Connecting Earth and Space Researchers

The Vice-Presidency for Research and Technology News Desk of the University of Tehran:

The journal "Physics of Earth and Space" is one of the country's prestigious (and oldest) scientific journals in the field of Earth and Space Sciences, which has achieved a prominent position in the national and international arena. Dr. Abbasali Aliakbari Bidokhti has provided explanations in an interview about the characteristics, achievements, and prospects of this journal.

Referring to the scientific status of this journal, Dr. Bidokhti says:

"The Journal of Earth and Space Physics has a special position in the country's scientific community. In addition to its domestic reputation, this journal is indexed in reputable international databases including Scopus, DOAJ, ISC, and EBSCO. It is also one of the few Persian-language journals of the University of Tehran that are indexed in Scopus long time ago."

He continues: “This journal has been ranked highest in the annual evaluation of scientific journals by the Ministry of Science and has also managed to win the title of the country’s top basic science journal. These successes demonstrate the high quality of the published articles and the accuracy of the journal’s review and evaluation processes.” According to Dr. Bidokhti, the journal is published by the Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran, in cooperation with the University of Tehran Press, and this reputable scientific support has played an important role in maintaining its quality standards. He emphasizes: “Maintaining this scientific position helps strengthen the reputation of the University of Tehran as one of the country’s scientific poles in the field of geophysics and demonstrates the University’s ability to produce knowledge and play an effective role in solving the country’s scientific and practical problems.”

Dr. Bidokhti also explains the peer review process: “The journal is published quarterly and receives and reviews research articles, reviews, and research notes in various fields of geophysics and space sciences. The peer review process is conducted anonymously; meaning that the identities of the authors and reviewers are not known to each other. Each article is evaluated by at least two expert reviewers and a specialized editor, and the average review time is about 12 weeks.” He adds: “To maintain scientific quality, the article is sent to the reviewers after an initial review for compliance with the journal’s standards, and after possible corrections are made by the authors, it is subject to final review by the editorial board.”

Referring to the journal's ethical and scientific standards, Dr. Bidokhti continues: "We use the Semim Noor software to prevent plagiarism, and the journal adheres to the principles and rules of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the regulations for combating scientific fraud. Also, the intellectual property rights of the works belong to the authors, and the articles are published under the international CC BY-NC license." He states that the most important criteria for accepting articles are originality and innovation, the use of up-to-date research methods, compliance with the principles of research ethics, the relevance of the subject to the journal's specialized fields, and the appropriate quality of scientific writing.

Dr. Bidokhti also states about the research priorities of this field:

“Today, topics such as ionospheric phenomena, earth crustal activities and earthquakes, climate change, global warming, air pollution and ocean physical changes are considered to be among the most important research axes. Also, the use of new tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced statistical and mathematical methods in analyzing these phenomena has become increasingly important.”

He believes that the results of these studies can help develop knowledge and provide practical solutions to the country’s problems in the form of innovative articles, and for this reason, they are being considered by the editorial board.

Dr. Bidokhti also considers the role of this journal in promoting the University's research activities to be very important, saying: "The existence of a reputable journal with an international ranking creates a significant incentive for graduate students and faculty members to conduct higher-quality research. In addition, the journal provides a platform for introducing young researchers and forming scientific collaborations between domestic and foreign universities and research centers."

In another part of his speech, he referred to the practical applications of research published in this field and added:

“Many geophysical and space science research are directly related to natural hazards management and the development of the country’s infrastructure. Issues such as earthquakes, climate change, air pollution, and ocean physical changes have a direct impact on human life, and better understanding of these phenomena can help reduce damage and more effectively manage natural hazards and reduction of human sufferings by such events.”

Dr. Bidokhti concluded by emphasizing: “Scientific publications require more support and attention to maintain and enhance their status. We hope that the responsible institutions will cooperate more effectively in better introducing these type of journals and increasing their visibility in the country’s scientific and professional community, so as to pave the way for further development of research and scientific production as well as their applications.”

PARS MEDEQ company and the Mossalanejad Cultural Foundation are the sponsors of Vice-Presidency for Research and Technology News Desk