Editor-in-Chief's Message: After one year of “electronic only” for Canadian Acoustics journal

Abstract

Since my last editorial, Canadian Acoustics has continued its steady evolution as both a scientific journal and a community platform, marked by important structural, editorial, and operational developments.

One of the most significant milestones of the last 12 months has been our transition to an electronic-only publication format. This decision was communicated to our members through multiple channels, including a special editorial in December 2023, announcements at the October 2023 Annual General Assembly, an online notice in April 2024, and a detailed editorial accompanying the June 2024 issue. The response from our readership has been overwhelmingly positive: we received many supportive messages, only two members expressed concerns, and no comments have been raised to date by advertisers or indirect subscribers. This feedback reinforces our confidence that the transition aligns well with the expectations and reading habits of our community, while also supporting sustainability and operational efficiency.

To support this electronic-only format, we have also invested in improving our digital dissemination tools. A new plugin for the Open Journal Systems platform was developed by Benjamin Pye, a full-stack programmer intern, to generate responsive HTML emails presenting issue tables of contents in a reader-friendly format. In keeping with our commitment to openness and community contribution, the plugin’s source code has been made publicly available (https://github.com/critias-etsmtl-ca/pkp-emailIssueToc), allowing other journals to benefit from this development and further strengthening the open-source ecosystem around scholarly publishing.

The past year has also marked an important renewal of our Editorial Board. Since October 2023, several sections have welcomed new editors, ensuring both continuity and renewal across the journal’s core domains. Prof. Olivier Doutres (Université du Québec à Montréal – ÉTS) has assumed responsibility for the Hearing Conservation section, succeeding the late Alberto Behar; Prof. Anderson Raymundo Avila (INRS-EMT, Canada) now oversees Signal Processing and Numerical Methods; Prof. Marlène Sanjosé (ÉTS) has taken on the Aeroacoustics section, replacing Dr. Anant Grewal (National Research Council of Canada); Roderick Mackenzie (SoftdB, Canada) now leads the Consulting section following the passing of Tim Kelsall; and Dr. Sebastian Ghinet (National Research Council of Canada) has taken over Engineering Acoustics and Noise Control from Prof. Joana Rocha (Carleton University). Together with the ongoing commitment of the full editorial team, these transitions reinforce our capacity to serve authors, readers, and the broader acoustics community with rigor, continuity, and renewed energy.

We have also had to address immediate operational challenges. With our Journal Manager, Dr. Cécile LeCocq, unexpectedly unavailable for LaTeX galley production, we implemented a temporary but necessary “rubber-stamp” approach to formally mark and release accepted manuscripts. While this is far from our preferred model, it ensures continuity of publication and preserves the integrity of our release schedule while we work toward a more sustainable production pipeline, notably through our upcoming partenership with Érudit consortium, that I’ll disclose in near future.

In parallel, we have clarified internal policies surrounding indirect subscribers and updated our editorial guidance on managing conflicts of interest in peer review. Authors may now flag specific, well-supported concerns regarding reviewer selection, and Section Editors will assess these requests with transparent and consistent criteria. The goal is not to shift decision-making to authors but to ensure procedural fairness and preserve confidence in the impartiality of the review process.

Taken together, these developments reflect a journal that continues to adapt thoughtfully to changing expectations while remaining firmly anchored in rigor, transparency, and service to its community. I would like to thank our authors, reviewers, editors, and readers for their continued engagement and trust, which remain the foundation of Canadian Acoustics.