Editorial board roles
Editorial Board
How the journal management selects editors for the journal: Editors are selected primarily on the basis of academic merit. Editors must have prior publication experience, especially in high impact journals, and experience in student mentorship is highly desirable. Other desirable attributes include publication of book chapters, involvement in policy documents, guidelines, regulatory bodies and management boards. Consideration is also given to track-record in mentoring nascent academics who will become the next generation of researchers, academic and senior editors.
All the editors have an academic background and are either heads of directors, or senior members of academic departments in respiratory medicine and/ or critical care. Consideration is also given to geographical heterogeneity and transformation aspects. For example, there are also editorial board members from other African countries from which the AJTCCM receives submissions. There are also globally acknowledged members of the editorial board who are based in Europe and the USA. Often they are globally recognised and key opinion leaders and examples include Professor Fan Chung and Professor Peter Barnes from Imperial College in London, and Professor Adithya Cattamanchi from UCSF in the USA. Professor Peter Barnes is globally the most cited researcher in Respiratory Medicine.
The current number of editors is based on the journal’s editorial capacity and the number of submissions it receives. In the future, and based on the same criteria, the Journal will seek to recruit editors from elsewhere in Africa and particularly from resource poor settings in Asia.
Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief
1. To initially screen manuscripts for suitability to the Journal and assign this to an editorial board member (Editor).
2. To oversee the peer-review process and finally accept a manuscript after it has been handled by an editorial board member (Editor) and endorse the decision made based on reviewer comments.
3. To oversee the overall functioning of the Journal including assigning content for each issue, and oversight of administrative matters.
4. To devise and implement the strategic vision of the Journal including planning special issues (e.g. critical care issues), soliciting topical editorials, and special articles of interest.
5. To convene regular editorial board meetings (held 3 to 4 times a year) and to convene a special annual editorial board meeting where matters of strategic importance, including housekeeping matters, relevant to the Journal are discussed.
6. To oversee the proper functioning of the journal management system.
7. To oversee quality control mechanisms.
8. To foster and facilitate interaction between other relevant journals and respiratory societies including the American Thoracic Society, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the European Respiratory Society, and the European Respiratory Journal.
Responsibilities of the members of the editorial board:
1. To manage manuscripts assigned to them so that they can make a decision on whether the paper merits review or should be rejected without review.
2. To handle the editorial process including collating reviewer comments and making a final decision on whether the manuscript is accepted or rejected.
3. To contribute editorials for original manuscripts that are selected for publication.
4. To contribute other articles of interest including review papers and opinion pieces.
5. To contribute to the overall strategic direction of the Journal including new types of submission categories, etc.
6. Contribution to and supervision of special editions for the Journal.
These activities are coordinated through an annual editorial board meeting and through regular communication by the chief editor with the editorial board.