In 2011, JOT experimented with a new, single-issue format, in which articles and special sections were published immediately upon acceptance of the final version. This scheme had the advantage that authors and readers did not have to wait for a backlog of previously scheduled issues before a paper would be published. The disadvantage is that it is harder to see when new material is published, since there is a new “issue” only once a year.
With this issue, JOT is reverting to a format with multiple issues throughout the year, however we will continue to publish new material “as soon as possible”. In practice this means that new articles will appear either in a current, open issue, or in the next scheduled issue. We plan to target four regular issues a year, and two to four further special issues dedicated to special topics.
Publishing material “as soon as possible” means that JOT will keep no backlog of papers for future issues. The risk for JOT is that an empty pipeline may lead to delays in publishing an issue. The advantage for the community is timely publication of new papers. As always, we call on you to submit previously unpublished research articles, surveys, tutorials, and technical notes on all aspects of object technology.