European Journal of Geography (Year 2023): Reviewer Appreciation & Publication Recap

Abstract

Dear Readers,

As we begin a new year full of potential and opportunity, we wish each of you much joy and success. As we embark on this journey, we also celebrate a significant milestone – the fifteenth anniversary of the European Journal of Geography.

Over the past decade and a half, our journal has become a beacon of excellence in the field of geography and the social sciences. This journey has been characterised by unwavering commitment and tireless dedication, a collective endeavour led by the dedicated members of our editorial team and the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO). Their diligence and passion have been instrumental in making our journal the respected publication it is today.

Looking back on our shared history, we are proud to have published over 310 articles dealing with key topics in geography, planning and development. These scholarly contributions have not only explored and analysed important topics, but have also introduced new ideas (Koutsopoulos, 2022; Manetos et al., 2022), methods (Cramer-Greenbaum, 2023; Krevs et al., 2023; Morawski & Wolff-Seidel, 2023) and data (Hojati & Mokarram, 2016) that will inspire future generations of geographers to transcend conventional disciplinary boundaries.

The richness of our content encompasses numerous facets and includes the fields of geography education (Fraile-Jurado & Periáñez-Cuevas, 2023; Humble, 2023; Martínez-Hernández et al., 2023; Mašterová, 2023; Puertas-Aguilar et al., 2023), physical geography (Sánchez-Martínez & Cabrera, 2015), sustainability (Leininger-Frézal et al., 2023; Mally, 2021), tourism (Bandt et al., 2022; Jovanovic et al., 2022), geoinformatics (Batsaris et al., 2023; Vestena et al., 2023), spatial analysis (Agourogiannis et al., 2021; Bartzokas-Tsiompras & Photis, 2020; Wieland, 2022), remote sensing (Younes et al., 2023), maps (Nedkov et al., 2018; Papaioannou et al., 2020), geoinformation (Bartha & Kocsis, 2011; Bartzokas-Tsiompras, 2022), economic (Doukissas et al., 2020; Mikhaylova, 2018), social (Mei & Liempt, 2022; Roșu et al., 2015), political (Kevicky, 2023; Tsitsaraki & Petracou, 2023) and cultural (Gusman & Otero-Varela, 2023) geography, geopolitics (Morgado, 2023) as well as environmental (Burić et al., 2023; Prodanova & Varadzhakova, 2022), urban (Chondrogianni & Stephanedes, 2021; Lagarias et al., 2022) and transport (Garrido, 2013; Kellerman, 2023; Koktavá & Horák, 2023) geography/planning (González, 2017). Each article, a testament to the diversity and depth of knowledge within our community, has played a crucial role in energising discourse in our academic environment. Several EJG articles addressed current global crises and challenges such as climate change, COVID-19, wars and economic recession. They show how important geography is when it comes to finding solutions and new insights to the many problems that threaten our world. This interconnected approach underlines the journal's commitment to engaging with both the specialised academic discourse and the broader global challenges of our time.

Authors, editors, board members, reviewers and readers are the lifeblood of this academic platform, and we recognise and appreciate your invaluable role in the success of the European Journal of Geography. Your commitment has fuelled our growth and you are an essential part of our legacy. We take our fifteenth anniversary as an opportunity to invite and encourage you to contribute to the continued success of the journal by submitting new and original geographical research articles. Here's to another year of scholarly work, meaningful collaborations and the continued advancement of geographical knowledge.

We would also like to take a moment to recognise the incredible efforts of 95 professors and researchers who served as reviewers for the European Journal of Geography in 2023. Their expertise and dedication have been invaluable in maintaining the quality of our publications. In addition, the journal features 18 distinguished editorial board members from 12 countries, including renowned experts (60% men, 40% women) from various geographical research fields (This year we welcome 10 esteemed new members to our Editorial Board). In particular, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the following editorial board members for their help and support:

1. Alvanides Seraphim, Northumbria University, UK
2. ‪Bednarz W. Sarah, Texas A&M University, USA
3. Capello Roberta, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
4. Cretan Remus, West University of Timisoara, Romania
5. De Miguel Gonzalez Rafael, University of Zaragoza, Spain
6. Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola, University of Oulu, Finland
7. Jerry T. Mitchell, University of South Carolina, USA
8. Kavroudakis Dimitris, University of the Aegean, Greece
9. Kiss Éva, CSFK Geographical Institute, Hungary
10. Knecht Petr, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
11. Kounadi Ourania, University of Vienna, Austria
12. Kolvoord Bob, James Madison University, USA
13. Leininger-Frezal Caroline, Université de Paris, France
14. Margaritis Efstathios, University of Southampton, UK
15. Specht Doug, University of Westminster, UK
16. Strobl Josef, University of Salzburg, Austria
17. Theobald Rebecca, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, USA
18. Yilmaz Ari, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, Turkey

In 2023, we received a total of 116 submissions. Of these, 24 outstanding papers were published online (acceptance rate 21% - 2023), while 92, although commendable, did not make it to publication. Remarkably, these submissions included the contributions of 63 authors from 20 countries. The average review speed of the articles is about 7-9 weeks for the first round and about 4-6 weeks for the second round. The reviewers came from 31 countries, which shows a global co-operation: UK, USA, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, Japan, Hungary, Iceland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Romania and others.

Thank you for your continued support and your contributions to this journal. Look forward to an exciting journey of discovery and innovation in the pages of the European Journal of Geography. Join us as we continue to shape the ever-evolving canvas of geographical exploration and knowledge.

List of Reviewers 2023:

1. Alessandro Del Ponte, University of Alabama, USA
2. Ali Enes Dingil, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Repuplic
3. Alvanides Seraphim, Northumbria University, UK
4. András J. Molnár, Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, Germany
5. Anja du Plessis, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
6. Anqi Huang, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China
7. Apostolia Galani, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
8. Ari Yilmaz, Bandirma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi, Turkey
9. Audur Palsdottir , University of Iceland, Iceland
10. Barbara Szejgiec-Kolenda, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
11. Beth Schlemper, The University of Toledo, USA
12. Blaž Repe, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
13. Bob Kolvoord, James Madison University, USA
14. Carina Peter, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
15. Carlos Lopez Escolano, University of Zaragoza, Spain
16. Caroline Leininger, Université de Paris, France
17. Charalampos Tsavdaroglou, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
18. Christian Weismayer, Modul University Vienna GmbH, Austria
19. Darra Athanasia, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
20. Denise Blanchard, Texas State University, USA
21. Dimitris Kavroudakis, University of the Aegea, Greece
22. Don MacKeen, City of Glasgow College, UK
23. Doug Specht, University of Westminster, UK
24. Dragan Burić, University of Montenegro, Montenegro
25. Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola , University of Oulu, Finland
26. Efstathios Margaritis, University of Southampton, UK
27. Emmanuel Eze, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
28. Eva Psatha, University of Thessaly, Greece
29. Evangelos Rasvanis, University of Thessaly, Greece
30. Femke van Esch, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
31. František Petrovič, Constantine the Philosopher University, Slovakia
32. George Revill, The Open University, UK
33. Géza Tóth, University of Miskolc, Hungary
34. Grayson R. Morgan, University of South Carolina, USA
35. Hristina Prodanova, National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria
36. Huda Jamal Jumaah, Northern Technical University, Iraq
37. İlkay Südas, Ege University, Turkey
38. Ilse van liempt, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
39. Isabel María Gómez-Trigueros, University of Alicante, Spain
40. Italo Sousa de Sena, University College Dublin, Ireland
41. Iva Miranda Pires, NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal
42. Iwona Anna Jażdżewska, University of Lodz, Poland
43. Jaime Diaz Pacheco, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain
44. Jan Christoph Schubert, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
45. Jens Dangschat , TU Wien, Austria
46. Jernej Zupančič, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
47. Jerry T. Mitchell, University of South Carolina, USA
48. Joan Rossello, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain
49. Joseph J. Kerski, ESRI, USA
50. Karina Standal, CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway
51. Karl Donert, EUROGEO, Belgium
52. Koshiro Suzuki , University of Toyama, Japan
53. Kristine Juul, University of Roskilde , Denmark
54. Lauren Hammond, University College London, UK
55. Mahmood Shoorcheh, University of Isfahan, Iran
56. Maria Angeles Rodriguez-Domenech, Universidad Castilla La Mancha, Spain
57. María Lois , Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
58. María-Luisa de Lázaro-Torres , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
59. Marko Krevs, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
60. Marta Gallardo, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
61. Md Galal Uddin, University of Galway, Ireland
62. Kausar Alam, Brac University, Bangladesh
63. Michaela Spurná, Masaryk University, Czech Repuplic
64. Miha Pavšek, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
65. Muhammad Haroon Stanikzai , Kandahar University, Afghanistan
66. Neli Heidari, University of Hamburg, Germany
67. Nicholas Wise, Arizona State University, USA
68. Nikola Šimunić, Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Croatia
69. Nikolaos Karachalis , University of the Aegean, Greece
70. Nuno Morgado, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
71. Pablo Fraile-Jurado, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
72. Panagiotis G. Tzouras, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
73. Peter T. Dunn, University of Washington, USA
74. Petr Knecht, Masaryk University, Czech Repuplic
75. Polyxeni Kechagia, University of Thessaly, Greece
76. Qi Zhou, China University of Geosciences, China
77. Rafael de Miguel González, University of Zaragoza, Spain
78. Rebecca Theobald, University of Colorado, USA
79. Remus Cretan, West University of Timisoara, Romania
80. Roberto Falanga, University of Lisbon, Institute of Social Sciences, Portugal
81. Saheed Adekunle Raji, University of Lagos, Nigeria
82. Sandra Sprenger, University of Hamburg, Germany
83. Sarah Bednarz, Texas A&M University, USA
84. Sebastien Bourdin, EM Normandie Bussiness School, France
85. Serafin Pazos-Vidal , European Association for Innovation in Local Development, Belgium
86. Susannah Cramer-Greenbaum, University of Warwick, UK, UK
87. Teemu Makkonen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
88. Teresa Sadoń-Osowiecka, University of Gdansk, Poland
89. Theano S. Terkenli , University of the Aegean, Greece
90. Theodore Metaxas , University of Thessaly, Greece
91. Uwe Krause, Fontys School of the Arts, The Netherlands
92. Valériane Mistiaen , Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
93. Vesna Skrbinjek, International School for Social and Business Studies, Slovenia
94. Vincent Nzabarinda, Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
95. Zsolt Tibor Kosztyán, University of Pannonia, Hungary