From the Editor’s Desk

It was in August 2013 that I wrote my introductory words as the new editor of Neotestamentica and now, just over four years later, in September 2017, I write my closing words as editor of the journal. I look back at four demanding but truly fulfilling years. Nine issues saw the light of day under my charge. I end on a high note as this last issue is around the theme of ritual—to me a subject that intrigues the mind and stirs the heart.

I recall the first editorial board meeting that I attended as editor in September 2013 in Pretoria. At this meeting there were urgent calls for Neotestamentica to be included in major international indexes in the light of rumours that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) was considering excluding smaller journals from its accreditation list and vital research outputs subsidy whilst giving preference to journals listed in international indexes. The backdrop to this was a perception which had gained ground that there were too many scholarly journals in religion, theology and related fields (RTRF) in South Africa, compared to other disciplines. As a result the DHET would bring pressure to bear on RTRF journals for reduction, or at least consolidation, of their number. Neotestamentica stood at a crossroads: either be incorporated into an already internationally indexed journal or apply for inclusion in these indexes all on its own. The second option was pursued, as the brand was considered too precious to let go of. Currently Neotestamentica is included in two international indexes that the DHET recognises for accreditation and hence subsidy: Thomson Reuters Web of Science (formerly ISI Web of Knowledge) and Scopus (Elsevier). Neotestamentica is included in the so-called Norwegian List (Level 1) as well.

In 2013 Neotestamentica also stood at a crossroads with regard to access and readership. In that year 150 overseas subscribers (the majority of which were academic institutions) and 35 continental subscribers were on the mailing list for the printed version. In addition, 163 local and overseas NTSSA members received the hard copy. Electronic access was provided to 43 institutions via the Sabinet platform (of which 10 also subscribed to the printed version). All of this together could be considered—and for many years was—a sizable circulation for an academic journal, and one that generated reasonable revenue. But with the digital age well and truly come, Neotestamentica as a high-ranking journal in its field deserved more and could do better in availing itself of new opportunities. Broadening Neotestamentica’s access world-wide via reputable internet databases equipped with robust research tools would allow many more readers to be exposed to its content.

Due to Neotestamentica’s size, operational structure and academic Sitz im Leben as well as the needs and objectives of the publisher, the New Testament Society of Southern Africa (NTSSA), online unrestricted open access was not considered a suitable and viable option. But there were several outstanding possibilities for online presence on platforms that provided restricted access to a paying readership. Now four years later, Neotestamentica’s full-text articles are live in the JSTOR, ATLASerials®, and EBSCO (Academic Search Ultimate) databases with 2–3 years embargo. With regard to current content resources (no embargo), Neotestamentica is not only part of the Sabinet African ePublications collection but, as from January 2017, also included in the Premium Collection of Project MUSE, a leading provider of digital humanities and social science content for the scholarly community. Around 1800 institutions worldwide subscribe to the Premium Collection.

Concretely, the new developments mean tens of thousands of Neotestamentica article views and downloads and thousands of dollars of income added per year.

The heart of my work as editor of Neotestamentica for the last four years, though, was walking the path with contributors all the way from first submission, through peer review, to finalisation and publication. However arduous and winding this path could be at times, the end result was always rewarding, for me the editor and, I trust, for the contributors as well. I thank the contributors for their perseverance and will remember with fondness the relationships...