As it should be known by now, the New Contree (NC) journal from January 2023 entered a new milestone in its existence. With AOSIS as publisher, strongly positioned to administratively and professionally assist NC as a journal to strengthen its visibility, exposure and frequency, there is excitement and expectations. In the past months, we have been mainly busy with ironing out processes and finalising the nominations and appointments of the 2023–2026 NC Editorial Board.
I want to make use of this opportunity to warmly thank the outgoing Editorial Board members who so diligently served the NC for two or three and even more terms! In this regard, I have to first mention an NC stalwart since the early 21st century, namely Prof. Patrick Furlong of the Alma College in the United States of America. What I will remember is that Patrick never shied away from any article review because of a time constraint – even in the most difficult times he encountered. For years, he assisted with advice and encouragement to ensure that the NC advances with the tides of scholarly times.
We are also saddened to lose the intellect and calibre of Dr Wayne Dooling of the University of London in the United Kingdom as a Board Member because of work obligations. So it is, too, with NC’s Co-Editor, Dr Vusi Kumalo of the Nelson Madela University and Book Review Editor, Dr Njabulo Chipangura from the University of Manchester. With a new publishing system in place, we sadly had to say goodbye to NC’s extremely reliable Technical Editor Prof. Eric Nealer of the University of South Africa, and an outstanding, diligent Copy Editor, Dr Bridget Theron-Bushell. It was truly great to have these esteemed and dedicated scholars as part of the NC team! I also thank all my other fellow Editorial Board members who have indicated that they will serve for another term. Your valued support is more than what any of my words in writing can express.
While saying goodbye to some, the NC warmly welcomes a few new members of high standing to the Editorial Board: Prof. Toyin Falola of the University of Texas at Austin (USA), Prof. Laura J Mitchell of the University of California (USA), Dr Abraham Mlombo of the University of Pretoria and last but not the least, Mr Tumishang Ledwaba (who will co-serve as a Book Review Editor for New Contree).
Let me also use this opportunity to celebrate NC’s recent acceptance into the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which is a remarkable achievement and reflection on NC’s outstanding contributions to the academic community and its commitment to open access principles. We are more than hopeful and excited that the NC’s inclusion in the DOAJ will open doors to collaborative opportunities and that it will enhance the journal’s reputation and solidify its standing as a leading platform for disseminating scholarly work. On behalf of the NC Editorial Board, the AOSIS team is warmly thanked for leading this initiative to fruition.
Although the NC journal process is now very much digitalised, the core NC Editorial Team and its Board remain committed not only to the publishing of academic work of high standing, but also to serve fellow scholars in personalised ways. Yet the digital era requires from all prospective authors to submit articles for review on the NC platform, and articles will be finalised as each of the articles is approved and article processing charges (APCs) are paid – regardless of when in a year. This is called ‘continous or rolling publication’. Hard copies can be ordered with the publisher after a certain time has elapsed. The Editorial Board of NC is committed to servicing libraries that expressed a need for hard copies annually but that will remain a service at cost (postage fee inclusive). We are looking forward to hearing from prospective authors of articles and to receiving new articles for review.
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