Farewell editorial

Citation

Douglas, A. (2023), "Farewell editorial", The TQM Journal, Vol. 35 No. 8, pp. 2113-2113. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-11-2023-381

It is with mixed emotions that I write this, my final editorial, for The TQM Journal. I have been Editor-in-Chief since 2004, when I took over the role from the late Mohamed Zairi, the founding editor of the journal. These were big shoes to fill, but with his support, I gradually grew into the role.

Over the years of my stewardship, the journal has published many first-time authors and researchers as well as authors from countries not immediately recognised as historically having a research culture. We are very proud of this at The TQM Journal. Indeed, many of those inexperienced researchers and authors have developed into leading academics and researchers. Congratulations to you all.

The TQM Journal is, and always has been, in the paper publication business, not the paper rejection business. I recently received an invitation from a journal, which will remain nameless, to review a research paper. The invitation was suffixed with some information about the journal. This informed me that the journal received around 750 paper submissions per year and only published 75 of those – in other words, it had a 90% rejection rate. Personally, we at The TQM Journal do not think that is anything to be proud of, and the editorial team is using their rejection rate as a surrogate for quality. They are playing the journal ranking game at the expense of authors trying to publish their research. We do not play that game at The TQM Journal. If a paper meets the quality standard required and passes peer review, then the journal will accept it for publication. It is my sincere belief that this will continue to be the case under the journal's new Editor-in-Chief, Professor Maria Vincenza Ciasullo.

Professor Ciasullo has been associated with the journal for many years, first as a reviewer, then as an author, then as an Editorial Advisory Board member and currently as a co-editor. She has edited several special issues of this and other journals over the years. She has the knowledge and experience for the role. The TQM Journal is in safe hands.

Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to the following groups who have supported me and The TQM Journal over the last 20 years:

1. All the Emerald backroom team members that have worked on The TQM Journal over the years – nothing would have been published without them;

2. All the publishers who have worked with me on making the journal a success;

3. All the authors who have trusted us enough to submit their manuscripts to be considered for publication, be they successful or not;

4. All our Editorial Review Board and Editorial Advisory Board members and

5. And last but by no means least, a big thank you to all the reviewers who have submitted their reviews of the thousands of papers submitted to The TQM Journal over the years – you are the unsung heroes of journal publishing, without whom the system would collapse.

Thank you, and farewell.

Professor Dr Alex Douglas