Vol. 10(2) Summer 03

From the Editor

Greetings from the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education (JIAEE) and the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE).

Journal readers and AIAEE members alike have taken to heart the repeated requests for submitting their manuscripts for review and publication in the Journal. We have many articles that are accepted for publication and awaiting their place in a future issue of JIAEE. As we all know, this summer issue is devoted to the outstanding AIAEE Annual Conference papers, so space is limited and we will not be able to publish additional manuscripts in this issue. However, the fall issue is shaping up nicely. I send thanks to all who have submitted articles for review and publication in the Journal.

Although I had to miss this year’s AIAEE Annual Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, I heard it was another raging success. I extend my gratitude to the AIAEE Leadership Team for continuing on their path of excellence in providing AIAEE members a consistent venue to share thoughts and renew friendships. You will find the some of the fruits of this labor in this issue. Please read these articles to understand better the international agricultural and extension education efforts in Jordan, China, United States, and Uruguay. Along the way, you will read interesting findings that might lead you to conduct research in these or similar areas. Who knows, maybe your paper will be appearing in the summer issue of JIAEE next year. Other ideas may be generated by reading through the abstracts for posters, carousels, and all research papers presented at the Annual Conference.

It must be noted that outstanding conference papers are required to be peer-reviewed by JIAEE Editorial Board members prior to publication in the summer issue. This extra process ensures that 1) scholarly contributions to the Journal are consistent in all issues, and 2) authors are given additional space to elaborate upon their original conference papers and additional feedback on areas of improvement. This process will continue indefinitely as we seek to maintain the rigor of the Journal, which has a consistent 38% acceptance rate over the past two years.

With the gracious assistance of associate editor, Dr. James Lindner, the annual JIAEE Editorial Board meeting produced some significant changes to future issues of our Journal. First, the number of words allowed in all article abstracts has been increased from 150 to 250 words. Please make a note of this important change as the board felt the increase allows authors to more fully describe their research, which is beneficial when searching abstract-only indices on the Internet. Second, the current “glossy” cover will be replaced by a matte finish starting in 2004. The new cover type allows for faster drying ink and less distortion to the AIAEE logo and lettering; changes that will produce a faster printing process and higher quality “look” for the Journal. Third, the JIAEE Editorial Board will institute an Article of the Year award (see p. 113) to recognize the outstanding scholarly achievements of our contributors. Finally, additional decisions were discussed on voted on by the board, including publication of abstracts in the author’s native language (vote denied), increasing the page limit for manuscripts (vote denied), and changing the AIAEE logo on the cover (vote denied, use updated geographically corrected version). It should be noted the Editor retains the privilege of accepting manuscripts for review that are more than the 12-page, double-space limitation, under special circumstances; reviewers will be notified of these situations. In addition, the Editorial Board recommended that all JIAEE manuscript reviewers must have been published in the Journal prior to serving as a reviewer; changes to the list of JIAEE reviewers are being made to reflect this decision.

I send my thanks to all Journal contributors, reviewers, and board members for assisting in the production of this issue. Enjoy your summer issue and continue doing what you can to promote greater understanding of agricultural and extension education worldwide.

Sincerely,

Gary J. Wingenbach, Editor

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education