IJCA - Volume I - Flipbook - Page 6
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The International Journal of Conformity Assessment
2022 | Volume 1, Issue 1
Message from IAS President
From the IJCA Executive Editor’s Desk
This inaugural issue of the International Journal of Conformity Assessment
(IJCA) is not only the culmination of IAS’s vision to fill a critical gap in
our understanding of fast-growing conformity assessment schemes and
ecosystems; it is also the beginning of a journey to document and map the
interconnected world of conformity assessment standards, the regulatory
responses globally to such standards, and the percepts and practices involved in making them
effective. This publication is a small step marking an ambitious pathway to navigate this global
terrain—not unlike the early “navigators” on a geographical scale!
Dear Readers,
For those of us who have been involved in the conformity assessment world over the past several
decades (I am certainly one of them), it is astonishing how much the language, content, and context
of this arena has grown and matured. While the kernels of conformity assessment practices were
perhaps embedded from the early days, the current contours of its technical evolution and range of
offerings are far-reaching in our global supply chain. The interconnected world of international and
national standards bodies, conformity assessment bodies, accreditation bodies, regulators, and
users has proliferated to the extent that even serious students of this field cannot see the horizon
anymore! The continuing output of conformity assessment standards and the associated work by
the global organizations governing their implementation and effectiveness are so prolific now that a
senior practitioner in the field noted it’s “like drinking from a fire hose; I can barely keep up.”
At IAS, our intent is to encourage each one of you and your colleagues to bring your practices and
percepts to a global audience by contributing to this journal. While in today’s information-driven
society one publication cannot claim to cover the breadth of the subject matter, I believe the
IJCA rolls out the canvas to paint the conformity assessment world one stroke at a time. We have
assembled a strong set of practitioners who will guide us as members of the IJCA’s Policy Board and
Editorial Review Board, supported by our editorial team. As further issues are produced, I am certain
the messaging and styling of this publication will evolve to engage, enlighten, and excite our unique
readership.
Please enjoy this inaugural issue and share it with your colleagues and others in your fraternities. We
look forward to your constructive feedback as well.
The International Journal of Conformity Assessment (IJCA) is an international,
peer-reviewed journal for conformity assessment academics and practitioners.
IJCA aims to contribute substantially to the fields of testing, inspection,
certification, and accreditation by providing a high-quality medium for the
dissemination of new knowledge and methods.
In this first issue of IJCA, I would like to highlight our main editorial and publishing policies. This
journal, which is published in the English language, fully endorses international rules on publishing
and publication ethics. It also adheres to the double-blind, unbiased peer review process—which
includes internal reviews by our editors as well as external reviewers and subject matter experts.
We follow principles of international diversity in terms of our editorial board, reviewers, and authors.
Therefore, we invite and welcome submissions from around the world. Details of our editorial and
publishing policies, instructions to authors, and other necessary information to submit articles for
consideration in this publication are available on our website at www.ijca-journal.org.
Each IJCA issue will consist of two sections. Section A is dedicated to peer-reviewed publications
and scholarly articles while Section B is an informative section that includes general articles,
announcements, white papers, etc. This first edition features research articles on quality-control
issues in the construction and food packaging industries, validation methods related to personnel
certification, and knowledge in management systems applications. There are also two general
articles highlighting international conformity assessment systems and the usage of management
systems to prevent product liabilities.
We encourage you to submit letters to the editors discussing the results of published studies,
systematic reviews, brief reports, and opinions regarding published reports. We believe if we carry
out all the above-mentioned responsibilities as authors, reviewers, and editors, we will reach our
goal of bringing your research and experience to a broad international audience of conformity
assessment professionals and stakeholders.
We look forward to your contributions,
Raj Nathan
President, IAS
April 2022
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Dr. George Anastasopoulos
Executive Editor, IJCA
April 2022
