For Editors

Who is an “editor”?

Everyone with editorial influence—Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Editorial Board Members, Guest Editors, plus in-house staff (managing, assistant, production and copy-editors). All must:

  • follow COPE Core Practices and the journal’s own ethics rules
  • declare any competing interests
  • use the standard peer-review workflow and the appeal/complaint, misconduct, AI, correction-retraction policies

Editor-in-Chief

  • Appointed for reputation and experience; may also be recruited through application
  • Sets aim & scope, builds the board, chairs the annual meeting, acts as public face
  • Oversees every manuscript and complaint; final decision power
  • Guarantees fair, unbiased review and investigates ethical allegations

Associate Editors (or Section Editors)

  • Act as academic editors for their specialty
  • Do first-pass scope check; reject off-target papers immediately
  • Invite ≥ 2 external reviewers, collect reports, summarise points for the Editor-in-Chief
  • Where no Associate Editor exists, board members or guest editors step in

Editorial Board Members

  • 3-year, renewable terms; diversity (region, gender, career stage) sought
  • Keep in touch with the office, suggest special issues, recruit manuscripts, attend annual board meeting
  • Monitor the workflow for misconduct and help raise journal visibility/impact
  • Renewal depends on activity; under-performance → early removal

Guest Editors

  • Recruited for single special issues or topical collections; follow the same ethics and review rules

In-house staff

  • Managing editor: day-to-day running of the journal
  • Assistant editors: logistical support during peer review
  • Production/copy-editors: format and polish accepted papers
  • Contact hub for all questions, appeals, complaints: editorial_office@csrp-pub.com.

Growing the journal—everyone’s job

  • Solicit and encourage submissions from colleagues and conference contacts
  • Add the journal logo/link to email signatures, webpages, slides, or social media
  • Announce the journal at meetings, in newsletters, on WeChat/Weibo, etc.
  • Flag new or tricky cases so the office can refine procedures
  • Attend virtual or in-person board meetings to keep ideas flowing