Databases and desktop publishing in the process of reviewing Operational Research OR books

Editors of professional journals are frequently criticised for delays in publication and for the lack of impact when material appears a significant time after its original creation. Many journals include certain special features which rely on the material appearing quickly if it is to be of any real use. The Operational Research OR journals in particular publish book reviews which lose their impact if they are subject to excessive time delays. The present paper examines the authors’ experience in identifying the causes of the delays and their efforts to reduce those caused by variables within their control. The sections consider the inherent objectives, provide a model of the traditional process, including identification of the controllable variables, and then present a new system together with a review of its effectiveness.