Editor in a (60-second) spotlight - M. Fatima Montemor
24 August 2017 | 2 min read
By Fatima Montemor
"Take good care of the good reviewers you find because they are essential"
© istockphoto.com/LightFieldStudios
Name: M. Fatima Montemor
University: Instituto Superior Técnico opens in new tab/window (School of Engineering at the University of Lisbon)
Role at university: Associated Professor
Journal: Applied Surface Science opens in new tab/window
Journal role: Editor
Average number of submissions per year: 360
Rejection rate: 74%
CiteScore: 3.37
IF 2016: 3.387
What inspired your career in science? The freedom to choose my way.
What is the best thing about being an editor? To have the pleasure of reading an excellent manuscript first hand!
What is the worst thing about being an editor? To reject many papers because they are not good enough!
What is the most important attribute for being an editor? Motivation to be at the forefront of research.
Where do you think your journal will be 10 years from now? An extraordinary dissemination platform on applied surface science, surely reaching high citation impact.
Name on item that you cannot do without in your role? The "Reviewer Finder" tool - it is really great.
Any tips on finding reviewers? Know a lot of people working in the area and use the Reviewer Finder tool wisely. And take good care of the good reviewers you find because they are essential to ensure the quality of the peer-review process.
What is the greatest achievement (either professionally or personally)? To have created the best conditions that allow me, presently, to search what I want and what I like.
What would you be doing now if you were not Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico? I cannot imagine my life without it; probably I would be producing wine in Ribatejo (one of the best wine regions in Portugal - Tejo Wines) and following in my father's steps - wine production, a second passion!
What is the most interesting image/photograph you have come across in your journal? There are many beautiful SEM images; some of them are truly artistic. I like the “wafer” style of the graphical abstract in: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169433216321900#MMCvFirst opens in new tab/window