Every year, Elements publishes six thematic issue on subjects related to the broad disciplines of mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology. How does our thematic lineup come into being?

Each Elements issue begins with an idea and/or interest about a particular area of science. Whether through an email or a conversation at a meeting, that idea is brought forth to the editorial team for consideration for inclusion in Elements.

The editorial team looks for topics that

• are broadly related to mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology
• are interdisciplinary
• represent established but progressing fields
• would have interest to a broad cross section of readers
• haven’t been adequately or broadly represented by Elements before or have advanced considerably since the topic was covered previously

If a thematic topic meets that criteria, the editorial team invites the submission of a 1–2 page proposal that provides more detailed information. Each proposal is carefully evaluated by our editorial team for thematic scope, content, and authorship. Feedback is then provided to the proposers.

Twice a year, the editorial team meets to determine the Elements publishing schedule and lineup. Only three thematic topics are slated in any given meeting and those selected will strike a balance between petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry disciplines. Proposals that cannot be included in the current lineup are retained and reconsidered for future publication. Typically, our lineup is set ~1.5 to 2 years in advance of publication.

Once a proposal has been accepted and included in the Elements lineup, the fun really begins! Over the subsequent 15–20 months, timelines and deadlines will be set, authors are invited by the guest editors to write articles, and articles go through several stages of review (by external reviewers, by the guest and principal editors, by the Elements copy editorial team, and by proofing). At the end of this process, the issue goes to press and shipped to our over 16,000 readers.

The journey from an idea to published magazine involves many steps. The goal? A lineup of well-written thematic issues that readily conveys the exciting aspects of mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry.