ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | NOVEMBER 2026 31 Every day, engineers, researchers, and students around the world turn to ASM content: a datasheet checked on the shop floor, a phase diagram pulled up during a failure investigation, or a journal article cited in a new research paper. Each of those moments leaves a trace in usage and citation data. ASM is now using that data to decide what content to build next. The Technical Content Roadmap was conceptualized and identified as a 2026 priority during the ASM Board of Trustees’ strategic planning meeting in July 2025. The roadmap goal is to analyze ASM’s materials science and engineering (MS&E) content across all channels, identify gaps using usage data and emerging technology trends, and set priorities for the next five to ten years. Three objectives guide the work: • Align ASM content development with demonstrated member and reader needs • Address emerging topics in both reference content and MS&E research • Extend ASM’s reputation for high-quality, relevant technical information The initial analysis focused on widely used and broad-coverage ASM resources. Findings are already shaping committee and editorial decisions. FOLLOWING THE DATA: EARLY FINDINGS FROM ASM’S TECHNICAL CONTENT ROADMAP A data-driven review of how members and researchers use ASM Handbooks and journals is helping set ASM’s technical content priorities for the next decade. Scott Henry,* ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio *Staff of ASM International HOW THE ANALYSIS WORKS The project has three components: an inventory and analysis of selected ASM content sets, a review of the materials R&D landscape, and a survey of ASM subject-matter experts. (See the companion article.) Review of and synthesis of these components is ongoing and will continue in 2027. The internal inventory combined several data sources: • Chapter- and volume-level usage data from the ASM Digital Library, including ASM Handbooks Online and ASM Technical Books Online • Website and site-search analytics • Citation and download data for two broad-scope journals, the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance (JMEP) and Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A (Met Trans A, published in partnership with TMS) • Citation data for selected peer journals, used as benchmarks Because a new handbook volume cannot be fairly compared with one available online for several years, usage was normalized by time on the platform and journal citations by years since publication. The analysis tracks both citations (for journal articles) and usage (for journals and reference content). Citations reflect academic impact, while downloads and page views reflect practitioner use. ASM serves both audiences; some results apply broadly, while others depend heavily on the scope and purpose of the specific resource. WHAT THE ASM HANDBOOK DATA SHOW The ASM Handbook series is the most widely used ASM resource, and article usage provides the clearest view of practitioner needs (Fig. 1). New volumes are performing well. The recently published Volume 25A, Residual Stress Fundamentals, had a strong launch. Within its first six months, it posted the highest per-chapter en- gagement of any Handbook topic. Additive manufacturing content and Volume 12, Fractography (updated in 2024), also perform well above what their overall footprint would predict, a sign that demand in these areas is outpacing available content. Core topics hold steady. Heat treatment, aluminum alloys, corrosion, phase diagrams, casting, and welding draw consistently high traffic. Aluminum alloy datasheets and binary phase diagrams rank among the most-viewed chapters in the entire collection. Older volumes are still in demand. Handbooks published decades ago,
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