Although there are ongoing changes in the trends of ways that readers access content, Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) continues to serve the purpose of its mission statement:

Educational Studies in Mathematics presents new ideas and developments which are considered to be of major importance to those working in the field of mathematics education. It seeks to reflect both the variety of research concerns within the field and the range of methods used to study them. It deals with didactical, methodological and pedagogical subjects rather than with specific programs for teaching mathematics. All papers are strictly refereed and the emphasis is on high-level articles which are of more than local or national interest. All contributions to this journal are peer reviewed.

The advent of Online First has shortened considerably the amount of time required between submission of a manuscript, and, if it is accepted, availability to readers of the published paper in downloadable form using its DOI number. Following trends in print journalism in recent decades, electronic access is the preferred choice of an increasing number of readers. The number of successful full-text downloads of ESM’s papers published in Online First has nearly doubled in the last 4 years:

  • 2008—89,544

  • 2009—153,340

  • 2010—163,064

  • 2011—175,035

The numbers for 2012 are not available yet, at this time of writing. In 2010, ESM was accepted for indexing by ISI (Thompson). The first Impact Factor, for the year 2011, was calculated to be 0.549. We anticipate that this number will increase in future years.

One aspect of the journal’s mission that I enjoy particularly is the international nature of the manuscripts that we receive. In the period 2009–2011, authors of manuscripts submitted belonged to 62 different countries. Of these manuscripts, approximately 40 % were from European countries and about 28 % from North America. However, an ongoing trend is the increase in readership in the Asia-Pacific region, although the number of authors submitting manuscripts in this region is still relatively small, possibly because of difficulties associated with writing in the English language. The percentages of full-text article downloads by region in 2011 were as follows:

  • Asia-Pacific—35 %

  • Europe—34 %

  • North America—25 %

  • Africa—4 %

  • South America—2 %

It is helpful to the editors of ESM if authors whose native language is not English ask a native speaker to proofread the manuscript before it is submitted via the editorial manager. For matters of style, authors should refer to recent issues of ESM. Because we receive a large number of manuscripts, the optimal length of papers should be about 8,000 words, without compromising quality (there is some flexibility), so that more papers can be published.

Once again, I am glad to have this opportunity to express my appreciation and thanks to our dedicated team of editors of ESM: Paolo Boero, Merrilyn Goos, Angel Gutierrez, Candia Morgan, Luis Radford, and book review editor Gail FitzSimons. On behalf of all the editors, I express our warm thanks to all of our 45 Editorial Board members and to all other scholars who have provided reviews of manuscripts during this past year. This form of scholarship does not always receive its just due in academia; however, there is a very real sense in which thoughtful and trenchant reviews define the developing field of research in mathematics education. We, as editors, are particularly appreciative of reviewers who are willing to accomplish this work within the required 6-week timeframe. In addition to the indispensable aspect of quality control, reviewers are providing a mentoring service to authors. In this regard, ESM uses a single-blind (rather than double-blind) reviewing process: names of authors are known to reviewers, but not vice versa.

After serving on the Editorial Board for a number of years, Candia Morgan joined the editors of ESM (replacing Bill Barton) in September 2007. Because of pressure of work, Candia has asked to step down as an editor of ESM. We reluctantly let her go; her expertise in social semiotics and related fields, and her careful scholarship and skill as an editor, have enhanced the quality of the journal. Thanks, Candia: your contribution is greatly valued and we all wish you success and joy in your ongoing scholarship. I am happy to report that Elizabeth de Freitas of Adelphi University, USA, has agreed to join our team of editors. Liz brings expertise and deep scholarship in a number of areas to this work as an editor, and we welcome her and look forward to her contribution to the quality of the journal. Liz was a valued member of the editorial board: her editorship created a vacancy. Two other members who are leaving the editorial board, and whose reviews have been valuable, are Nerida Ellerton and Masataka Koyama—and Milan Hejny left the editorial board earlier this year. Thanks to these members for their dedicated and efficient work. The four vacancies on the editorial board will be filled by Carmen Batanero (Spain), Ferdie Rivera (USA), Teresa Rojano (Mexico) and David Wagner (USA). We welcome their expertise and experience.

Finally, I want to draw attention to some of the Special Issues of ESM that have been published in the last year, or that are in final stages of preparation. In March 2012 (vol. 79, issue 3), with guest editors Lieven Verschaffel, Peter Bryant, and Joke Torbeyns, ESM published a special issue on the topic, “The Inverse Principle: Psychological, Mathematical, and Educational Considerations.” In May 2012 (vol. 80, issues 1–2) a special double issue of ESM on the topic of “Mathematics Education and Contemporary Theory” was guest edited by Tony Brown and Margaret Walshaw. In final stages of preparation, guest edited by Michaela Singer, Nerida Ellerton, and Jinfa Cai, is a special issue on “Problem Posing in Mathematics Learning: Establishing a Framework for Research,” which will come out in 2013. And there are five more special issues that will be forthcoming.

As always, my ongoing wish for all readers and contributors is that 2013 may bring stimulating and useful ideas, and products of their fulfillment, to our field of mathematics education, for the advancement of the teaching and learning of mathematics for all.