Editorial Team

 

Editor-in-Chiefs

The HOF platform is a joint initiative by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and the International Union of Railways (UIC). To reflect the joint effort, the RailHOF platform is managed by two editors-in-chiefs, who take the final decision over the publication of submissions on the RailHOF platform.

  • Virginie PAPILLAUT (UIC)
  • Jayne YEO (ERA)

The platform and online submission system is managed through WordPress owned and managed by UIC.

 

Editors/ Reviewers

A group of RailHOF experts is supporting the Editor-in-Chiefs with reviewing and validating the submission to the RailHOF platform. At least two independent reviewers will review and validate the submitted text based on coherence with submission criteria and quality as outlined below.

  • Nora BALFE (Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, IE)
  • Fiona KENVYN (Metro Trains Melbourne, AUS)
  • Paul LEACH (RSSB, UK)
  • Ann MILLS (RSSB, UK)
  • Bernard PENNERS (Infrabel, BE)
  • Michaela SCHWARZ (ÖBB Production, AT)
  • Jayne YEO (ERA, FR)

Contact the Editorial Team

Any questions related to the RailHOF platform, or the editorial team should be directed to:

 

Main objectives/ the spirit and aims of RailHOF

  • RailHOF encourages sharing of HOF practice in accessible, inclusive language & format
  • RailHOF connects people and issues to support practical solutions.
  • Authors of submissions do not have to be Rail HOF experts but can be of course.

Types of submissions

RailHOF offers two types of submission:

Language/ Target Audience

  • Submissions can be submitted in any language. Non – English submissions will be translated by the Editorial team using standard machine translation tools (e.g., https://www.deepl.com/, https://translate.google.com/) and sent back to authors to check the translation before publication on the website.
  • Please use simple language, avoiding any company-specific acronyms and any technical terms as much as possible. Technical HOF terms, where necessary, will be presented in an accessible way for non-technical audience. RailHOF is aimed at a wide range of people who may not have previous rail or HOF knowledge and experience. Terms and technology may also vary across regions.
  • Please use your own personal words and knowledge, don’t report on someone else’s issues or problems.
  • Make sure you use a just language. When sharing experiences or case studies, don’t accuse or blame people for mistakes that may have led to issues or negative outcomes.
  • It is recognized that there are different levels of complexity and maturity across different organisations in different countries. We want to engage with and capture the experiences of all levels.
  • Don’t worry about typos and grammar. The Editorial Team will run a check before publication.

Submission criteria

General criteria

  • Submissions should reflect HOF good practice
  • Submissions should use a logical structure, for example following the STAR technique
    • Situation – set the scene and describe the context
    • Task – describe the specific challenge or objectives
    • Action – describe what was done and how
    • Result – share the outcomes, or lessons learned

Criteria for Sharing of your own operational experience (Stories)

  • Describe any HOF-related issues/ problems you come across in your work, your role, your company’s operations
  • Explain what you did to address these issues and what you were trying to achieve (this should be in line with HOF good practice)
  • Feel free to share different perspectives of the change (e.g. manager’s or the engineer’s view)
  • Describe challenges to implementation
  • Avoid product placement / promotion of certain brands/ companies etc.
  • Leave out other people’s names, except to provide a reference / direct citation
  • Pitch your submission with just enough detail so a layperson / non-expert can understand the problem and intervention
  • You have the option to include your email address so readers can contact you for further info.
  • Alternatively, anyone who wants further information may contact who will forward the request to the relevant person, who can then establish direct contact should they so wish.

Criteria for Suggesting a Reference

  • Types of references suggested including:
    • English abstract
    • Full scientific papers
    • Operational guidelines
    • Industry standards
    • Interesting links/ websites
  • Recommend good papers, even if access is not public, readers may find them interesting and decide to pay for them
  • Avoid suggesting old / outdated versions of references.
  • Focus on key references relevant to HOF
  • Include the author’s name, publication year, name of source (journal/proceedings)
  • Provide a link to the reference, there is no option to upload a document.
  • References will be checked for quality and relevance to HOF by the Editorial Team.

What not to submit?

  • Submissions that are not HOF relevant or have no obvious link to HOF are out of scope
  • Submissions that violate copyrights or are plagiarism (e.g., taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own without correct reference)
  • Submissions outside good HOF practice or with a certain “agenda” (e.g., marketing of products or services, commercial interest) will not be accepted.

Please note that: Comments on already published submissions, job vacancies, promotion of training courses or any other HOF-relevant items may be submitted via the RailHOF LinkedIn page.

Review Process

The Editorial Board will review your submission within 7 working days and will provide feedback to the authors on acceptance / non-acceptance of the submission. Feedback will include reasons on why the submission was accepted or not accepted, as well as suggestions or recommendations for addressing potential gaps. The goal is to enable sharing of high-quality stories and references relevant to HOF. The Editorial Team reserves the right to contact the author to add/modify or translate the submission to ensure a good understanding by the readers before publication.

How to file a submission?

Authors are requested to fill out the associated online form. In the online form, only text submissions are accepted. Any relevant pictures, figures, tables, etc. may be submitted via email to

How long should my submission be?

We encourage text of 1500 words max. Please make sure that you write in simple language and provide enough detail for non-technical/ non-HOF experts to understand.

 

We look forward to your submission!