1 Introduction

In completing Radiological Physics and Technology (RPT) Volume 16 for year 2023, the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editors of the RPT Editorial Board, or the authors, have selected final candidates for RPT-related annual awards by request of the awarding societies: the Japanese Society of Radiological Society (JSRT) and the Japan Society of Medical Physics (JSMP), as they did in previous years [1]. This editorial article reports the selection procedures and results to all authors, readers, and supporters of RPT.

2 Doi Awards for best original papers of the year

The JSRT and JSMP jointly established the Doi Awards in 2008 to annually recognize the best original papers published in RPT in three selection categories: Medical Imaging, Nuclear Medicine and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Radiation Therapy. The Doi Award was named after the Founding Editor-in-Chief Kunio Doi’s notable contributions to medical imaging and computer-aided diagnosis as a professor of radiology at the University of Chicago for 40 years. The first authors of the three winning papers will be given the awards with a prize of 100,000 yen at the Japan Radiology Congress (JRC) of the following year.

For the Doi Awards 2023, a total of 52 original papers published in Vol. 16 (2023), excluding those whose first author had won the same award in the past, were evaluated. A total of 25 Editorial Board members: G. Akamatsu, K. Y. Cheung, F. Haryanto, K. Ichikawa, M. Kanazawa, N. Kanematsu, M. Komori, Y. Kondo, A. Krisanachinda, T. Magome, K. Matsubara, T. Miyati, J. Morishita, C. Muramatsu, R. Nakayama, K. H. Ng, A. Nohtomi, O. Rampado, M. Shahmohammadi Beni, J. Shiraishi, I. Sumida, R. Tanaka, T. Toshito, and Y. Watanabe, volunteered and nominated one candidate paper of their specialty each, excluding those that they had co-authored, based on originality, science or technology, completeness, and significance.

Three initial-selection committees were organized with selected Editorial Board members: J. Shiraishi, K. Ichikawa, Uchiyama, Y. Kondo, and R. Tanaka for Medical Imaging; T. Yamaya, T. Miyati, K. Miwa, and H. Watabe for Nuclear Medicine and Magnetic Resonance Imaging; and T. Sakae, F. Araki, A. Nohtomi, and N. Kadoya for Radiation Therapy. Each committee selected its final candidate based on the scores as well as the discussion to validate the awarding. The final-selection committee, comprising the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editors, then made final decisions. On behalf of the Editorial Board, the Editor-in-Chief nominated to the awarding societies three first authors of the best original papers [2,3,4]: Akihiro Narita, Niigata University, for Medical Imaging; Munetaka Nitta, Chiba University, for Nuclear Medicine and Magnetic Resonance Imaging; and Kohei Oguma, Komazawa University, for Radiation Therapy.

3 Most Citation Awards for high-impact articles

The JSRT and JSMP jointly present the Most Citation Awards annually for up to three articles published in RPT in the second previous year to recognize their high impact on subsequent research. The first authors of the winning articles will be given the awards with a prize of 20,000 yen in the JRC of the following year.

For the Most Citation Awards 2023, all the articles published in Volume 14 (2021) were evaluated based on the number of citations received, with a minimum of five, using the Web of Science database as of January 2024. On behalf of the Editorial Board, the Editor-in-Chief nominated to the awarding societies three first authors of the most cited articles [5,6,7]: Yuya Nishitani, Ritsumeikan University; Seiichi Yamamoto, Nagoya University; and Ryosuke Ota, Hamamatsu Photonics.

4 Outstanding Reviewer Awards for high-quality manuscript reviews

The JSRT and JSMP jointly present the Outstanding Reviewer Awards annually to a maximum of six reviewers who have conducted high-quality reviews on manuscripts submitted to RPT. The outstanding reviewers are selected based on their practice of assisting authors with detailed reviews and constructive comments, which is an inherent editorial policy of RPT. The winning reviewers will be given the awards with a prize of 20,000 yen in the JRC of the following year.

For the Outstanding Reviewer Awards 2023, the reviewers of the manuscripts that received the final decision in the timeline for publication in Vol. 16 (2023), excluding those who had won the same award in the past, were evaluated. Individual Deputy Editors evaluated the review reports that they had handled based on the detailedness of the comments on the manuscript contents as well as their assistance to the authors for revision or future research. The final-selection committee, comprising the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editors, made final decisions based on the evaluations. On behalf of the Editorial Board, the Editor-in-Chief nominated to the awarding societies six outstanding reviewers: Akram Hamato, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology; Tatsuya Inoue, Juntendo University; Hiroyuki Kabasawa, International University of Health and Welfare; Keisuke Matsubara, Akita Prefectural University; Eri Matsuyama, University of Fukuchiyama; and Keisuke Yasui, Fujita Health University.