Editorial

Ingeniería e Investigación has published 82 issues during its more than 30 years' existence; today, it is known as one of the best journals in its discipline, being nationally and internationally recognised due to the quality and rigorousness involved in its editorial process and the responsibility shown in its labor of scientific diffusion and social broadcasting of knowledge, developing excellence regarding the tasks involved in providing a space for divulging research activities as stated in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UN) Bogotá's Faculty of Engineering mission statement.

I have had the privilege of being the director of this prestigious publication for the last 9 years, thereby making me a direct witness to the journal's evolution and rise from category C (2005) to the maximum category (A1 in IBN Publíndex-Colciencias which has accredited us since 2009). This has been produced by judicious editorial work, the efforts of the journal's team, authors, editorial committee members, evaluators and all UN and external entities involved in Ingeniería e Investigación's development, making it a national reference publication and key support in the Faculty's academic programmes becoming accredited. I would like to highlight Diana Cristina Ramírez Martínez's commitment and dedication (the journal's editorial coordinator for 7 years and its current managing editor) as she has put her trust in this journal for developing her professional profile, having made her become today a reference specialist for the UN and other Colombian universities, not just regarding editorial management of scientific journals but also other R&D products. She is currently coordinating the UN Bogotá Research Division's Publications Support Centre.

Ingeniería e Investigación activities during the last few years have been focused on strengthening virtual disclosure via the web page and open journal systems, publishing the complete text of accepted articles in English and on reducing evaluation and publication times. Our diffusion strategies and the collaboration of the UN's National Library Division have resulted in the journal forming part of the UN's scholarly portal for accessing journals since 2010; this administrates preserves and circulates all the Universidad Nacional de Colombia's academic journals. Ingeniería e Investigación has also made advances in its national and international positioning; it has made inroads into the following indexation and summery systems to facilitate its visibility:

Thomson Reuters' Science Citation Index Expanded, available through the ISI Web of Knowledge, Elsevier's bibliographic database Scopus, SciELO - Colombia, Inist Pascal, Chemical Abstracts, Redalyc, e-revist@s, Dialnet, Latindex, DOAJ and Ebsco.

Being conscious of social tissue's importance in strengthening scientific publications, Ingeniería e Investigación became involved in managing the Colombian Engineering Journals Network (Red Colombiana de Revistas de Ingeniería - RCRI), leading such efforts since 2009, together with the Colombian Association of Engineering Faculties (Asociación Colombiana de Facultades de Ingeniería - ACOFI) and other Colombian universities which has created a space for discussion about national editorial policy, allowing experience to be shared with other editors and thereby enriching all its members editorial processes.

According to international dynamics regarding scientific journals' quality, we are expecting to have to face a new model proposed by Publindex-Colciencias for measuring scientific journals, this being largely governed by the level of citation of articles reported in Thomson Reuters and Elsevier. Ingeniería e Investigación will continue its work with the professionalism and scientific thoroughness which it has always assumed regarding such change, applying strategic action for strengthening its functions as an important part of transferring scientific know-how/knowledge and emphasising the international indicator being proposed, this should not mark the end but rather the result of effective scientific communication based on rigorous editorial processes. Even though this may represent an opportunity for promoting relationships with the international scientific community, the national impact which production sectors demand from published research should not be overlooked.

Experience acquired in the journal has provided a reference for influencing action at the highest level in the UN; graduates working in the team thus participate in strategic projects undertaken by the Research Vice rector's office, the Bogota Research Division and the Colombian Library System's Digital Library (Biblioteca Digital del Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas - SINAB). Like-wise, I have been named director of the UN publishing house which is an honourable opportunity to contribute to UN publications nationally, not just from my experience in managing Ingeniería e Investigación, but also in creating the Revista Colombiana de Biotecnología, participating in Innovar and on the board of directors of the Centre for Technological Development for the Graphical Communication Industry's Competitiveness (Centro de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Competitividad de la Industria de la Comunicación Grafica - Cigraf) and in other sector entities and institutions.

Definitively, the learning which I have acquired working on Ingeniería e Investigación, and this journal's present-day maturity and quality, represents tremendous motivation for continuing to construct mechanisms for strengthening the diffusion, dissemination and impact of products emanating from investigators from our alma mater.

It only remains for me to thank the Engineering Faculty Administration for providing financial and administrative support, and their trust in allowing me to direct this project for the last 9 years. I will be ready, from this moment onwards, to continue contributing to Ingeniería e Investigación and collaborating with its new director who will continue with the current team's support and the collaboration of authors, readers and evaluators, thereby continuing our mission to divulge "Technology and Innovation with tradition and excellence."

Ing. Ph.D. Oscar Fernando Castellanos Domínguez
Associate Professor Engineering Faculty
Director - Ingeniería e Investigación Journal
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá