Best Practices for Attracting Aligned Submissions as a New Editor-in-Chief

Becoming the editor of a new academic journal is an exciting, though potentially daunting, undertaking, particularly without extensive daily contact with editorial colleagues. A primary challenge for a new journal is attracting a sufficient volume of high-quality manuscript submissions that are well-aligned with the journal's specific mission and scope. This guide draws on principles of publication ethics, journal management, and editorial board engagement, as outlined in the provided sources, to suggest actionable strategies for a new Editor-in-Chief (EiC).

Defining and Communicating Journal Identity

A critical initial step for a new journal is to clearly define its identity, encompassing its aims, scope, and the types of manuscripts it will consider. The journal's name should be unique and not easily confused with others, avoiding any potential to mislead authors or readers about its origin, scope, or affiliations. This information should be prominently displayed on a well-supported and maintained website that uses secure protocols (HTTPS).

Transparency is key. The website should clearly state the target readership and the specific types of manuscripts the journal accepts. For instance, it should specify whether multiple or redundant publication is permitted or not. Clearly articulating the journal's unique scientific positioning and aims is crucial for attracting submissions that fit its niche. If the aims and scope undergo significant changes as part of the journal's strategic development, these updates should be coordinated and potentially explained in a published Editorial.

Building and Empowering the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board, including the Editor-in-Chief, Section Editors-in-Chief, and Editorial Board Members (EBMs), is fundamental to establishing a successful journal and is essential for its operations and development. EiCs are the most senior members and act as champions for the journal and its discipline, supervising activities to ensure success and maintaining close communication with the board. For new journals, building a solid Editorial Board is a crucial step.

Editorial Boards should comprise recognised experts in the subject areas covered by the journal. Scholars are more likely to trust a journal when they see distinguished experts on its Editorial Board. The EiC plays a role in inviting distinguished scientists to join the board. Clear roles and responsibilities should be defined for all board members, including the number and quality of reviews expected, decision-making authority, and other tasks such as identifying reviewers or editing special issues. The term of appointment should also be specified.

EBMs have various responsibilities that can directly assist in attracting submissions aligned with the journal's scope:

Providing feedback: Offering input on journal policies.
Suggesting development strategies: Attending board meetings to propose ways to develop the journal.
Organising Special Issues: Setting up or supervising Special Issues on topics related to their research interests, which can attract focused submissions.
Attracting authors: Helping to attract suitable expert authors and inviting early-career scholars. They can also help invite feature papers, sometimes offering discounts for high-quality submissions from distinguished scholars and recognized experts.
Promoting the journal: Promoting the journal among peers or at conferences.

For journals aiming for indexing in major databases like SCIE/SSCI, EiCs and EBMs can help by inviting high-quality papers and recommending relevant scholars, focusing on hot or highly cited topics, as citation is important for such indexing.

EiCs and the editorial office should provide guidance and maintain regular communication with EBMs to ensure engagement and facilitate their contributions. The Editorial Board should be proportionate to the journal's submission volume, and interactions must always be professional, fair, and transparent.

Establishing Clear and Ethical Policies and Processes

Operating ethically and transparently is paramount for any journal and contributes significantly to building trust and attracting reputable submissions. A new journal should establish and visibly publish policies on various aspects of publication ethics on its website, ideally referencing guidance from organisations like COPE.

Key policies and processes that attract and guide authors include:

Authorship: A clear definition of authorship and contributorship, including responsibilities, how contributions should be declared, how non-authors should be acknowledged, and how authorship disputes are managed. Authors should be made aware of policies discouraging guest and ghost authorship.
Research Ethics: Guidelines regarding the ethical conduct of research, including policies on consent to publication, vulnerable populations, animal/human research, handling confidential data, and obtaining ethical approval. Journals should have a process for handling submissions related to studies that may not satisfy normal requirements for independent ethical approval, potentially drawing on COPE guidance.
Misconduct: Clearly described processes for handling allegations of misconduct, including procedures for receiving and responding to allegations, defining types of misconduct, outlining procedures for handling issues like plagiarism, data falsification/fabrication, and citation manipulation. Reviewers should also be asked to address ethical aspects during peer review, such as prior publication, plagiarism, research ethics, and data integrity.
Conflicts of Interest: Policies on conflicts of interest for authors, reviewers, and editors should be clearly stated. Individuals involved in commercial decisions should declare competing interests.
Data and Reproducibility: Policies on data availability, encouraging the use of reporting guidelines, and registration of studies according to standard practice in the discipline.
Peer Review: A transparent description of the peer review process used by the journal, including whether content is peer-reviewed, who conducts the review, and policies on conflicts of interest, appeals, and disputes. Decisions to accept or reject should be based on the paper’s importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's remit. The process should also ensure confidentiality while manuscripts are under review.

Implementing electronic submission systems designed to ensure authors provide all required information, such as authorship declarations or funding information, before peer review can increase efficiency and prevent delays. Journals should strive to ensure that peer review is undertaken in a timely fashion. The publishing schedule should be clearly described and generally adhered to. Managing Editors can regularly estimate publication numbers and take action to manage the workflow. Editorial decisions should not be linked to internal targets or metrics.

Journals must also have clearly described processes for handling complaints and appeals against editorial decisions or journal processes.

Promoting Trust and Visibility

For a new journal, establishing trust and visibility within the academic community is vital for attracting submissions. Adhering to high standards of publication ethics, such as those outlined in the COPE Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, signals credibility. Journals can review their current practices using tools like the COPE Journal Audit to identify areas needing attention.

Promoting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of publication can broaden the journal's appeal and author base. Editorial decisions should be based purely on scholarly merit, without being influenced by factors like author nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion.

Strategic marketing activities should be appropriate, well-targeted, and unobtrusive, providing truthful information about the publisher or journal. Editorial Board Members can be valuable in recommending experts and helping to attract high-quality papers that align with the journal's scope, particularly for journals aiming for indexing.

Conclusion

Attracting a higher number of aligned manuscript submissions for a new academic journal requires a multifaceted approach led by the Editor-in-Chief. By clearly defining and communicating the journal's scope, building and effectively leveraging an expert Editorial Board, establishing transparent and robust ethical policies and processes, ensuring efficient workflows, and strategically promoting the journal while upholding the highest standards of integrity, a new journal can build its reputation and attract the high-quality submissions necessary for its growth and success. Initial assessment of the journal using tools like the COPE Journal Audit can help identify areas requiring attention. Active engagement with the academic community and potential authors through the editorial board and clear communication will foster the necessary trust and awareness.