How to structure your editorial team

Editorial Roles

Editor(s) in Chief

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) holds ultimate responsibility for the journal practices and publications. An EiC should be very familiar and active in the journal’s field and will act as a contact point for editorial correspondence about the journal. They may be responsible for appointing and revising the Editorial Board, as well as creating an editorial team with whom they can work to process article submissions. EiCs are expected to follow COPE guidelines on publication ethics and good practice.

Managing Editor(s)

Managing Editors (or Editorial Assistants) work with the Editor in Chief to keep the journal workflow operating smoothly. Managing Editors do not usually make editorial decisions, but check incoming submissions, assign editors, and send out reminders and updates when necessary. Managing Editors may also be expected to handle communications with authors on behalf of the journal, clarifying journal policies and actions.

Smaller journals might not have a Managing Editor, and instead the above tasks will be handled by the Editor in Chief.

Associate/Section Editors

Even very small journals should have multiple people working within the editorial team. Associate or Section Editors will be assigned to submissions by the EiC or the Managing Editor, and they will then be responsible for requesting and evaluating peer reviews. 

Editorial Board

All journals should have an Editorial Board of subject experts who support the journal and guide its strategic direction. The main role of a board member is to act as an advocate of the journal, assist in policy creation and journal management, and help attract submissions and improve the journal’s reputation. They may also be called on to suggest reviewers, or provide a review when an independent expert can’t be found. The Editorial Board should comprise people with high energy and motivation who are prepared to network and promote the journal. They should also be able to think creatively about new ways of attracting interest and be prepared to solicit content from colleagues.

Editorial Board membership requires commitment and regular activity, and the entire board should meet at least once a year. To ensure that members remain active and engaged, and represent the diversity of the field, it’s recommended that the board be refreshed every three years. This gives a chance for some members to step down and new ones to be invited. Whilst Board Members can suggest additions to the membership, the editorial team should be wary of only accepting established 'friendship' groups or one predominant opinion as the board must be seen as representing the subject as a whole rather than one perspective/institution.

Copyeditors 

Some journals may manage their own copyediting. Copyeditors only work on papers that have already been accepted by the EiC and Associate/Section Editors. Copyeditors should work to check that the papers fit the journal’s style guide and are free of errors. They may also pass on simple feedback to authors to assist with the readability of the paper.

Guest Editors

Guest editors are not ongoing members of the journal’s editorial board, but may be brought on to assist with publishing projects such as special issues or conference proceedings. Guest editors should propose their projects to the journal for approval by the editorial team before being given any editorial permissions and should only be given permissions for articles within the domain of their proposal (papers for a Special Issue, for example). The Editor in Chief continues to have ultimate responsibility for the journal and so should ensure the Guest Editors adhere to the journal’s guidelines and follow best publishing practices. Once the project is complete, the Guest Editor should have their editorial permissions removed from their account.

Example Editorial Workflow

Different journals may operate differently, depending on the size of their team, the journal’s specialisation, and the average number of submissions. A common workflow for journals is as follows:

1. New submissions are checked by the Editor(s)-in-Chief or a Managing Editor. They may either be desk rejected or, if in-scope and of good quality, proceed to peer review.
2. The Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor will assign a Section Editor to the submission. The Section Editor will send out invitations to Peer Reviewers. (The Editor-in-Chief might also assign themselves, particularly for smaller journals).
3. Once enough peer reviews are collected (journals should aim for at least two independent reviews) the Section Editor will make a decision (Accept, Decline, or Request Revisions). 
   • Some journals may allow Section Editors to make final decisions. This approach reduces the chance for bottlenecks from waiting for EiC decisions. 
   • Alternatively, journals may choose to limit Section Editors to making recommendations: the system will notify Editor(s) in Chief of the Section Editor’s recommended decision. Only the Editor(s) in Chief will be able to proceed with making a final decision sent to the author. This ensures that the EiCs also get to review the feedback. However, EiCs will need to stay on top of articles to prevent a backlog.