Editors’ roles and responsibilities

One of an Academic Editor’s most important tasks is to decide whether or not a manuscript should be published in one of our journals. This guide explains the steps involved in the decision-making process and offers help for new Editors. ​​​​​

ITScience consults Editors when ethical issues arise with published articles. ITScience's journals are members of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and we recommend that you read their guidelines and other resources. We have a comprehensive list of ITScience's publication ethics policies on our dedicated ethics page.

For questions or to report research integrity issues, contact cnaphc@itscience.org.

We ask Editors to provide feedback on a journal’s direction or performance. We use this feedback to improve all aspects of our operations.

Our Publishing Editors serve as the point of contact for our Editors. These ITScience employees are publishing professionals who also have a research background. They provide subject-specific support to our Editors and also work to promote the journals in their areas of expertise.

We hope that our Editors will be keen to share their hard work with colleagues, collaborators, and other connections. The most successful journals are those that are supported and promoted by their Editorial Boards.

We encourage Editors to discuss their journals among their colleagues, add them to their online profiles, and promote them at conferences.

The size of the Editorial Board is determined by many factors. These include the number of submissions a journal receives, the average amount of time a manuscript takes to be processed, and the time commitment of individual board members. In the event that a board member retires, or if our analysis suggests that a larger board is required, ITScience will handle the recruitment of new Editors.

In order to be invited to become an Academic Editor, an individual must have a track record of publishing well-received papers within the journal’s scope. ITScience assesses any potential candidates before issuing an invitation.