Plenary Four

The Editorial Office

Linus Svensson, Oikos Editorial Office, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Submitting a manuscript for publication in an international scientific journal triggers numerous, partly independent, processes. These include voluntary (i.e. unpaid) expert evaluation of the manuscript, organization of the review process by managing editors and editors-in chief, and the handling of rebuttals and complaints. When a manuscript is eventually accepted for publication, an additional set of processes is launched: copy-editing, typesetting, proof correction and printing, all of which entail correspondence between the author and relevant personnel, possibly including invited guest editors and a publicity manager for press releases.  The Editorial Office acts as a focal point for all these actions: coordinating and controlling, checking and communicating, resulting in papers of high scientific and editorial quality.  Depending on the position of the Editorial Office versus its owner(s) and Board, the Office may manage business arrangements with copy editors, typesetters, printers, publishers and other suppliers. Further, personnel need to be hired, office space rented and Board meetings arranged.  This presentation will describe running an Editorial Office as multi-tasking in a very dynamic landscape.