In this issue, we mark a transition in one of our co-Editors-in-Chief, recognizing Simone Marinai for his many years of service and welcoming Josep Lladós who is stepping in to fill the large shoes he leaves behind. Below, Simone’s fellow co-Editors-in-Chief reflect on his work on the journal, concluding with closing remarks from Simone himself.

Daniel Lopresti

It is with deep appreciation and a little bit of sadness that I reflect on the occasion of Simone’s stepping down as IJDAR co-Editor-in-Chief. Simone and I have been working together closely in this role, along with Koichi Kise, for the past 10 years. Of course, our connections and collaborations go back much earlier than that– I’m not sure when we first met, but it could well be nearly 30 years ago. He is both a good colleague and a good friend, and, most importantly, an extraordinary advocate and leader for the international document analysis research community. All of us have benefited from Simone’s tireless efforts on our behalf– we owe him a tremendous debt of thanks.

To provide some perspective on the magnitude of Simone’s contributions, the journal has published around 40 issues totaling over 250 papers during his time. Moreover, to maintain the high standards we have come to expect from IJDAR, an estimated 1,500–2,000 submissions had to be processed while Simone served in his leadership role. The level of effort to support this workload is just one measure of Simone’s dedication. In addition, Simone has been a contributor to IJDAR from the authorship standpoint: his first paper was published in March 2001, just a few years after IJDAR was founded, and is titled “A serial combination of connectionist-based classifiers for OCR.” His most recent publication in the journal dates from March 2024 and provides a survey on “Datasets and annotations for layout analysis of scientific articles.”

Beyond IJDAR, many members of our community will know Simone well as a leader in the ICDAR conference series and the DAS workshop series. He has also served in a variety of leadership positions in the International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR), culminating in his time as President of IAPR from 2016–2018. In all these ways, Simone has demonstrated a keen awareness of the issues facing the research community while he has helped guide us to more and greater successes.

I conclude with the happy news that while Simone is stepping down as an IJDAR co-Editor-in-Chief, he will continue to remain active in the research community. Thank you, Simone!

Koichi Kise

As Simone steps down from his role as Editor-in-Chief, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for his contributions. I have known Simone for over 20 years, and since I joined the journal as Editor-in-Chief, we have worked closely together in service of IJDAR.

For those who may not be aware, IJDAR was established in 1998 when its Founding Editors, Dave Doermann and Karl Tombre, published Volume 1, Issue 1. Since then, the journal has consistently published four issues per year and has now reached Volume 28. Simone took on the mantle from the Founding Editors, serving as the next-generation Editor-in-Chief and playing a pivotal role in the journal’s growth. His departure marks a significant loss for IJDAR, and while it is unfortunate to see him step down, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude and admiration for his dedication.

From a research perspective, Simone has been a pioneer in exploring artificial neural networks for document analysis—long before the current AI boom took shape. Beyond his scholarly contributions, he has played a key role in our community, including serving as President of IAPR and taking on various leadership roles that have significantly advanced our field.

On a more personal note, I would like to highlight something that, in my view, has been just as influential—if not more so—than his technical and academic contributions: his warm personality and hospitality. I still vividly remember the DAS conference he organized in Florence in 2004. Whether at DAS, ICDAR, or other academic gatherings, he has always been a magnetic presence, drawing people together with his cheerful and welcoming spirit.

Among Simone’s many contributions to IJDAR, I consider the establishment of the ICDAR-IJDAR Journal Track to be one of the most significant. This initiative has not only strengthened the relationship between ICDAR and IJDAR but has also provided authors with greater incentives to submit their work. Even now, as ICDAR has transitioned to an annual event, the continued success of the Journal Track speaks to its lasting impact.

While Simone’s departure is undoubtedly a great loss for IJDAR, we must not dwell solely on our sadness. Fortunately, we are welcoming a strong successor, Josep Lladós, as a new co-Editor-in-Chief, which gives us confidence in the journal’s future. And of course, our ever-spirited Simone will remain a valued member of our community. I look forward to seeing him at future conferences and events.

Simone, thank you for everything. Your efforts and dedication are deeply appreciated. Wishing you all the best in your next endeavors!

Simone Marinai

After several years serving as IJDAR co-Editor-in-Chief, it is time for me to step down.

From my perspective, a few years ago the journal experienced a decline in quality submissions, and in some cases it was even difficult to build an issue because few papers were ready. Today, the situation is different and after publishing the ICDAR-journal track issue (for ICDAR 2024) 27 accepted papers were ready to be included in one issue. I personally believe that this change is partially due to the introduction of the journal track as a regular initiative and a broader interest in our field. I also have noticed that in recent years, well-known researchers in the area and new ones submitted quality papers to the journal.

It has been a pleasure for me to work with all the members of the Editorial Board who have always contributed to the progress of IJDAR. This includes not only those serving today, but also those who have left the board. I hope that you members of the Editorial Board did not resent me when I sometimes sent direct emails reminding overdue deadlines. I know, and I always remind myself and colleagues, that serving as Associate Editor or reviewer for a journal is a voluntary service that is often scarcely recognized by funding institutions. No need to repeat that this voluntary service is essential for the progress of science and technology.

I will certainly miss the cooperation with my two co-Editors-in-Chief: Dan Lopresti and Koichi Kise. The three of us formed a team with complementary skills and points of view that allowed us to address various issues effectively. Knowing that Dan and Koichi will remain on board assures me and my colleagues that the journal will continue to serve the community. This feeling is strengthened by the fact that Josep Llados has agreed to replace me as a co-Editor-in-Chief. I know that serving in this role will add to his workload, but I’m sure that he will bring new energy to the journal. I should also add that Katherine Moretti, from Springer Nature, is a very reliable source of support from the publisher’s side and has helped and will continue to help develop the journal.

After more than 27 years the vision to create a journal that is a reference for our research field is still valid and should be preserved as a valuable resource for researchers working in Document Analysis and Recognition. We must always be grateful to Dave Doermann, Karl Tombre, Sargur Srihari, Seon-Wan Lee, and Aziel Rosenfeld for launching this initiative, and to Dave in particular, who hosted the journal secretary at his university for the first years before Springer and then Springer-Nature.

I wish all of you the best in your careers and personal lives, and I hope to see you in person at ICDAR or other conferences.

The International Journal on Document Analysis and Recognition sincerely thanks Simone for his invaluable contributions to the journal during his term as Editor-in-Chief, and we welcome Josep Llados as new EIC who will certainly continue the great progress and work that Simone has started.