EASE Summer Symposium Platinum sponsors, JAMS, offer this article to the EASE community
Editorial infrastructure shapes each stage of the publishing process. Journal quality is often judged at face value, but what happens behind the scenes matters more. From submission to publication, robust editorial systems are essential for success.
This article explores editorial infrastructures in-depth and explains why the JAMS–EASE Summer Symposium is a beneficial and strategic partnership.
What editorial infrastructure actually means
Editorial infrastructure is the entire ecosystem that supports a journal’s operations. It consists of the policies and governance that ensure a smooth editorial workflow. This includes transparent peer-review systems that manage submission and decisions.
Technical platforms can handle production and publication all in one place. They also store important metadata that can be used to organise and discover journals. Expert management from editorial teams is essential to keeping everything on track.
Training and professional development keep everyone aligned with editorial best practices. It also helps the company stay updated with the latest technological advancements. This is crucial to maintaining authority in academic publishing.
Why a strong editorial infrastructure improves journal quality
High-quality journals are built through strategic decision-making. Robust infrastructure and technology directly influence workflows and help streamline processes that support those decisions. They can also lower error rates for editorial teams.
It ensures that the peer review process is fair, consistent and efficient, creating a better experience for authors and reviewers. This often results in faster and more predictable turnaround times, with improved discoverability through strong indexing compliance.
More authors will likely want to publish with a journal if their experience with the publication process is smooth, well-designed, and clear. A strong infrastructure can build a company’s reputation and lead to positive feedback and experience. This can be particularly beneficial when establishing a journal for the first time.
The growing complexity of scholarly publishing
The demands of academic publishing are rapidly increasing. Editors now face rising submission volumes and new expectations around open science. More complex ethical challenges continue to arise, including the topic of AI use in research and maintaining data integrity.
The scholarly publishing landscape consists of a global author base with diverse needs. It is constantly evolving with the introduction of new technological standards and tools. Editorial teams must meet these requirements whilst ensuring academic integrity.
This can be difficult to achieve, but a strong editorial infrastructure makes it easier. By having effective systems in place that integrate tools to address these challenges, teams will have a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities and the support they need.
Integrating editorial frameworks into your workflow
JAMS (Journal Article Management System) can be seamlessly integrated into your editorial operations. It is an intuitive platform that allows you to organise everything in one place, making it easier to monitor each stage of the submission process.
By integrating high-quality software with expert-level knowledge, your journal is likely to reach a wider audience. Building a strong editorial framework requires thoughtful oversight and a willingness to test out new ways of working.
By attending different events, you can get involved with community discussions and share your experiences with other scholars. This can be a great opportunity to learn about editorial systems first-hand, before beginning to shape your own.
How the JAMS-EASE partnership strengthens editorial practice
The partnership between JAMS and EASE for the Summer Symposium addresses these challenges. It brings together shared values around editorial excellence, providing access to global expertise and best‑practice frameworks.
The event offers exclusive training on managing editorial workflows and tackles AI and ethics in research. It is organised by a community of editors who are committed to raising editorial standards in academic publishing.
Practical tools and insights will be available, addressing key questions from industry professionals. This partnership is a step toward building the systems and infrastructure to ensure journals remain credible and respected over time.
