EMWA Executive Committee (EC) Officer Job Description: JOURNAL EDITOR
For details regarding eligibility, election, duration of office, meetings, benefits and advantages: See Policy Document: Executive Committee (EC) Roles and Responsibilities on the EMWA website or contact Head Office for the latest version.
Production of Medical Writing (MEW)
Running the journal is hard work and time-consuming, but also rewarding. An editor should have broad interests, really enjoy writing and copyediting and most importantly should be intensely interested in other people and their work and ideas. Tact and diplomacy are good assets. In summary the Journal Editor is responsible for all elements involved in securing and deciding on journal content, ensuring quality of content, decisions relating to journal design and development, and its production and distribution. The Journal Editor co-ordinates an editorial team, works closely with the publisher and liaises with a number of people both in and outside the EMWA membership.
The tasks and responsibilities involved in producing MEW include the following:
Managing the editorial board
- Recruiting and building an editorial board of co-editors, associate, copy and section editors.
- Working with the editorial board to develop journal content and steer journal policy
- Delegating tasks to members of the editorial board and ensuring their quality and delivery
Developing content for each issue
- Selecting specific theme topics for each issue of the journal
- Commissioning articles relating to those themes
- Commissioning articles on topics of interest to medical writers outside the theme of the issue to also provide content that has a broad base of interest to the readership.
- Recruiting guest editors for some issues. Guest editors are responsible for soliciting 5-6 articles on the issue topic, reviewing the articles and writing an editorial.
Managing the production of each issue
- Following up to ensure delivery of content from authors of feature articles, the President’s Message and, when necessary, Section Editors.
- Assigning feature articles received to co-editors or associate editors for review and copy editing, reviewing the work of the co-editors and associate editors as needed, and intervening when necessary.
- For manuscripts not delegated to associate editors, reviewing and editing for quality, length and appropriateness of content and, when appropriate, sending manuscripts to outside experts in the field for comment. Communicating suggestions for changes/improvements to authors and liaising with authors.
- Making decisions on acceptance/rejection of manuscripts.
- Writing an editorial for each issue that is not guest edited; ensuring delivery of editorials for issues that are guest edited
- Obtaining copyright permissions from copyright holders for use of materials and images subject to copyright.
- Soliciting volunteers for write-ups of keynote sessions and other selected sessions/social events at EMWA conferences.
- Preparing a table of contents, list of upcoming issues, and text for “also in this issue” (inserted below the issue theme on the front page)
- Submitting all “front end” material (table of contents/upcoming issues, editorial, President’s Message) and filler material to the publisher with instructions for typesetting.
- Working with the editorial board to ensure that proofs are checked by contributors and supplied by the publisher
- Approving final proofs
- Preparing a mailing list for authors and others to receive free copies of the journal and sending the list to EMWA’s head office. Authors to receive free copies should not be members of EMWA. Others may receive free copies for promotional purposes or to editors of other journals in exchange for copies of their journal.
- Dealing with all enquiries regarding the journal and forwarding those relating to subscriptions and advertising to the publishers.
- Arranging editorial board meetings. These meetings are open to all EMWA members, to take place at EMWA’s spring conference and chairing the meetings. The purpose of the meetings is to communicate developments, exchange ideas and discuss suggestions for future issues as well as brain storm for improvement and further development of the journal content, design and promotion.
- Reporting developments to the EC
- At the EC biannual meetings and during the monthly EC teleconferences. If necessary, this can be done in writing.
- Delivering an annual report on the journal to the members at the AM.
- Developing and implementing ideas for promoting the journal.
- Continuously working together with the publisher to create and update journal format and design.
- Approving and controlling an annual budget for the journal, negotiating terms of agreement with suppliers and approving invoices.
Liaising with:
- the EC on major matters of policy and plans for developing the journal
- the President to secure a President’s Message for each issue
- section editors to secure their respective sections
- the EC and HO for items of EMWA news
- the Vice President and Conference Director for copy to announce spring and autumn conferences as well as with HO to obtain images to accompany the announcements.
- the President and prospective EC candidates to secure candidate statements and photos for the March issue.
- the website manager/HO and providing the text for the web site when each issue is uploaded and for an email to be sent to the membership by HO as a notification that the issue is available on the web site.