Earlier this year, the Journal of Time Series Analysis launched a Distinguished Author award. With the 2020 additions to the inaugural list of recipients just announced, Stats & Data Science Views spoke to Editor-in-Chief Robert Taylor about the award and the response from authors. 

The full list of Distinguished Authors is available here.

Could you tell us more about the idea behind the Distinguished Author Award?

Yes, the idea behind the scheme is to provide a form of recognition to authors who have made a significant contribution to the Journal of Time Series Analysis since its inception in 1980. The award is based on the number of articles an author has published in the journal, adjusted for the number of co-authors on these articles so as not to advantage those who work in teams. A number of journals run similar schemes and they are known to be very popular with authors. Who doesn’t like a bit of recognition, after all! Awards like this also constitute external signals of research excellence which can be helpful with promotion and tenure applications etc.     

How do authors qualify for the award?

The qualifying criterion for this award is 3.5 points where authors are awarded 1 point for each single-authored article, 1/2 point for each double-author article, 1/3 point for each triple-authored article, and so on, that they have published in the Journal of Time Series Analysis since its inception. The inaugural set of Distinguished Authors was announced in the July 2020 issue of the journal. The list of new Distinguished Authors will be announced annually (in the first issue of each year), based on articles published in up to and including the previous calendar year’s volume number. Distinguished Authors receive an official certificate from Wiley and are entitled to request a 1-year free online subscription to the journal to mark the award.

What are you hoping the award will bring to the journal and its authors?

The Journal of Time Series Analysis is proud to be the leading journal outlet for the community of scholars researching into both the methodology and application of statistical methods for time series processes. We hope the Distinguished Author Award will further enhance the sense of community between researchers in our field and the central role that the Journal of Time Series Analysis plays in that. This is the journal of our profession and recognising and promoting the outstanding research done by researchers in our field is at the core of what we do.

What has the response been from authors so far?

The response has been fantastic!  I have had some really lovely correspondence from those authors who have so far been given the Distinguished Author Award. The degree of modesty and humility expressed in these communications has been really amazing. Pretty much of all them have said they feel humbled to be included in such a distinguished list of people. Many other authors not yet on the list have told me how much they welcome the scheme and that it has encouraged them to send more of their work to the Journal of Time Series Analysis for peer review. This is an excellent response. The Distinguished Author Award is not intended to be an “elitist club” – rather our view is the more the merrier!