What Is IEEE Industry Applications Magazine?

IEEE Industry Applications Magazine is a bimonthly publication of the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) that covers technical subjects and professional activities related to the application of electrical and electronics engineering across industry sectors. Launched in 1995, the magazine reached its 30th anniversary in 2025 and has operated throughout that period as a complement to the society's research transactions: where the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications carries primary research, the magazine emphasizes application, practice, and the concerns of engineers deploying technology in commercial and industrial environments. Its readership spans power engineers, systems integrators, plant engineers, and technical managers working in sectors from manufacturing to utilities.

The IEEE Industry Applications Society describes the magazine as more practice-oriented than its transaction journals, a distinction that shapes both the content it solicits and the editorial standards it applies.

Scope and Technical Coverage

Each issue of IEEE Industry Applications Magazine includes six to eight technical papers alongside columns addressing news, professional activities, and developments in the society's technical committees. Coverage spans electric machines and drives, power conversion, energy management, process control, arc flash and electrical safety, and industry-specific applications of power electronics. The magazine also covers standards activities, providing accessible coverage of new or revised standards from the IEEE Standards Association and IEC that affect industrial electrical systems. Commentary on emerging technology areas, such as the electrification of transportation and industrial decarbonization, has appeared with increasing frequency in recent issues archived on IEEE Xplore.

Present-to-Publish Policy

A distinctive feature of the magazine is its Present-to-Publish policy, which requires authors to present their work at an IAS-sponsored conference or technical meeting before the article can be accepted for the magazine. The principle behind this policy is that face-to-face explanation and defense of a contribution provides authors with feedback that improves the final written version. This policy is unusual among IEEE publications and reflects the society's emphasis on community engagement alongside technical publication. It also means that magazine articles have typically been vetted by a technically informed audience before they reach the wider readership.

Role Within IAS

Within the IAS publication ecosystem, the magazine sits between the technical depth of the transactions and the news and events coverage of society newsletters. It is accessible to a practitioner audience while maintaining rigorous editorial review. IAS covers the full range of industrial applications from power electronics and drives to arc furnaces, lighting, mining, petroleum, cement, rubber, and plastics industries, and the magazine's coverage follows that span. The society also uses the magazine to document and communicate activities of its many technical committees, giving readers a window into where the field is heading.

Applications

IEEE Industry Applications Magazine serves engineers and organizations across a range of sectors, including:

• Electric power distribution and industrial power systems
• Variable-speed drives and motor control in manufacturing
• Commercial and industrial lighting systems engineering
• Process industries including petroleum, mining, and chemical manufacturing
• Electrical safety standards and arc flash hazard analysis