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The editorial office in transition

The editorial office in transition. Council of Science Editors 5 May 2003 Cara S. Kaufman. Cara S. Kaufman, Partner Alma J. Wills, Partner Kaufman-Wills Group, LLC 24 Aintree Road Baltimore, MD 21286 410 821 8035 (ph) 410 821 1654 (fax) ckaufman@bellatlantic.net www.kaufmanwills.com.

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The editorial office in transition

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  1. The editorial office in transition Council of Science Editors 5 May 2003 Cara S. Kaufman

  2. Cara S. Kaufman, Partner Alma J. Wills, Partner Kaufman-Wills Group, LLC 24 Aintree Road Baltimore, MD 21286 410 821 8035 (ph) 410 821 1654 (fax) ckaufman@bellatlantic.net www.kaufmanwills.com Selected clients Am Acad Ped Am Assoc Immunol Am Coll Cardiol Am Coll Radiol Am Soc Clin Onc ASPET ASTRO Intl Anesth Res Soc NEJM Proj Hope/Hlth Affairs Alma: former President, Periodicals Division, Williams & Wilkins Cara: former Publisher, Am Heart Assoc Jrnls, The Lancet www.kaufmanwills.com

  3. Overview • Recruiting editor, editorial office staff • Office location • Establishing a transition timeline • Financial planning • Q&A

  4. Editor recruitment • Plan for transition with current Editor • Communicate time line clearly • Account for any sensitive issues • Establish search committee • Network; letters to reviewers, authors • Request editorial plan from candidates • Interview and hire • Review job expectations, incentive package • Review conflict of interest and financial disclosure • Communicate directly with other candidates • Outgoing Editor, Pub Cte Chair, Pres or Exec Dir to write editorial announcing new editor • Handout: sample editor agreement

  5. Editorial staff recruitment • Communicate openly with current staff • Share timeline • Set up “stay” incentive bonus • Begin search • Society HR, professional recruiter • Involve new Editor, outgoing staff in search and hiring • Determine staffing levels: number; qualifications • Interview and hire • Pre-qualify by phone, personal interview, second interview with finalists, references! • Handout: sample job descriptions for managing editor, editorial assistant; interview questions, candidate evaluation form

  6. Office location:Editor? Society? Publisher? • Editor • Pros • Eases communication with face-to-face meetings • Less dependency on email/ms mgmt system • Cons • Potential difficulty in finding qualified individuals • Space becoming more of a premium at universities and medical centers

  7. Office location:Editor? Society? Publisher? • Society • Pros • Permanent office location • Communication eased with Web-based manuscript mgmt system • Minimal if any editor transition costs • Cons • Potential of editor relying on other in-house staff (eg, secretaries)—inefficiencies • Lack of fit, possible isolation within society offices?

  8. Office location:Editor? Society? Publisher? • Commercial publisher (if one) • Pros • Permanent office location • Trained staff, with built-in back-ups • Communication eased with Web-based manuscript mgmt system • Minimal if any editor transition costs • Cons • Potential of editor relying on other in-house staff (eg, secretaries)—inefficiencies • Perceived lack of separation of editorial and business operations; possible loss of independence, procedural control

  9. Outgoing office Edl contract; lease extended Editorial re new editor/system Info to authors changed Forward new manuscripts Log in last manuscripts Send last manuscripts for review/stop accepting Compile final issue Make, log in decisions Forward ms backlog Final office cleanup Editor contract, office lease expires; “stay” bonuses paid Incoming office Edl contract signed Managing editor hired Space leased Addl office staff hired Ms mgmt system procured; data conversion as needed Meeting/s with outgoing staff; training on system Begin receiving new manuscripts and sending for peer-review Receive ms backlog Writes intro editorial Compiles first issue Establish transition timeline

  10. Transition triumphs! • Attend to staff sensitivity and training • Thank staff; ensure staff enjoy sufficient incentives to stay until and be available beyond transition • Early meetings, frequent communication between outgoing/incoming editors and staff • Pre-determine no. of backlogged mss • Intervene to reduce to acceptable levels • Reject more manuscripts • Publish more pages (budgetcostly) • Or if manuscript flow insufficient, plan to grow • New editor recruiting papers; soliciting reviews • New editor: call for manuscripts

  11. Financial planning • Budget transition costs for outgoing office • Lease extensions, pay-outs • Stay bonuses • Budget start-up costs for incoming office • Recruiting • Training, travel • Office lease • Furniture, equipment, and supplies • Web-based manuscript management system • Data conversion • Training

  12. Financial planning • Prepare annual* budget for new office • Handout: editorial office budget template • Don’t be caught off guard • Expect 50%-100% additional cost of current editorial office to run concurrent offices • 6-12 month transition/overlap of offices *Ongoing, not including start-up costs

  13. Q&A Dear CSE attendees: Thank you very much! My apologies for not being able to be with you today. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any follow-up questions that you might have. I hope that you enjoy the conference. Best wishes, Cara 410 821 8035 ckaufman@bellatlantic.net www.kaufmanwills.com

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