has received approximately 65,000 submissions, amassing over 125,000 reviews, leading to more than 31,000 published papers and over 100,000 pages. The Journal will publish more than 1,300 papers in 2017, with a median time to publication (TTP) of 62 days. OL has improved its TTP dramatically over the past decade (Fig. 3), an accomplishment it has achieved without compromising the quality of the papers. We intend to maintain the improved TTP for OL.

 

Fig. 3. TTP for Optics Letters from 2007–2017 (2017 calculation is year-to-date for articles published in January through November).

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With its most recent Journal Impact Factor of 3.416, OL is ranked 15th in Impact Factor and 3rd in total citations (61,986) among the 92 journals in the Optics Category of the Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate Analytics, 2017). OL is a unique journal, and we are pleased to be able to say that it is the only journal in the Journal Citation Reports Optics category that has a Journal Impact Factor greater than 3.0, a TTP under 70 days, and no Article Processing Charges (APCs) (Fig. 4).

 

Fig. 4. Factors that make OL stand out among its peers in the Optics category.

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As with other OSA journals, OL is truly international, with 87% of total submissions and 83% of total published articles coming from outside the U.S. in 2016.

Each year as Editor-in-Chief, I have personally met and received messages from young researchers who were very glad to know that their first research paper was published in OL. For us, this is a new paper published. For them, it might be a new milestone in their research career. This is exactly what OL should do: provide a valuable communication service for the optics and photonics community.

I am indebted to my talented editorial board for their hard work to maintain a fair, consistent, and efficient peer review process. I am joined in this task by DEs Peter Andersen, Andrea Galtarossa, and Edward Whittaker; Features Editor Brian Justus; and 50 TEs. Like our authors, the editorial board members are from around the world, with 71% of our editors based outside the U.S. When I began as Editor-in-Chief in 2014 I was a little worried about whether our Journal was serving optical scientists while overlooking the contributions from optical engineers. Since then we have recruited top optical engineers to help us, broadening the range of our board. We will continue to recruit dedicated, top researchers in our community to serve as OL TEs.

One of the Journal’s newest TEs, Jian Wang, remembers reading OL as a PhD student and having his first article published in 2006. Ten years later he was appointed to the editorial board. Having acclimated to serving on the board, Wang says, “I find my tenure as a Topical Editor to be both rewarding and enjoyable.” He credits the board’s mentoring program, in which new TEs are paired with a DE, with helping him to learn the best practices of being an OL TE.

Among many outstanding editors I have worked with since 2014, I also would like to acknowledge Brian Justus for his excellent and dedicated service to OL. He is one of the longest serving editors, first as a TE, then a DE, and now a Features Editor, approving papers for Spotlight on Optics and Editors’ Pick. He worked closely with Anthony J. Campillo and stayed as a DE during Alan Willner’s term and part of mine. OL continues to perform well in large part because of its committed volunteers.

The Journal’s dedicated staff revealed immediate solidarity in their warm and professional welcome to me at the beginning of my term. The team members that I have worked with throughout my tenure so far have impressed me with their skill and dedication. I look forward to continuing the OL tradition of excellence with the Journal’s staff.

Our staff and volunteer editors will strive to make sure that OL is always a journal with high standards, where the optics and photonics community can have their most novel, high-impact work published quickly. However, there are ways in which we can make the Journal even better. Below are a few goals for the remaining two years of my term as Editor-in-Chief.

One way in which the Journal can better serve the community is by heeding OSA’s call to improve gender balance among the Society’s leadership. Although our editorial board is quite internationally diverse and has included a number of talented women over the years, overall, women have been greatly underrepresented. I am actively seeking out women candidates to join the editorial board, and I am always open to recommendations.

Another goal of mine is to improve communication among authors, reviewers, readers, editors, and staff. The policies and procedures involved in managing a peer-reviewed scientific journal are assessed regularly to seek efficiencies and improve quality of service. I want to be sure that any changes to the Journal’s processes are clear to everyone. We have published several editorials [3] during my tenure to connect with the OL community and will continue to do so. I also intend to expand our use of social media, when appropriate, to help promote the Journal and share information.

Finally, I want readers and authors to know that I am accessible. I look forward to interaction with my optics and photonics colleagues, so feel free to say hello if you see me in my travels or reach out if you have any questions or comments about the Journal. I will always do my best to answer questions in a timely manner.

Thank you for helping OL celebrate its 40th anniversary. I look forward to continuing the Journal’s success together!