Letter from the Editor
Welcome to Blackwell Publishing's Sociology Compass-a new electronic journal that seeks to survey our entire discipline.
Sociology-like other scholarly disciplines-has subdivided into specialties and subspecialties, each devoted to some different substantive topic, theoretical orientation, or methodological approach. Most journals reflect these divisions, and address only a fraction of sociologists. Too often, we seem to write for--and find our readers among-those who share our presumptions. Moreover, sociological prose has long been notorious for being impenetrable to those outside these specializations. No wonder we worry that others often aren't listening.
Sociology Compass seeks to avoid these problems. Its domain will be the entire discipline; it will be open to discussions of all subjects, from all theoretical and methodological points of view. It will welcome contributions that seek to span divisions within the discipline, and of course we will present the views of scholars from different countries. And it will strive to be readable, so that its contents will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate sociology students, as well as professionals. The articles will survey current thinking and seek to clarify contentious issues.
Its articles will be peer-reviewed but, as an electronic journal, Sociology Compass can be more nimble than most traditional journals. The first articles will be posted in January, 2008; and after that, accepted articles should appear on-line within just a few weeks after they have been accepted. Readers will be able to search the entire journal by keywords, so that it will be possible to locate relevant material quickly.
Sociology Compass's editorial structure will include a dozen sections, each with its own editor and advisory board. We invite authors to submit their work, but we also encourage people to use Sociology Compass-I hope you will find it a valuable tool for finding your way through our complex discipline.
Joel Best
Editor-in-Chief
joelbest@udel.edu
Sociology Compass