Dr. Sandeep K. Vashist completed his Ph.D. from Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, India in 2006. He was a Scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Company, Dublin, Ireland (2006-2009) and Team Leader at Diabetes Research Partnership, NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Singapore (2009-2012). Presently, Dr. Vashist is the Head of Immunodiagnostics at HSG-IMIT, Germany. He has done many successful technology transfers (>25) to industries and healthcare; published many high impact-factor (IF) manuscripts; filed several patents; and, presented at several highly prestigious conferences and events. He has received many international awards from renowned institutions such as University of Leeds, UK; awarded for scientific research excellence and innovation many times; and, bestowed with invited complimentary membership of Royal Chemical Society, UK. He is the international expert and reviewer for many scientific funding agencies and several high IF journals in the fields of immunodiagnostics, biosensors, point-of-care devices, assay development, analytical chemistry, bioanalytical sciences, electrochemistry, surface plasmon resonance, nanotechnology, and signal enhancement. Dr. Vashist has extensive knowledge in regulatory affairs and guidelines, clinical trials, validation, quality management, and IP management. Besides these, he is Executive Editor of J Basic Appl Sci and J Pharma Bioanal Sci; Editorial Board member of J Nanomed Nanotechol and J Nanomat Mol Nanotech; and expert reviewer for more than 38 high impact factor journals and funding agencies.

Dr. Sandeep K. Vashist's research interests focus on: Analytical chemistry Immunodiagnostics Smartphone-based diagnostics and devices Nanotechnology Microfluidics Biosensors

1. What makes an article top quality? 

Response: The scientific quality and the way it is presented.

2. Do you think that journals determine research trends?

Response: Yes, they do. When researchers read the articles, they follow the research trend.

3. What makes a good position paper?

Response: The one which provides direction to the scientific community in terms of pioneership and breakthrough or critical improvement in the field.

4. What are the qualities you look for in an article?

Response: The technical soundness, scientific quality and the portrayal of results.

5. Can you give us a broad indication of the types of themes a scientific journal should cover?

Response: Research, reviews, short communications, editorials and tutorial reviews in the specialized or related fields of the journal.

6. What sorts of research methods and frameworks do you expect people to use, and how will they balance conceptual and applied research?

Response: These are mentioned in standard research and communication ethics, which everyone is aware of. Like the manuscript should not be submitted at the same time to other journals and should be free of plagiarism etc.

7. How would you describe the journal’s mission and editorial objectives to our readers?

Response: Journal mission should be to target the specific field of research from all aspects, while editorial objectives should be to foresee the field of research, provide expert comments and directions to the field via editorial manuscripts or opinion and organize special issues on the theme.

8. If you could be granted dream articles, what would they be on?

Response: Nanotechnology-based commercial products for healthcare monitoring. May be naked-eye immunoassays.

9. Are there any particular areas which you would like to see, or expect to see, collaborate?

Response: Nanotechnology guidelines and regulation, Nanomaterials toxicity

10. How does the research published percolate through to practitioners?

Response: This depends on the stage of the technology. If it is ripe, the investors and companies want to employ it and provide it directly to the practitioners for assessment and if successful, implement it in routine practice.

11. How can a publisher ensure the authors/readers a rigorous peer review and quality control?

Response: This is based on the review process that is handled by the editorial board member.

12. Your editorial policy is to be eclectic and welcome perspectives from other disciplines and schools. How does this translate into the types of contributions you encourage?

Response: As mentioned, the related field of research having a direct impact on the specific field should be invited and encouraged to promote the specific field.

13. What do you see as the merits of journals, as opposed to book series, as a means of scholarly communications?

Response: Journals have a wider reach as they are constantly evolving compared to books, which stay restricted in terms of content and can’t be updated so frequently.

14. How do you differentiate Journal of Nanomaterials & Molecular Nanotechnology with other journals in the field?

Response: It is a good journal that targets the needs of the community in the field of nanomaterials and nanotechnology.