ARMA launches new membership magazine

I’m delighted to welcome you to the new ARMA magazine, ARMA Insights. It takes over from The Protagonist and is the result of six months of work to develop a magazine that puts the ARMA members centre stage and responds to their interests and needs.

We started by launching a survey to understand what people wanted, and followed this up with an in-depth workshop for a smaller number of members. There were some messages that came through loud and clear: that most people read their news online now, and wanted the ARMA magazine to be available in the same way. They wanted to be able to link and share articles, and search back over the archive. They wanted a mix of features, interviews, advice and commentary, and wanted them published as and when relevant. And they wanted an opportunity to write for the magazine, and encourage others to do so.

I believe ARMA Insights offers all of these things. However, we recognise that this is the beginning of the process, and ARMA Insights will grow and develop. It will respond to the readers’ feedback, and the changing world of research management. We welcome your thoughts, so do have a browse and see what you think. What elements do you like, and what do you think needs improving? There is nothing off-limits, so do let us know! And, if you have an idea for an article, click on the link to contribute. We’d love to hear from you!

PinPoint policy briefings will no longer exist separately, but rather it is now part of the new magazine, and we will aim to commission articles for this topic.

Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the development of ARMA Insights. I really appreciate the time taken by members to reply to the survey and take part in the workshop. I’m indebted to the ARMA Editorial Working Group who has been working hard to make each of those decisions, large and small, that have led to this point. I also want to thank Nicole and Amaka in the ARMA Executive Office for supporting the process so professionally and having consummate patience with our ever-changing plans. And, of course, I want to thank all of those who have written articles in readiness for our launch, together with everyone who wrote for and edited The Protagonist. We are nothing without them.

I hope you enjoy the new magazine, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Phil Ward, chair of Editorial Working Group and Director of Eastern Arc.