Editorial Office News (EON) is the monthly publication of ISMTE. The publication provides readers with informative articles related to working in an Editorial Office. Topics are wide-reaching but focus on defining editorial roles and best practices, new technologies, hot topics in scholarly publishing, wellness and work-life balance, Society news, messages from the Board of Directors, announcements, conference reports, and upcoming events. EON is published eleven times per year. Archived issues can be accessed by clicking here.

EON Submission Guidelines

All article submissions should be made via EON’s submission platform by visiting https://eon.rivervalley.io/ and clicking “Submit”. Queries for the Editor-in-Chief, Section Editors, or article proposals should be sent to info@ismte.org. Please review fully the guidelines below prior to submission:

• Article Types
• Submission Guidelines
• Production Process
• Peer Review
• Publication and Publicity
• Figure Licensing Guidelines
• Reviewer Guidelines

ARTICLE TYPES

I AM EDITOR

I AM EDITOR is a monthly column dedicated to exploring themes of burnout; of evolution in the workplace on how we manage our time and professional expectations; of mental health and transparency; and of connection. Its conversational, laid-back format aims to pierce through the veneer of being steely, ever-competent, infallible editors and reveal that underneath we have the same experiences, uncertainties, and struggles. 

I AM EDITOR is open to uninvited submissions.

New Member Spotlight

New Member Spotlight articles are short, autobiographical pieces highlighting a new member of ISMTE. Just joined? We’d love to hear from you! Know a new member? Point them in our direction!

New Member Spotlight articles are restricted to new members (within the last year).

Speaking From Experience

Speaking From Experience is an advice column created by ISMTE’s Early Career Committee. Members have the opportunity to ask experts in the field questions about day-to-day issues, career development, and the scholarly publishing industry. If there is a career-related question that has been on your mind, fill out the form to receive a response from an industry expert. If you would like to offer guidance to one of our early career members, please email info@ismte.org with a brief description of your areas of expertise!

Uninvited Speaking From Experience articles will be rerouted to the form.

Taming Technology

Taming Technology offers tips and tricks to navigate an increasingly digital- and AI-driven publishing workplace. This section also covers the submission systems that are crucial for editorial office functions and solutions.

Taming Technology is open to uninvited submissions.

The Grammar Grumbler

This column is dedicated to discussing grammar and conventions in the context of our day-to-day work as publishing professionals. It explores how the way we write is constantly changing and staying the same all at the same time, making for interesting trends, unexpected differences in style recommendations, and challenging puzzles that may have one right answer, multiple right answers, or no right answers. The current Grumbler is EON Section Editor Sarah Gress, but Guest Grumblers are always welcome!

The Grammar Grumbler is open to uninvited submissions.

Unspecified/Other

Have an idea for an article that falls outside of these article types? That works too! Unspecified type articles are always welcome for submission. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) publishing industry changes and updates; meeting and webinar recaps; editorial office innovations; DEI; publication or editorial financials; sustainability in publishing; author and reviewer guidelines; etc.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

PRODUCTION PROCESS

All articles will be copyedited in accordance with EON style and may be further edited for brevity. In rare cases, if more substantive editing has been done and the copyeditor is unsure whether changes may have affected meaning, the author will be asked to review the edited file. Due to the short production schedule, proofs will not be available for review unless specifically requested. If further development of a submitted article is needed, editors will communicate with the authors.

PEER REVIEW

All articles are reviewed by the EON Editors. At times when an article is deemed particularly controversial, or if the editors feel they have a conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest, external expert reviewers will be consulted. External peer review comments will be shared with the authors if revisions are deemed necessary or if a paper is considered outside the aim and scope of EON. Consult the Reviewer Guidelines for more information.

PUBLICATION AND PUBLICITY

EON articles are shared with the ISMTE community via e-blasts, social media, and are linked on the ISMTE website. All EON articles are hosted by RVT at https://eon.rivervalley.io/.

FIGURE LICENSING GUIDELINES

Figures and cover images used for EON that were not created by the author or generated using AI tools must be either in the public domain or licensed under CC-BY. Figures generated using AI tools must include a statement of disclosure including which tool was used.

Public Domain

Public domain images may be used without attribution, meaning the creator does not need to be credited. When investigating the copyright status of an image, collect details about the image, including its creator, date of creation, and any obvious copyright information available. Additionally, look for embedded metadata in the image file that may indicate its creation date and copyright status. 

Some creators may designate a file as being in the public domain through a CC0 license. If you do not see specific designation, err on the side of caution before deciding whether an image is in the public domain. Remember that though age of the creation and its creator are two ways to determine public domain status, this is not 100% accurate due to international copyright law differences.

You may also use public domain image sites, but always be sure to check an image's copyright designation yourself. Some options include the following:

• Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/public-domain-images/

• Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/

  • Note that some of these images are not public domain but are free to use, and thus some do require attribution by users

• Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/

If you are having trouble determining an image’s copyright status, please feel free to reach out to the Editor-in-Chief for assistance.

CC-BY License

A CC-BY license allows users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose including commercial under the condition that proper attribution is given.

As available, you must provide the name of the creator and attribution parties, a copyright notice (if supplied), a license notice (if supplied), a disclaimer notice (if supplied), and a link to the material. Note that “if supplied” information is not required if it has not been supplied by the creator.

For more information, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

As with public domain images, if you are having trouble determining license type or crafting the attribution, please reach out to the Editor-in-Chief.

REVIEWER GUIDELINES

EON Standard Peer Review Process

In most cases, articles to be published in EON are reviewed for acceptability and tone by the Editors-in-Chief and Section Editors. If the EON Editors feel they have a conflict of interest, a perceived conflict of interest, or require additional outside perspectives, they may send an article out for external peer review.

Peer reviewers are selected from the ISMTE Board of Directors, ISMTE members in good standing, and/or industry experts as deemed appropriate. EON Editors strive to include diverse perspectives, opinions, and backgrounds.

General Guidelines

Reviews should be concise, honest, and polite. Feedback may be critical but should always remain constructive in nature. Any review comments that the EON Editors deem inappropriate or irrelevant will be removed.

Reviewers must be timely in returning feedback or communicate a need for an extension as early as possible to avoid a disruption of the peer review process. Likewise, individuals who are unable to accept an invitation to review should decline as soon as possible. Recommendations of alternate reviewers are welcome should an individual be unable to review.

Use the following resources to learn more about what makes a good review and to refresh your skills as a reviewer:

• https://www.elsevier.com/reviewer

• https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-reviewers/training-materials

• https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/peer-review-the-nuts-and-bolts-2

Confidentiality

Reviewers should ensure that the manuscript they are reviewing (and all information contained therein) remains confidential.

When external peer review is utilized, EON employs a double-anonymized review process. Reviewers’ identities will not be disclosed to authors at any point in the review process, and the author(s)’ personal information will likewise not be disclosed to reviewers.

Conflicts of Interest and Recusal

If a reviewer believes that they have a conflict of interest or a potential conflict of interest, this must be disclosed prior to review. If the EON Editors believe the conflict of interest precludes the reviewer from continuing the review, another reviewer will be selected. If the reviewer feels for any reason that they are unable to provide a fair and objective review, they must recuse themselves. If you are unsure whether recusal is necessary, please query the Editor-in-Chief.

Artificial Intelligence/Large Language Model (AI/LLM) Use Policy

Use of AI by reviewers is prohibited in the following circumstances:

• Reviewers may not copy a manuscript, in whole or part, into an AI tool due to confidentiality concerns

• Reviewers may not use AI to write the review itself; assist in evaluation of the paper’s merits; assist in the decision-making process; or to synthesize their feedback due to the risk of introducing incomplete, incorrect, and/or biased information

Other uses of AI/LLMs by reviewers not listed here are permitted but must be disclosed in the review. Such uses include but are not limited to conducting searches of the literature or collecting general background information. Additionally, reviewers who use AI in permissible circumstances are reminded to check information generated by AI for accuracy. For questions regarding AI usage by reviewers, query the Editor-in-Chief.