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JASIST Editor-in-Chief Job Description

 OVERVIEW

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the overall quality of the intellectual content of the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) and for overseeing the review process to ensure it is thorough, fair, and timely. The JASIST Editor-in-Chief is responsible for upholding the mission and scope of the journal and for selecting papers that provide new, original, and important contributions to knowledge. The Editor-in-Chief selects associate editors, editorial board members, reviewers, and any other editorial positions required in developing content for the journal. The Editor-in-Chief serves as chair of the editorial board and oversees its work. The Editor-in-Chief holds an annual editorial board meeting and prepares an annual report for the publisher and ASIS&T Board of Directors.

DUTIES

  1. The Editor-in-Chief oversees the mission and scope of the journal in consultation with the publisher and ASIS&T Board of Directors.
    • The Editor-in-Chief periodically reviews the editorial mission and scope of the journal, consults with the editorial board, and makes recommendations to the ASIS&T Board and the publisher to change the mission and scope when deemed appropriate.
    • The Editor-in-Chief ensures that the papers published are consistent with the editorial mission.
    • The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for making the decision to publish any thematic issues of the journal and for recruiting the papers to be published. The Editor-in-Chief may select a guest editor(s) for a thematic issue if desired.
    • The Editor-in-Chief may recommend to the publisher that a special issue be published in addition to the regular issues of the journal. The publisher will have the responsibility for approving or rejecting such a proposal.
  2. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for overseeing the editorial review process.
    • The Editor-in-Chief selects associate editors, special editors such as Brief Communications and Book Review Editors, and other editorial roles to constitute the editorial board. The editorial board is affirmed by the ASIS&T Board, and each member is requested to hold a current professional membership in ASIS&T.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will use the publisher-provided peer-review system (currently Scholar One Manuscripts) to conduct the editorial review process.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will review each submission for adherence to scope and guidelines then pass submissions on through a peer-review process.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will be the final arbiter regarding the acceptance of papers when reviewers differ in their evaluations.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will ensure that the review process is completed in a timely manner and that authors receive constructive feedback about papers submitted.
  3. The Editor-in-Chief provides the manuscripts accepted for each issue to the publisher.
    • The Editor-in-Chief forwards the manuscripts for each issue to the publisher.
    • The Editor-in-Chief ensures that the manuscripts are complete, including illustrations, references, and contact information for the authors.
    • The Editor-in-Chief submits the manuscripts for each issue on time according to the schedule agreed upon with the publisher.
  4. The Editor-in-Chief will see that the journal follows customary ethical policies for scholarly publishing.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will identify, investigate, and address any ethical breaches of conduct by authors and reviewers.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will see that authors are treated with fairness, courtesy, objectivity, and honesty.
    • The Editor-in-Chief must be prepared to deal with errors and allegations of ethical and publishing violations.
  5. The Editor-in-Chief will seek opportunities to promote the journal.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will seek to speak at conferences and other events about the purpose and values of the journal, inviting potential contributors to consider submitting papers to the journal.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will identify indexes in which the journal should be included and pass that information on to the publisher.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will help the publisher promote the journal by identifying places, events, and individuals to whom promotional material should be sent.
  6. The Editor-in-Chief will serve as the public face and intellectual voice of the journal.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will be the primary representative of the journal to the public. In this capacity he/she/they will respond on behalf of the journal in any cases of dispute.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will be the spokesperson for the journal when there are opportunities for publicity.
    • The Editor-in-Chief is expected to write regular editorials for the journal.
  7. The Editor-in-Chief will provide the publisher and the ASIS&T Board with performance and productivity reports about the editorial activities of the journal.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will prepare an annual report according to an agreed upon schedule.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will inform the publisher and ASIS&T Board of matters to help improve the journal.
    • The Editor-in-Chief will report any significant problems that might affect the quality or timely release of the journal or conflicts its editorial mission.

KEY SUCCESS INDICATORS

  • Effective and efficient management of the review process
  • Effective and timely communication with authors, reviewers, editorial board, publisher and ASIS&T Board
  • Author satisfaction with the submission to publication experience
  • Effective promotion and representation of the journal
  • Continuous improvement of the quality of the journal
  • The journal’s standing in the field
  • An innovative vision for the journal

QUALIFICATIONS

At a minimum the successful candidate will have:

  • 3 years of experience in an editorial capacity
  • A graduate degree in information science and technology or a cognate field
  • Demonstrated high proficiency in communication, leadership, and innovation
  • Considerable research experience
  • A publication record of articles, books and other scholarly/creative work in the information science and technology or cognate field
  • Involvement with ASIS&T and/or JASIST
  • Endorsement of their academic department to commit 20% time to this role

AUTHORITY

The Editor-in-Chief has the final decision-making responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of all manuscripts submitted to the journal. The publisher will not become involved in editorial decisions.

COMMITMENT

The Editor-in-Chief is expected to spend an average of 20% of FTE time equivalent on his/her editorial responsibilities.

COMPENSATION

The Editor-in-Chief will receive an annual stipend equivalent to 20% of the full-time faculty salary of a Professor as reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

The Editor-in-Chief will be supported by an assistant who will serve as a first point of contact for authors, provide assistance to authors and reviewers in using the ScholarOne system, and coordinate special issues.

ABOUT JASIST

The Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) is a leading international forum for peer-reviewed research in information science. For more than half a century, JASIST has provided intellectual leadership by publishing original research that focuses on the production, discovery, recording, storage, representation, retrieval, presentation, manipulation, dissemination, use, and evaluation of information and on the tools and techniques associated with these processes.

ABOUT ASIS&T

The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the only professional association that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. For nearly 80 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information. Its members—thousands of researchers, developers, practitioners, students, and professors in the field of information science and technology from 50 countries around the world—have made ASIS&T an important part of their professional development. Members share a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information.