Vol. 1 No. 1 (2022): Caribbean Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies

` Editorial Introduction to the Inaugural Issue

On behalf of the Managing Editor, Ms Brenda James, and the entire Editorial Board, I take this opportunity to say how delighted I am to announce the publication of the inaugural issue of the Caribbean Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (CJMS).  This journal was conceptualised over a year ago; and thanks to the entire team of blind reviewers, copyeditors, associate editors, authors, electronic system managers as well as the publishing and marketing team members, we are able to publish our first issue of six high-quality journal articles.

The CJMS is an online, open access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal, which publishes multidisciplinary scholarly works expressed through various media.  The journal provides a platform for academic discourse about various disciplines including the Performing Arts, Science and Technology, Education, Engineering, Agriculture, Criminology and the entire range of the humanities and social sciences spectrum.  The journal functions as a catalyst for innovative inquiry impacting the national and regional community.  However, it is not only designed to foster communication among scholars.  The journal is also meant to offer solutions to societal problems.

I am happy to share with you a sneak preview of what this inaugural issue contains. The first article is a qualitative action research study in education that deals with the efficacy of constructing an online flipped creative writing classroom for a standard three primary school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second article is entitled Carnival Dawn: An approach to cross-cultural musical fusion in times of change. This performing arts study describes the national musical context and examines aspects of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival culture and Western classical sonata form while demonstrating their versatility for use in the online environment.

The next article presents a snapshot of the effects of sheltering in place by assessing the effects of COVID-19 on online routine activities and cybercrime.

The following three engineering pieces complete the list of articles in this first issue:

• failure analysis of a sucker rod from an oil well located offshore Trinidad and Tobago
• determining viscoelastic behaviour on sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) tissue
• a techno-economic analysis of the Guapo Cruse E Heavy Oil Sands in Trinidad and Tobago.

The quality of a journal is impacted by the members and academic credentials of its editorial board.  The CJMS is honoured to have a cadre of distinguished scholars in divergent fields who provide unpaid, honorary service as ambassadors, thus enhancing the credibility of the journal.  I thank you for your continued support as we embark on this journey of scholarship and national service.

The CJMS team also looks forward to receiving high-quality pieces from all those who wish to publish in the second issue of this multidisciplinary journal.

Professor Stephen Joseph, Chief Editor,

Caribbean Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (CJMS)