Aims and scope of the Journal

The Systems Science European Union (U.E.S.) is endowed with a tool opening new perspective of action: the World Wide Web journal Res-Systemica. It is a refereed electronic journal, standing at the crossroad of Epistemology, Science and Technology and dedicated to both theoretical Systems Science and applications. Here is its first issue, mainly devoted to a large sample of rather outstanding answers to the following question, which is likely to involve all the readers of this journal: Why and how have you first been in touch with the Systems Science approach?

The next coming issue of Res-Systemica may include some new answers to this same question, as far as these answers are stressing some new viewpoints! This kind of open and collective way to deal with a given question will be repeated, with other questions, in some of the following issues of the Journal.

But these issues will be mainly devoted to original papers dealing with some of the many aspects of Systems Science, within key-words such as : Adaptation, Auto-reference, Auto-organisation, Chaos, Cognition, Complexity, Dynamics, Emergence, General Systems, Hierarchy, Networks, Organisation... Other rubrics, such as Books Review, Archives, Systems Science European Events Advertisement, etc. will also appear together with these original papers.

All papers should be written in one of the two official U.E.S. languages : French and/or English - articles in other European languages will be taken into account, if submitted with an extensive summary either in French or in English. Please, see the Instructions for Authors, for more information, and for manuscript preparation.

Res-Systemica aims to favour: (i) the opening to the diversity of the European and Mediterranean cultures; (ii) references to concrete experiments and implementations; (iii) pluri and trans disciplinary approaches; (iv) forums around papers which give rise to problems or comments.
 

About the Systems Science European Union (U.E.S.)

U.E.S. founded in 1989, is devoted to promote Systems Science Research and Applications in the framework of European Culture. It is an union of National Systems Science European Societies. The union constitutes a network with all these Societies, providing an environment aiming to favour trans disciplinary fields cross-fertilisation.

The present journal is the last tool (but not the least) to strengthen this living network. It should supplement a number of outstanding events, under the auspices of U.E.S., such as Meetings, Congresses, Summer Schools, etc., which are, since 1989, powerfully contributing to the synergy and the interaction of the European Systems Science experts trying to deal with complexity.

Systems Science congresses, under the auspices of U.E.S., are organised each three years. They took place successively in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1989, in Prague, Czech Rep., in 1993, in Roma, Italia, in 1996, in Valencia, Spain, in 1999 and in Crete, Greece, in 2002. The next one, in 2005, will take place in France (near Paris). These meetings are providing to Systems Science experts of all European countries the opportunity to compare and exchange their various respective approaches. Res-Systemica is another open forum providing the same kind of opportunity, and more over, in "real time"! But of course a journal is not able to induce neither the conviviality nor the warm discussions emerging out of every U.E.S. congresses, which are always a great attractive feature of these manifestations.

Another type of U.E.S. manifestations, featuring as above warm conviviality and debate, are Summer Schools. Five Systems Science summer schools, under the auspices of the U.E.S., have bring together people from many countries. They took place successively in Crete, in 1991, in Mont Ste Odile, France, in 1992, in Valencia, Spain, in 1994, in Hull, England, in 1995, and in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 1998. Specific handbooks have been written in the framework of each of these schools.

Let us mention some helpful introduction to Systems Science, recently produced by U.E.S. members, and namely: An International Systems Science Handbook (in English), edited by Rafael Rodriguez Delgado & Bela H. Banaty; an introduction to Systems Science (in French), edited by Francis Le Gallou & Bernadette Bouchon-Meunier, and another one (in four languages), by Gianfranco Minati. Some of these documents would be available on the Res-Systemica web in the next future. Let us also underline a large formation to Systems Science (3rd cycle University level), a European project under the direction of Nicholas Paritsis, which will be available very soon on the web (in six languages), as a regular "module" in the framework of different "distant teachings". Internet is indeed convenient for both formation such as this module and information such as the Journal. It allows multiple ways to bring to the fore, for more and more people, the need of Systems Science, given the continual growing of the surrounding complexity.

Res-Systemica belongs to all European Systems Scientists. Let us urge them to take care of it: to promote the Journal, to let it know to colleagues, to send papers to be published in it, and to carefully review papers!

Long life to Res-Systemica!

Evelyne Andreewsky, Gianfranco Minati & Nicholas Paritsis
(U.E.S. Board)