Reader Survey Results

JPT recently conducted its annual readership survey to get valuable feedback on how useful and relevant the magazine is to readers in their jobs and how it can be improved.

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JPT recently conducted its annual readership survey to get valuable feedback on how useful and relevant the magazine is to readers in their jobs and how it can be improved. The survey was sent to SPE members around the globe. Respondents included engineers (45%), managers (17%), consultants (12%), and executives (9%). Most respondents work at service com­panies (19%), followed by independents (18%), national oil companies (16%), and major oil and gas companies (13%). The average age of survey participants was 45. To those who responded to the survey, thank you for taking the time to help JPT improve its coverage.

Feature articles, columns, and technical papers about practical technology applications attract the most reader interest. The most popular features in JPT are Technology Update (short case studies of technology applications), feature articles about emerging technologies, the summary of SPE technical papers, and Technology Applications (briefs about newly commercialized technology). Of the 47 distinct technical topics covered throughout the year by the magazine, interest is highest in hydraulic fracturing, unconventional resources, mature fields and well revitalization, field development projects, and reservoir performance and monitoring.

The JPT Editorial Committee (see list of members on this page) helps JPTdisseminate and share knowledge with members about recent developments in E&P technology. It annually revises the list of technical paper topics covered by the magazine. Throughout the course of the year, the committee and SPE staff sift through all the papers that were presented at SPE conferences worldwide and select the best and most interesting for synopsis in JPT. The full-length papers are available online for those wanting additional information. This year, the committee will review a total of 3,962 technical papers for possible publication, and select 160 for synopsis in JPT.

Asked what the magazine’s biggest strengths are, readers cited the wide range of technology topics covered, the technical content, the summaries of technical papers, its global scope, and the overall quality. Weaknesses mentioned were content that is too technical at times, not technical enough, and too broad of coverage. Just over 89% of respondents said JPT was useful or very useful to them in their jobs, with 35.7% citing “very useful.”

In the survey, 78% of respondents rated JPT “very good” or “excellent,” compared with 74% a year ago and 71% in 2010 (when the reader survey became annual). Compared with other publications serving the upstream industry, 38% said they consider JPT “significantly better,” compared with 34% last year and 28% in 2010.

Reading JPT on the Web or tablet app continues to increase, particularly the latter. Nearly 40% of respondents said they access JPT’s app for tablets compared with 23% a year ago. Nearly one-third (31%) use the smartphone JPT app compared with 21% in 2014.