Wind Engineering (journal)

Overview

Wind Engineering is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that serves as a dedicated platform for the dissemination of research on wind power and related aerodynamic phenomena. Published by Sage Publishing, the journal has established itself as a key reference in the field of renewable energy infrastructure and atmospheric science. The publication was commissioned in 1977, marking the beginning of its operational status in the academic community. Since its inception, the journal has provided a venue for engineers, researchers, and analysts to present findings on wind energy conversion systems, structural dynamics, and meteorological data analysis.

The editorial leadership of Wind Engineering is currently held by Jon McGowan, who serves as the editor-in-chief. Under his guidance, the journal maintains rigorous peer-review standards to ensure the quality and relevance of the published articles. The scope of the journal covers a broad spectrum of topics within wind engineering, including but not limited to wind turbine technology, wind resource assessment, and the interaction between wind flows and built environments. This comprehensive coverage allows for interdisciplinary contributions that bridge the gap between theoretical fluid dynamics and practical energy infrastructure design.

In terms of academic impact, Wind Engineering is tracked by the Journal Citation Reports. According to these reports, the journal achieved an impact factor of 1.5 in 2022. This metric reflects the average number of citations received per article published in the journal, providing a quantitative measure of its influence within the scientific community. The consistent publication schedule and focused thematic scope contribute to its standing among professionals in the energy sector. Researchers and industry experts rely on the journal for up-to-date insights into technological advancements and operational challenges in the wind power industry.

History and Editorial Leadership

Wind Engineering was established in 1977 as a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal, focusing on research in the field of wind power. The journal was initially published by the Multi-Science Publishing Company. E. Mowforth served as the editor-in-chief during the early years, based at the University of Surrey. The journal has since evolved from a quarterly publication to its current bimonthly frequency, reflecting the growth of the wind energy sector and the volume of scientific output in the discipline.

Over the decades, the journal's editorial leadership and publishing arrangements have shifted to align with broader academic publishing trends. Sage Publishing is the current operator and publisher of the journal. Jon McGowan serves as the editor-in-chief, overseeing the peer-review process and the selection of articles covering wind engineering research. The journal maintains its status as an operational, active publication, contributing to the global body of knowledge on wind energy infrastructure, aerodynamics, and structural dynamics.

The journal's impact in the academic community is measured by metrics such as the Impact Factor. This metric reflects the average number of citations received per article published in the journal, indicating its relevance to researchers and engineers in the wind energy sector.

Timeline of Key Developments

Year	Event
1977	Journal inception as a quarterly publication under E. Mowforth at the University of Surrey, published by Multi-Science Publishing Company.
1983	Key date in the journal's chronological development.
2022	Journal recorded an impact factor of 1.5 according to the Journal Citation Reports.

The transition from quarterly to bimonthly publication frequency allowed for a more rapid dissemination of research findings, which is critical in a fast-moving field like wind engineering. The journal continues to serve as a platform for researchers to present studies on wind turbine design, site assessment, and the integration of wind power into electrical grids. The editorial leadership under Jon McGowan has maintained the journal's focus on high-quality, peer-reviewed research, ensuring its continued relevance to the global wind energy community.

What is the editorial structure of Wind Engineering?

McGowan is affiliated with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, bringing academic rigor and specialized expertise in wind power research to the publication's oversight. Under his direction, the journal maintains its status as a bimonthly, peer-reviewed scientific outlet dedicated to advancing the field of wind energy. The editorial structure ensures that each issue undergoes a systematic review process, evaluating submissions based on methodological soundness, technical innovation, and relevance to the broader energy infrastructure sector. This leadership role is critical in curating high-quality research that informs engineers, researchers, and policymakers working on wind power technologies and grid integration strategies.

Role of the Editorial Board

Supporting the editor-in-chief is a dedicated editorial board, which plays a vital role in maintaining the journal's scientific standards. The board members, typically drawn from leading institutions and research centers globally, provide specialized insights into various sub-disciplines of wind engineering. Their responsibilities include the initial screening of manuscripts, selecting appropriate peer reviewers, and evaluating the technical merit of submitted articles. This collaborative structure ensures that the journal covers a broad spectrum of topics within wind power, ranging from aerodynamic modeling and turbine design to site assessment and operational performance analysis. The board's diverse expertise helps identify emerging trends and ensures that the publication remains responsive to the evolving needs of the wind energy community. By leveraging the collective knowledge of these experts, the journal maintains its credibility and impact within the scientific community, as reflected in its 2022 impact factor of 1.5 according to the Journal Citation Reports (per Sage Publishing data).

The peer-review process itself is a cornerstone of the journal's editorial framework. Submissions are evaluated by independent experts who assess the originality, clarity, and significance of the research. This rigorous evaluation helps filter out preliminary findings and highlights studies that offer substantial contributions to the field. The editorial board also oversees the consistency of the journal's formatting and style, ensuring that each article meets the publication's high standards. This structured approach to editorial management supports the journal's mission to disseminate reliable and impactful research on wind power. The combination of strong leadership by Jon McGowan and the active involvement of the editorial board creates a robust framework for scientific communication in wind engineering. This structure not only enhances the quality of published research but also fosters a dynamic exchange of ideas among professionals and academics in the sector.

Association with Wind Energy Organizations

The academic standing of Wind Engineering is reinforced by its formal institutional partnerships with major professional bodies in the sector. These associations provide the journal with a direct conduit to the global research community, ensuring that published studies reach the engineers, policymakers, and analysts who drive wind energy adoption. The journal’s editorial board and peer-review process are deeply intertwined with the activities of these organizations, creating a feedback loop between theoretical research and practical industry application.

The most significant of these partnerships is with the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). This association has served as a primary organizational anchor for the journal since 1983 (per historical records of the journal's institutional affiliations). The EWEA, a leading lobby group and research body for the European wind power industry, has utilized the journal as a key platform for disseminating technical findings on turbine efficiency, grid integration, and aerodynamic modeling. This long-standing relationship has helped shape the journal's focus on continental European wind conditions, including the distinct meteorological challenges of the North Sea and the Iberian Peninsula. The collaboration ensures that the journal remains responsive to the regulatory and technological shifts occurring within the European Union's energy market.

In addition to its European ties, the journal maintains a formal association with the British Wind Energy Association. This partnership extends the journal's geographic and technical scope to include the specific engineering challenges faced by the UK wind sector. The British Wind Energy Association contributes to the journal's editorial direction, often highlighting case studies from the British Isles, which are critical for understanding offshore wind dynamics and coastal onshore installations. These institutional links are not merely honorary; they influence the selection of special issues, the composition of the editorial board, and the thematic focus of annual conferences where journal articles are often presented.

Association	Start Year
European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)	1983
British Wind Energy Association	1983

These relationships are critical for the journal's impact factor, which was recorded at 1.5 in 2022 (according to the Journal Citation Reports). The institutional backing provides a steady stream of high-quality submissions and ensures rigorous peer review. The journal's bimonthly publication schedule, managed by Sage Publishing, allows for timely dissemination of research that aligns with the annual reporting cycles of these associations. The editorial leadership, under Editor-in-Chief Jon McGowan, leverages these partnerships to maintain the journal's reputation as a leading resource for wind power research. The synergy between the academic rigor of the journal and the practical insights of the EWEA and the British Wind Energy Association creates a robust framework for advancing the field of wind engineering.

How is the journal's impact measured?

The academic influence of Wind Engineering is quantified through standardized bibliometric indicators, with the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) providing the primary metric for evaluation. This figure serves as a critical benchmark for researchers and institutions assessing the relative importance of the publication within the broader field of wind power research and applied meteorology. The impact factor is a widely recognized measure of the frequency with which the "average article" in a journal has been cited in a particular year, offering insight into the journal's reach and the resonance of its published studies.

Methodology of the Impact Factor Calculation

The 2022 impact factor of 1.5 is derived from a specific mathematical formula established by the Clarivate Analytics Institute for Scientific Information. This metric calculates the average number of citations received per paper published in the journal during the two preceding years. The standard formula for the Impact Factor (IF) for a given year Y is expressed as:

IF(Y) = C(Y, articles published in Y-1 and Y-2) / N(articles published in Y-1 and Y-2)

In the context of the 2022 report, this means the numerator consists of the total number of citations received in 2022 for all items published in Wind Engineering during 2020 and 2021. The denominator represents the total number of "citable items" (typically research articles and reviews) published in those same two years. A value of 1.5 indicates that, on average, each citable article published in the journal over that two-year window was cited 1.5 times in the following year.

Context within the Wind Energy Literature

As a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Sage Publishing, Wind Engineering targets a specialized audience of engineers, researchers, and analysts. The impact factor must be interpreted within the specific sub-discipline of wind power and atmospheric science, where citation patterns can differ from broader engineering or physics journals. The journal is led by editor-in-chief Jon McGowan, whose editorial oversight influences the selection of high-quality research that contributes to these citation metrics. The peer-review process ensures that the articles contributing to the denominator meet rigorous scientific standards, thereby validating the quality of the citations counted in the numerator. This metric helps readers gauge the journal's standing among other publications focused on renewable energy infrastructure and aerodynamic analysis.

Archival Availability and Access

The official digital presence for Wind Engineering is maintained by Sage Publishing, which serves as the primary publisher and operator of the journal's publication infrastructure. As a peer-reviewed scientific journal, it provides a centralized platform for researchers, engineers, and analysts to access current and historical literature on wind power technologies and aerodynamics. The journal’s website typically hosts the most recent issues, abstracts, and submission guidelines, ensuring that the operational status of the publication remains transparent to the academic community. Access to the journal’s content is structured to support both immediate research needs and long-term archival preservation, with distinct pathways for current subscribers and institutional libraries.

JSTOR Archive Coverage

A significant portion of the journal’s historical record is preserved and made accessible through JSTOR, a major digital library for academic journals, books, and primary sources. According to the archival data, issues of Wind Engineering spanning from its inception in 1977 through 2019 are available on the JSTOR platform. This extensive coverage ensures that foundational research published during the journal’s first four decades is readily retrievable for retrospective analysis and citation. The availability of these older volumes is critical for understanding the evolution of wind engineering methodologies, as early publications often contain baseline data and theoretical frameworks that underpin modern wind power research.

Researchers seeking to trace the development of wind energy concepts can utilize the JSTOR archive to examine articles published between 1977 and 2019. This period covers significant technological shifts in the wind industry, including the transition from early experimental turbines to more standardized commercial units. The digital preservation of these issues mitigates the risk of physical degradation of print copies and provides a stable URL structure for academic citations. Users of the JSTOR platform can browse these archives by volume, issue, or keyword, facilitating efficient navigation through the journal’s historical output.

The gap between the end of the JSTOR coverage in 2019 and the current operational status of the journal implies that more recent issues may require direct access through the Sage Publishing website or other contemporary academic databases. This common publishing model allows journals to maintain a rolling "moving wall" for archival services, where the most recent years are available through the publisher’s direct portal, while older content is stabilized in long-term digital repositories like JSTOR. For comprehensive research, scholars often need to consult both the JSTOR archive for historical context and the Sage Publishing site for the latest peer-reviewed findings.

The integration of Wind Engineering into these major academic platforms underscores its standing within the scientific community. The journal’s impact factor, reported as 1.5 in 2022 according to the Journal Citation Reports, reflects the continued relevance of its published research. Access to the full historical record from 1977 to 2019 via JSTOR, combined with current issues via Sage Publishing, provides a complete bibliographic resource for professionals in the field. This dual-access model ensures that the journal’s contributions to wind power research are preserved and remain accessible to future generations of engineers and researchers.

Significance

Wind Engineering serves as a foundational academic resource within the global wind power research community, maintaining continuous publication since its inception in 1977 (Sage Publishing). As a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal, it provides a dedicated platform for the dissemination of scientific findings related to wind energy technologies, aerodynamics, and structural dynamics. The journal’s long-standing operational history positions it as one of the earlier specialized publications in the field, offering historical continuity and cumulative knowledge for engineers and researchers tracking the evolution of wind power systems (Sage Publishing).

Editorial Leadership and Metrics

Under the Sage Publishing imprint, the journal maintains rigorous peer-review standards to ensure the quality of published research. Its academic influence is quantified by the Journal Citation Reports, which recorded an impact factor of 1.5 for the year 2022 (Sage Publishing). This metric reflects the average number of citations received per article published in the journal, indicating its standing within the broader scientific literature on renewable energy and fluid dynamics.

Role in Wind Power Research

Wind Engineering functions as an official journal for major European wind energy associations, thereby acting as a bridge between academic research and industry standards in Europe (Sage Publishing). This affiliation enhances its relevance for researchers focusing on European wind farms, policy impacts, and technological adaptations specific to the region. The journal covers a wide spectrum of topics within wind power, including turbine design, site assessment, and the integration of wind energy into electrical grids. By providing a consistent outlet for peer-reviewed studies, it supports the technical advancement of the sector and aids in the validation of new methodologies and empirical data.

Academic and Industry Impact

The journal’s role extends beyond mere publication; it serves as a critical reference point for engineers designing wind turbines and analysts evaluating wind resources. The continuity of publication since 1977 allows for longitudinal studies and comparisons of technological efficiency over decades. Researchers rely on the journal to access validated data on wind shear, turbulence, and wake effects, which are essential for optimizing turbine placement and performance. The journal’s focus on peer-reviewed scientific research ensures that the findings published are subject to critical evaluation by experts in the field, thereby reducing the margin for error in applied engineering decisions. This rigorous process supports the reliability of wind energy projects and contributes to the overall credibility of wind power as a viable renewable energy source.

References

#academic journal #Wind Engineering #Sage Publishing #Wind Power Research #Jon McGowan