Spectral lines: What we print

Among the characteristics of the best-read Spectrum articles are, not surprisingly, the following: they are interesting, informative, instructive, and useful. But beyond that, they tend to answer certain questions: How does it work? How is it used? How much does it cost? How can it fail? How does it hook together? In each case, “it” may refer to materials, components, subsystems, or systems. And each technical article may emphasize certain characteristics: it may be tutorial, applications oriented, systems oriented, or R&D oriented. It may contain a notable element of timeliness, news-worthiness, or controversy.