Let me begin with a brief overview of JAMS. JAMS is a refereed quarterly publication of the Academy of Marketing Science, currently in its 31^st year of publication. The journal is devoted to the study and improvement of marketing, and to serving as a vital link between research and practice by publishing research-based articles in the substantive domain of marketing. The journal strives to comprehensively cover the marketing discipline by publishing both conceptual and empirical papers, as full-length articles and research notes. JAMS reviewers are encouraged to adopt a developmental perspective in their comments to the authors. In its attempt to encourage more authors to consider JAMS as a potential outlet for dissemination of their research, the editor makes a concerted effort to insure the turnaround of a large majority of manuscripts in less than 60 days. The editor of JAMS is committed to providing specific and when necessary extensive directions for revising a manuscript, and making a decision to accept or reject a manuscript as early as possible in the review process.

Manuscripts submitted for publication consideration in JAMS are judged on the basis of their potential to make a contribution to the advancement of the science and/or practice of marketing. At the most basic level, in order for a manuscript to be considered favorably for publication in JAMS it must satisfy the following criteria:

• Focus on a substantive issue in the domain of marketing
• Demonstrate conceptual rigor
• Provide evidence of methodological rigor, if an empirical piece

The impressive strides made by the journal during the last 15 years is attributable to a number of initiatives, chief among them being the following:

At the most basic level the scholarly reputation of a journal is impacted by the quality of articles published. Foremost, manuscript authors, who in recent years have been submitting some of their finest works for review and publication consideration in JAMS, deserve credit for the steady rise in the scholarly reputation of JAMS. Complementing the above is the indispensable role played by highly knowledgeable, dedicated, and demanding reviewers, in upholding high standards, and being constructive and author-friendly with their reviews.

Having reviewed for JAMS as well as a number of other journals in marketing over the years, and having assumed the editorship of JAMS in June 2000, I am also inclined to attribute some of the credit to the "rising tide lifts all boats" phenomenon. As is the case in most other disciplines, in the field of marketing, the number of researchers aspiring to publish their research in scholarly journals is on the rise. Across journals, the threshold that manuscripts must meet on evaluative criteria such as conceptual and methodological rigor in order to be considered favorably for publication has steadily risen. While there are more of us competing to publish our very best works in the leading journals of the discipline, at most top-tier journals there has not been a significant increase, either in the number of pages per issue, or the number of issues per volume.

Reflecting on the history and evolution of the editorial scope of JAMS in recent years, I believe that greater clarity in regard to the positioning of the journal—as for dissemination of scholarly research in the substantive domain of marketing—could also have been a contributing factor. While the journal’s editorial policy favors no particular topic-area within the substantive domain of marketing, research paradigm or analytical approach, JAMS is not an appropriate publication outlet for manuscripts whose contribution is solely to knowledge on marketing research methodology, measurement, and/or modeling issues.

Since the early 1990s, JAMS has published a number of special issues devoted to addressing timely and important issues. Some of these special issues have the potential to have a significant impact in shaping the direction of research in the field. For instance, the Fall 2002 issue of JAMS was a special issue devoted to an emerging topic of considerable interest to both marketing educators and practitioners—marketing to customers through the Internet.

Since its founding in 1961, the Marketing Science Institute has had a significant impact on improving and influencing business thinking and practice by serving as a bridge between the academic and business communities, bringing together executives from over 60 sponsoring corporations and researchers from over 100 universities worldwide. The Marketing Science Institute was a co-sponsor of two of the recently published special issues of JAMS as well as the conferences that preceded the actual publication of the special issue at which preliminary versions of papers scheduled for publication in the special issue were presented.

Since the early 1990s, JAMS has also been proactive in enlisting the services of distinguished scholars to serve in such capacities as guest editors of special issues, as well as authors of commissioned articles and invited commentaries on commissioned articles.

Over the years, there have also been significant changes in the composition of the editorial review board of JAMS. The editorial review board is comprised of a number of distinguished senior scholars who have made sustained contributions to the field over decades, and emerging scholars, who in recent years have made significant contributions to the field.