| Materials Today | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title (ISO) | Mater. Today |
| Discipline | Materials science |
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Jonathan Agbenyega |
| Publication details | |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Publication history | 1998-present |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Open access | Yes |
| Impact factor (2010) |
6.265 |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 1369-7021 |
| LCCN | 2001261059 |
| CODEN | MTOUAN |
| OCLC number | 49407176 |
| Links | |
Materials Today is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1998. It covers all aspects of materials science and is published by Elsevier. The editor in chief is Jonathan Agbenyega. Besides original research articles, other formats are also included, such as news items, commentaries, and opinion pieces on subjects of interest to the field.[1][2]
Contents |
Materials Today is self-described as a review magazine focused on materials science. Contribution formats are commissioned articles, review articles (2500-3500 words), applications (2000-2500), insights (2000-2500), materials and methods (1200–1500), book reviews (650-700), and opinion(750-900). The peer-reviewed sections of the magazine are "reviews", "insights", "applications", and "materials and methods".[3]
Topical coverage consists of research advances (includes future trends), contributors' personal perspectives, broad scientific interest articles, specific reviews for materials researchers, technical aspects of materials research, commercial applications, significant emerging technologies, and significant potential applications for new materials.[3]
The focus of the "Insights" section is broad, general interest topics such as profiles of a particular research institution, profiling a group, new initiatives, funding, education, gender, implications to society, etc.[3]
"Materials and Methods" focuses on likely influential techniques, improvement in methods, adaptation of existing methods, significant new tools relevant to the materials research community, and how these are an improvement over current methods.[3]
Opinions can be topical or strong point of view.[3]
First published in 1998, Materials Today was launched as a collaboration between Elsevier and the European Materials Research Society (EMRS). The founding editor was Phil Mestecky, who had previously been responsible for the publication of Elsevier's first online major reference work, The Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology. At the time, Mestecky managed the publishing relationship with the EMRS including arranging publication of the annual set of conference proceedings from the EMRS Spring Meeting in Strasbourg.
The first issue of Materials Today contained articles on the use and misuse of impact factors, the developing interest in soft materials, and the role of semiconductor processing in maintaining Moore's Law.
Materials Today was distributed free of charge to EMRS members and to anyone else who requested a subscription.
However, it was not until Cordelia Sealy took over as editor that the publication began to develop as a fully audited controlled circulation magazine. A complete overhaul of design, layout, editorial policy, and advertising opportunities followed. In 2009 it was listed for the first time in the Journal Citation Reports with a 2008 impact factor of 12.929, eclipsing the MRS Bulletin (impact factor: 5.168), the competitor publication from the Materials Research Society. The impact factor of Materials Today however fell down to 6.265 in 2010.[4]