An editorial board, also known as the editorial team, is a group of people who work on the publication and production of the journal. Members should have clearly defined roles, and each role is responsible for distinct stages of the process. For an introduction to the editorial process, see Module 1 Unit 5 of PKP School’s “Becoming an Editor” series.
The 2016 Editorial Standards guide, published by Editors Canada, contains information about editorial processes and conventions, as well as standards for structural editing, stylistic editing, copyediting and proofreading.
Look around at other journals or publishers for descriptions and examples of their boards (such as Springer and Wiley) to help with the creation of the journal’s board. These slides provide a breakdown of the board structure at the University of Toronto Medical Journal, a student run journal founded in 1923. Including term lengths and how often the Board may meet, in addition to the responsibilities, is a good idea.
Another aspect for consideration would be the diversity of the board. Scholarly publishing traditionally has not been very diverse or inclusive, and there is a movement to change this. The Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications has released a statement of principles that can help guide you.
University Affairs published an article in 2017 that discusses the benefits of participating on a journal’s board and can provide people with an idea of what to expect. Likewise, here is an article from 2016 by Devoney Looser from the Chronicle of Higher Education that provides insight into the editorial process.
The titles of these positions may differ between journals, and smaller journals may have one person in all or some of these roles. The following are brief summaries of Board positions with sample job postings, but descriptions should be flexible to accommodate the needs of the journal.
The Editor-in-chief is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the editorial process. For information on the Editor-in-Chief role, this interview with Dr. Helle Goldman, Editor in Chief of Polar Research, provides some insight.
[X journal] is seeking applications from students for the volunteer position of Editor in Chief for a 2-year term. [Description of journal taken from “About the Journal” page]. [X journal] is a student-run, open access, peer-reviewed journal based at [x institution]
Responsibilities
The duties of the editor-in-chief include:
Benefits
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in scholarly publishing, editing, web design, and project management while collaborating with a team of colleagues to enhance the [x] field by publishing quality work written by [students, etc].
Requirements
Application procedure
Please apply with a current cover letter and resume to [email address] by the deadline of [date].
Reports to the editor-in-chief, and oversees the operations of the journal, keeping the team on schedule. With section editors, makes decisions on submissions, and may be the point of contact between the journal and authors.
[X journal] is seeking applications from students for the volunteer position of Managing Editor for a 2-year term, with approximate hours of 8+ per week throughout the semester. [Description of journal taken from “About the Journal” page]. [X journal] is a student-run, open access, peer-reviewed journal based at [x institution].
Responsibilities
The duties of the Managing Editor include:
Benefits
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in scholarly publishing, editing, web design, and project management while collaborating with a team of colleagues to enhance the [x] field by publishing quality work written by [students, etc].
Requirements
Application procedure
Please apply with a current cover letter and resume to [email address] by the deadline of [date].
Reporting to the Managing Editor, a Section Editor (or Associate Editor) manages the progression of articles from submission to publication by communicating with authors, peer reviewers, and copy editors regarding article reviews and revisions. Will often have the final decision whether a submission is accepted or rejected.
[X journal] is seeking applications from students for the volunteer position of Section Editor for a 2-year term, for approximately 4-6 hours per week throughout the semester. [Description of journal taken from “About the Journal” page]. [X journal] is a student-run, open access, peer-reviewed journal based at [x institution].
The duties of the Section Editor include:
Benefits
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in scholarly publishing, editing, web design, and project management while collaborating with a team of colleagues to enhance the [x] field by publishing quality work written by [students, etc].
Requirements
Application procedure
Please apply with a current cover letter and resume to [email address] by the deadline of [date].
Layout editors prepare the manuscript for publication by formatting the article in accordance with journal policies and style guide. Academic journals typically publish in PDF and/or HTML, but other formats such as XML and EPUB may be used.
[X journal] is seeking applications from students for the volunteer position of Layout Editor for a 2-year term, for approximately 2-4 hours per week, concentrated later in the semester. [Description of journal taken from “About the Journal” page]. [X journal] is a student-run, open access, peer-reviewed journal based at [x institution].
Responsibilities
The duties of the Layout Editor include:
Benefits
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in scholarly publishing, editing, web design, and project management while collaborating with a team of colleagues to enhance the [x] field by publishing quality work written by [students, etc].
Requirements
Application procedure
Please apply with a current cover letter and resume to [email address] by the deadline of [date].
Provide constructive feedback on the manuscript, including recommendations on whether the article is ready for publication. The Journal BiNET provides guidelines that may be helpful for new reviewers.
[X journal] is seeking applications from students for the volunteer position of Peer Reviewer for a 2-year term, for approximately 2-4 hours a week, concentrated mid-semester. [Description of journal taken from “About the Journal” page]. [X journal] is a student-run, open access, peer-reviewed journal based at [x institution].
Responsibilities
The duties of the Peer Reviewers include: Provides constructive criticism of articles and recommendations on publication decisions Provides unbiased comments that should assist the author with revisions Maintains confidentiality of the review process during and after publication.
Benefits
This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in scholarly publishing, editing, web design, and project management while collaborating with a team of colleagues to enhance the [x] field by publishing quality work written by [students, etc].
Requirements
Application procedure Please apply with a current cover letter and resume to [email address] by the deadline of [date].