Updated- Introduction to Topic Editors 11/24

In this lesson, you’ll learn about the role of a Topic Editor and how you, a Specialist, can support them

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Explain a Topic Editor's role in managing an RT.

List the seniority requirements for a Topic Editor.

Clarify a Topic Editor's duty in leading an RT.

Describe a Topic Editor's responsibility in defining an RT.

Learning objectives

Selecting Topic Editors

Assessing the seniority of a Topic Editor will be an important part of your role as a Journal Specialist. The requirements for a Topic Editor's seniority vary by field and by journal so you should work closely with your Journal Manager to understand what it looks like in your field.

Importance of Topic Editor Seniority

Seniority Requirements

Important criteria to keep in mind:

All Topic Editors should have a Ph.D. degree and several years’ experience as a researcher and in an editorial capacity in the field of the RT. Ideally, each TE is at least 3 years post-doctoral. There can be some exceptions to this, but they will need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please discuss your specific journal requirements with your JM or a Senior Specialist.

There must always be at least two Topic Editors working on each RT, but can be up to 3-4 Topic Editors and a Topic coordinator*At least one person on the editorial team should be a senior researcher.*If 1 proposed Topic Editor does not fully meet the requirements, they can work as a Topic Coordinator- a key administrative role but will not handle MSs.

Defining a Research Topic

The PubDev Department supports the Topic Editor to produce a presentable, readable and standardized proposal that’s easy for the Specialty Chief Editor to evaluate. The Chief Editor reviews it using their criteria to evaluate if the proposal can be accepted or not, or if it needs revisions.

The first responsibility of the Topic Editor is to define their scope and produce a proposal to be evaluated and approved by the Specialty Chief Editor. When communicating with researchers regarding the project it’s imperative to make clear that they must submit a RT proposal which will be evaluated and approved by the Specialty Chief Editor.

What does it mean to define a RT?

A list of potential authors who the Topic Editor thinks may be interested in submitting a manuscript for the RT

A defined scope for the RT including a short title, and a short description of the RT

Co-editor(s)

There are 3 requirements for Topic Editors when proposing a RT.

Proposing a Research Topic

Managing a Research Topic

The Frontiers RT Management Platform is designed to help TEs with this part of the process.

If required, evaluates suggestions for additional contributors that the PubDev Department identifies.

Sends a call for participation to potential contributors who might be interested in submitting an article for the RT.

If the proposal is accepted by the Specialty Chief Editor, then it will be published online. From here, the Topic Editor:

Managing a Research Topic

Leading a Research Topic

Have the opportunity to write an Editorial for the RT.

Ensure that the articles are high quality and fall within the agreed scope, eventually taking the editorial decision to accept the submitted article or recommend rejection.

Lead and oversees the peer review process.

For a Topic Editor, the majority of the work revolves around the abstracts and manuscripts submitted to the Research Topic. Generally, they will:

Leading a Research Topic

Your Role

As the main goal of the Publishing Development Department is to successfully launch a specific number of RTs per year. A big part of your role as a Journal Specialist is to ensure that a sufficient number of proposals are submitted to the Specialty Chief Editor for evaluation. For this to happen successfully, it's important to meet 3 responsibilities.

How Journal Specialists support Topic Editors

Ensure that the Topic Editor has a clear timeframe to work with and knows exactly what is expected of them.

Time

Critique the proposal to ensure that the content submitted to the Chief Editor meets the scope of the section and is sufficiently presentable, readable and standardized for evaluation purposes.

Scope

Check that the proposal adheres to the RT Quality Guidelines before sending it to the Chief Editor.

Quality

Imagine that you a topic editor needing to propose a research topic. Use the comment section to explain

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