Editor-in-Chief

The EIC is expected to participate in defining and adjusting the journal’s evolving mission and to understand and adapt to the changing needs of the readership as a contributing member of ConductScience in Data Analytics Journal Board.

As the EIC, you’re expected to:

1. Propose potential topics and leverage network
2. Final authority on acceptances and rejections
3. Lean on assistant and associate editors for resources

Suggest additional board members if necessary

At ConductScience Academic Publishing House, we already have a board of Associate and Assistant Editors. To make the editing process more efficient, you can invite associate editors of your choice, if needed. If you choose to Invite Associate editor, contact your Assistant editor that will proceed the Invitation process.

Associate editors should be experts in the field, (typically Associate Professor level and above, with an established publication record in internationally recognized journals) and their expertise should reflect the scope of your section.

Reviewing proposals for research topics

All Research Topic proposals made to your specialty will be sent to you for review. As the editor in chief, you will be able to: 

• Accept the proposals that are suited to your specialty
• Reject the proposals that are not adequate and provide a reason for the rejection

Final authority on acceptances and rejections

As Editor in chief you hold the ultimate authority over what gets accepted or rejected for publication. Your decisions shape the publication’s identity and reputation, impacting both authors and readers. This role demands responsibility, fairness, and transparent communication with editorial board and authors.

Associate Editor

The primary role of associate editors is to manage and oversee the peer-review process of submitted manuscripts. Associate editors also have a role in shaping the direction of their section.

As an Associate Editor, you’ll be expected to:

1. Do Peer Review Management
2. Suggest reviewers to Assistant Editors 
3. Insure scientific quality for the Journal’s content
4. Encourage submissions 
5. Make recommendations on publication rejection to the authors
6. Recommend approvals and rejections to EIC

Recommending reviewers

Reviewers form an essential part of our editorial board and serve as a trusted network of experts invited by our exciting board members and editorial teams. When recommending potential reviewers, aim for diversity in gender balance; geographical spread; foci of research, within the scope of the specialty.

Reviewers are established researchers or experts in the field:

1. Readers
2. Lecturers
3. Assistant professors 
4. Senior postdocs

Nominating or co-editing a research topic

Associate editors contribute to the development of the section by nominating and co-editing a Research Topic – a collection of peer-reviewed articles around an influential research theme of their choice. By inviting top authors to submit to your topic(s) and overseeing the peer-review process of contributing manuscripts, you will build strong foundations for growth and set the high-quality standards expected for the section.

Peer-review process

When submitting a manuscript, authors may select an associate editor from the board whom they believe to be well-suited to edit their manuscript. This “preferred editor” will be invited to oversee the peer-review process.

When you receive an invitation to edit, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I have the right expertise?
2. Can I be objective in my evaluation of the manuscript? (Please consider potential conflicts of interest)
3. Do I have the time to handle the manuscript?

Assistant Editor

Assistant editors play an important role in supporting our associate editors and enhancing the efficiency of the peer review process.

As an Assistant Editor, you’ll be expected to:

1. Do peer review coordination
2. Invite reviewers
3. Solicit articles amongst peers
4. Disseminate special issue calls
5. Assist Associate Editors

Disseminating calls for articles and gathering high impact science

This includes:

1. Procuring high-quality submissions.
2. Raising awareness about our journal and encouraging referrals of papers to us.
3. Engaging with leading figures and specialists in specific fields to invite article submissions is an effective strategy for enhancing the visibility of your journal.
4. It signifies a commitment to particular topics and can be pivotal in expanding the journal’s readership and overall influence.

Strategies for dissemination

You’ll be in charge of:

1. Referring colleagues
2. Submitting methods of existing research for easier replication
3. Social media 
4. Newsletters and emails

Peer review coordination

You’ll be involved in coordinating the peer-review process, which includes: 

1. Identifying and inviting potential reviewers
2. Monitoring review timelines
3. Facilitating communication between authors and reviewers.

Inviting reviewers

By inviting reviewers, you’ll help Assistant Editors in the peer review process.

Criteria for a suitable reviewer

• Active in the relevant field and/or methodology as judged by their publication record
• Ideally having published more than 10 articles in the past 10 years
• Not too senior, as they are likely to be very busy
• Free of any potential bias, i.e.
  • No co-publications with an author of the submitted manuscript in the last 5 years
  • Not currently or recently affiliated at the same institution as an author
  • Not excluded by the authors (we allow authors to exclude up to 3 reviewers)
  • Not known to have particularly strong views or opinions on the topic, unless this can be balanced by additional reviewers
• Reviewers should be ‘independent’ of one another, i.e.
  • Not currently working at the same lab/institution

If you cannot find suitable reviewers, you may invite the author to suggest reviewers. Please ask the author to provide an institutional email address for the potential reviewer, check the potential reviewer’s expertise and credentials yourself, and ensure that there are no competing interests between the potential reviewer and the authors. 

Assisting Associate Editors

While you may not have full editing responsibilities, you can still provide assistance with proofreading manuscripts for grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. Additionally, you can help ensure consistency in style and citation formatting.

Quality Control: Help with preliminary quality checks to identify any formatting or technical issues in the manuscripts before they are forwarded to Associate Editors for in-depth evaluation.

Manuscript Screening: Conduct initial screenings of submitted manuscripts to ensure they meet the journal’s basic requirements and standards before they proceed to peer review.

Communication: Serve as a point of contact between authors, reviewers, and Associate Editors, facilitating clear and timely communication throughout the editorial process.