What Are Editorials?

Editorials are short, authoritative statements published by the editor-in-chief or senior editors of a scientific or technical journal, appearing at the front of an issue or at critical junctures in a publication's history. In the context of engineering and technology publishing, editorials serve as a formal communication channel between the editorial leadership and the publication's readership, conveying information about the journal's direction, scope changes, policy updates, or the significance of a particular issue's content. They are distinct from research articles, review papers, and letters: they carry the voice of the journal's editorial governance rather than reporting original research.

The editorial occupies a long-standing position in academic and professional publishing, rooted in the tradition of scientific correspondence. For IEEE publications, editorials function as an instrument of editorial transparency, allowing editors to address the community they serve and to signal the journal's priorities to authors, reviewers, and subscribers.

Role in Scientific and Technical Publishing

In scientific and technical journals, an editorial may introduce a special issue, explain a revision to submission policies, respond to community discussion about publication ethics, or acknowledge outgoing and incoming editorial board members. According to IEEE guidelines for editor-in-chiefs, editorials appear at regular or ad hoc intervals and may give a brief overview of the current issue, discuss the state of the publication, or briefly introduce new editorial board members or related activities. This flexibility distinguishes the editorial from the fixed structure of research and review content.

Editorials in engineering journals often carry substantive technical framing. An editor introducing a special issue on power electronics may situate the collected papers within a broader research trend, providing readers with context that individual papers cannot supply.

Relationship to Peer Review

Editorials are generally not subject to the same peer review process that governs submitted manuscripts. They are written by editors who have already been selected by the publication for their expertise and judgment. This exemption from external review gives editorials a speed and directness unavailable to full research articles, which typically undergo review by at least two qualified referees before acceptance, as specified in IEEE's submission and peer review policies. The editorial therefore occupies a unique position: it carries the credibility of the publication without the gatekeeping mechanisms applied to contributed papers.

IEEE Editorials in Practice

Across IEEE's portfolio of more than 200 journals and transactions, the editorial serves as a consistent structural element. IEEE journals such as the IEEE Transactions on Education, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, and IEEE Spectrum each use editorials to communicate with their distinct readerships. The IEEE Editorial Style Manual for Authors provides guidance on format and structure that applies to contributed content, but editorial writing follows the conventions of the editor rather than a fixed template. Editors-in-chief are encouraged to use editorials to reinforce the technical identity and community values of the journal.

Applications

Editorials have applications in a range of professional and institutional contexts, including:

• Introducing special issues on focused technical themes in engineering journals
• Communicating editorial policy changes to authors and reviewers
• Acknowledging contributions of departing editorial board members
• Framing emerging research areas for the journal's readership
• Responding to letters, corrections, or community discussions within a publication