Radiation Protection Today Summer 2023 | Page 16

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Journal of Radiological Protection - Past , Present and Future
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Article by JRP Editors-in-Chief
Mike Thorne ( 2022- )
Richard Wakeford
( 1997-2022 ) In 1978 , a proposal was made at the AGM of SRP that the Society should have its own scientific journal . Initially it was thought that an appropriate approach might be joint ownership of such a journal by SRP and the Institute of Physics ( IOP ). A sub-committee was set up to investigate this and it was decided to set up our own journal before venturing into joint ownership with a publisher . After many meetings , the first issue of the Journal of the Society for Radiological Protection ( JSRP ) was published by Creative Press in 1981 , with three scientific papers and the obituary for Greg Marley OBE , the Founder President of SRP . Those were the days of cutting-and-pasting already prepared hard copy and of page limits that restricted the number of papers in each issue . The journal has come a long way since then , but we are grateful for the energy and enthusiasm of our first two Editors , Bernard Wheatley ( 1981-83 ) and John Jackson ( 1983-86 ) and the initial Editorial Board for getting a risky enterprise safely launched .
The year 1986 was key for radiological protection and for the journal . In the wider world , the Chornobyl reactor accident highlighted the impacts that could arise from environmental releases of radionuclides . The first issue of 1986 was complete in April when the Chornobyl accident occurred . For the summer issue , John Jackson had to write a difficult editorial about the accident . In the autumn issue ( the first with Monty Charles ( 1986-92 ) as Editor ) the first refereed papers on the accident were published and this was followed by more in the winter issue . However , although already prestigious , the journal was running at a significant financial
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