Editorial management
Abstract
The number of scholarly journals has been increasing rapidly in recent years, and it is hard for users to ensure that sources are trustworthy. Publishers must provide information in the journal's website or on the website of the publisher (scholarly society) to prospective authors and readers so that they can identify relevant journals and easily view their editorial policies and procedures.
Main Text
With the consistent increase in numbers of scholarly journals, it is essential for users to be able to select appropriate titles and trust that they are honest and reputable. This article highlights the importance for journals of providing clear and transparent information to prospective authors and readers, and of implementing best practices in publishing.
One of the first indicators for the user is the journal’s aims and scope. This should be a clear definition of its objectives and subject coverage, and demonstrate the reason for its existence. This statement not only guides the editorial team, but it also communicates the focus of a journal or book publisher to potential readers and contributors, and enhances discoverability through search engines. Established journals should revisit their aims and scope regularly to ensure that they remain relevant and accurately reflect the current focus.
Publishers are expected to publish journal content according to a defined schedule, whether this is based on regular issues, or under a continuous publishing model. Journal managers must ensure that their publishing schedule is realistic rather than aspirational. Indexing services may not consider a journal for inclusion if it is not publishing on time.
The roles and responsibilities of the editorial team must be well-defined, including those of the editors, editorial board and internal staff. In general, the Editor-in-Chief and editorial board are recognised experts who will direct the journal strategy and development, as well as providing subject expertise in the research area of the journal. Consideration should be given to including a diverse range of editors who can act as ambassadors for the journal and reflect its quality. Details of the names and affiliations of members who have agreed to serve on the board must be published on the journal website.
Author guidelines define the criteria for inclusion of articles in the journal, including article types allowed, instructions for paper submission and layout, and any requirements specific to the journal. The guidelines should also include details of the journal’s policies on open access licensing, copyright, author charges and publication ethics. These broad criteria are also applicable to book publishing.
Adherence to data protection rules is essential, and journals and book publishers must ensure their operations comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant regulations.
An often neglected aspect of open access publishing is digital preservation. Publishers and journal managers are strongly recommended to implement a preservation strategy so that journal and book content is archived in case of data loss or service interruption. Low- or no-cost solutions are available that will enable journal and book content to be safely preserved for the future.
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References
- European Commission (2018). General Data Protection Regulation. https://gdpr.eu/
Further reading
- Barnes, M., Cole, G., Fry, J., Gatti, R., & Higman, R. (2023). 'Good, Better, Best': practices in archiving and preserving open access monographs (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7876048
- COPE. (n.d.). Guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines
- Digital Preservation Coalition. (2015). Digital Preservation Handbook, 2nd Edition. https://www.dpconline.org/handbook
- DOAJ. (2024). Project JASPER. https://doaj.org/preservation/
- DOAJ & OASPA. (2024). Open Access Journals Toolkit: policies. https://www.oajournals-toolkit.org/policies/
- Jisc. (2021). New university press toolkit: preservation. https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/new-university-press-toolkit
Glossary
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Licensing
This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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