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- Although AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS is a sound journal in terms of its contents, it is puzzling to see this specialized late entry into the robotics field. Another journal, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, has been publishing articles in this area since its inception in 1985. The latter is published more frequently (and hence has more papers), costs about the same in terms of price/page, has the same type of authorship, and, in fact, includes some of the same names on its editorial board. As a quarterly, AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS cannot offer a speedier publication rate than other titles in the field. It does, however, offer more depth: Many papers are over 20 pages in length and are obviously review or tutorial pieces. At least one recent issue was entirely devoted to underwater robots, which might not have received such thorough coverage in a less-specialized journal (Katz).