Role of Editorial Board
1. EIC Role and Responsibilities
A. EiC Appointment
The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) should be appointed by Steering Committee of the JMIS. EiC serves an initial five-year term, renewable for a second five-year term. Also EIC evaluations for reappointment are decided by the Steering Committee chair if no policy is provided. The Steering Committee is consisted of the president of Korea Multimedia Society (KMMS) and several Vice-Presidents of Korea Multimedia Society (KMMS). To evaluate the performance of the EiC, the Steering Committee chair can invite one or two experts who are so famous in academic society.
B. Volunteer/Staff Teamwork
Listing the specific, accountable responsibilities of the EIC and the professional staff doesn’t fully capture the cooperative relationship that they must develop. For example, although the staff isn’t responsible for technical content, the EIC’s decisions in that area may well affect the publication’s production requirements, advertising potential, and its marketability.
In cases of an unresolved dispute with an author, staff editors should consult with their manager and, if necessary, the EIC. Obviously, the EIC and manager should be kept informed if a dispute has occurred or seems imminent.
C. Line of Authority
The production of a publication is a cooperative venture among several important stakeholders. The EIC, Publisher, and the staff managers have the most prominent responsibilities.
The EIC has primary responsibility for the technical content of a particular publication. This responsibility may be delegated (to a guest editor, for example), but it ultimately resides with the EIC. The Publisher, whose purview cuts across all JMIS publications, is primarily responsible for each publication’s clarity of syntax and conformance to standards of style and grammar, its graphic design and production, its online presence, staffing, and advertising.
2. Relationship of EIC and Editorial Board
A. Selection of Editorial Board Members (Regional/Associate Editors)
A.1 General Members of the Editorial Board
EICs use their editorial boards differently. In some cases, general board members work with a guest editor in developing special issues; in others, board members are assigned to specific topic areas and are responsible for ensuring a flow of high-quality submissions in their areas and administering the review/peer-review process for those submissions. General editorial board members (associate editors) are usually involved in the strategic planning of the publication via the regular annual meetings of the editorial board that the EIC calls. The EIC is responsible for ensuring that the editorial board roster is up-to-date.
Editorial board nominations for cosponsored titles are subject to approval by their Steering Committee and Advisory Boards. To nominate an editorial board member for a title wholly owned by the JMIS, an EIC must send an email message using the template. The subject of the message must contain the publication and nominee name and the body will include an explanation of why the candidate is being nominated and what areas of expertise he/she will bring to the board. The candidate’s short bio, list of 10 relevant publications, and URL to a homepage should also be included.
Editorial board members (associate editors) serve an initial two-year term, renewable for a second two-year term. It is highly advisable to review the performance of each editorial board member to ensure a reappointment for a second term is desirable and warranted. EICs may opt to relieve editorial board members prior to the completion of their term for non-performance or misconduct, such as their addition to the Prohibited Author List (PAL). There is no waiting period before an editorial board member can be reappointed to the board once a full, two-year term has been served.
A.2 Regional Editors
Each regional editor should engage with the readership to foster strong connections between the publication and related technical committees and other academic community programs, other professional societies, and the industrial, government. The need to recruit volunteers who have relevant professional experience and writing skills is obvious. The development of a two-year plan for each department should be encouraged as part of an ongoing publication self-assessment. Regional Editors are also editorial board members, and thus must pass the nomination process before beginning their term and serve an initial two-year term, renewable for a second two-year term.
A.3 Advisory Boards
An EIC can take advantage of the input from an advisory board to help guide the direction of a publication. Advisory board members can play a variety of roles, from helping to select special issue topics to helping advice a newly selected EIC. Advisory boards can also be established for short projects or goals; therefore, advisory boards could serve as a long-term component of the publication’s leadership, or they could serve a short-term more specific purpose, depending on the EIC’s or publication’s need.
When advisory boards are appointed for short-term purposes, that purpose (project or goal) should be defined before the board is appointed so that the term duration is clear to the volunteers involved. All advisory boards will automatically expire at the end of the EIC’s term who established that board. The incoming EIC can retain the board, dissolve it, or modify its purpose or composition.
At the EIC’s discretion, a chair of the advisory board can be appointed, and that chair’s function would be defined by the EIC. Incoming EICs should evaluate the role of established advisory boards and ensure function, goals, and contributions meet the EIC’s vision for the periodical. It is to the standing EIC’s discretion to dissolve advisory boards at any time.
B. Editorial Board Meetings
There are usually three or four editorial board meeting each year, often in conjunction with a major conference. This is to both reduce costs and ensure that as many invitees as possible can attend. The general members of the editorial board, staff, and other parties as appropriate, are invited. (However, it is important to note that all staff travel must first be approved.)
The agenda usually consists of reports on submission rates and publication information, evaluation of current and new goals and initiatives, strategic planning, production issues, and so on. The EIC should draft and circulate an agenda before the meeting is held, and identify a board member to take minutes for timely distribution to those who attended as well as to those who could not attend. This can be handled by the secretary if such a position exists. EICs may choose to use some of their budget to help defray the cost of travel for each editorial board member or those facing specific circumstances, such as the cost of international travel.
C. JMIS Administrative Meetings
Two times a year, the governing boards of various program areas gather for administrative meetings weeks. EICs are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting in May and November; their operations committees will also meet at this time. Both meetings in June are held on the Wednesday of the meetings week. Annual schedules and meeting locations are determined by discussion of governing board members. Each operations committee will meet at least one additional time during the year with its own date and location, keeping in mind travel costs and budgets.
D. Awards and Recognition
Volunteers are eligible for the JMIS awards, which range from Certificates of Appreciation to Outstanding Contribution and Meritorious Service Awards, in addition to recognition offered by the EIC on behalf of the periodical. Each EIC is encouraged to appoint an awards chair to create a program for awards and certificates. A Certificate of Appreciation would be appropriate for editorial board members who have completed their term.
EICs may also choose to select a small gift or token of appreciation for editorial board members if the budget is available. This is often done on an annual basis, toward the end of the year or at the annual editorial board meeting. Some examples include a shirt, a small desk clock, or a pen with the publication name on it. It is recommended to contact the staff member of the JMIS publication to discuss the gift idea and cost.
Adopted on June 1, 2014