Our Editorial Board is the backbone of every journal we publish, guiding manuscripts through a rigorous and principled editorial journey. Board members are distinguished experts committed to safeguarding the quality, credibility, and integrity of the research we disseminate — from setting editorial direction to overseeing peer review and mentoring the next generation of researchers.
Diversity on an Editorial Board is essential to academic excellence and ethical publishing. A board that brings together varied expertise, experience, and background offers the multifaceted perspective needed to evaluate research submissions rigorously and fairly.
NexQ Research Consortium works to ensure that the Editorial Board of each journal draws members from a wide range of geographical regions, disciplines, and career stages, following COPE's guidance on diversifying editorial boards.
New candidates are typically nominated by the Editor-in-Chief or existing Editorial Board members. Regardless of who proposes a candidate, every nominee is assessed against the same board criteria, and membership is offered only to those who are both recommended and show a genuine, sustained commitment to fulfilling the role's responsibilities.
To join our Editorial Board, a candidate should meet the following criteria:
Our Editorial Board spans several roles, each with a distinct scope of responsibility. Jump to a specific role below:
The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) holds the most senior editorial position in the journal's hierarchy, responsible for the overall management of the publication process while safeguarding editorial standards and integrity. Working closely with Associate Editors, the wider Editorial Board, and the journal's publishing team, the EiC also sets the journal's long-term vision and direction to keep it relevant and influential within its field.
- Editorial direction: setting the journal's overall vision and strategy.
- Content selection: deciding what is ultimately published.
- Editorial standards: upholding rigorous standards across every issue.
- Final manuscript decisions: issuing the ultimate call following peer review and revision.
- Board recommendations: nominating new Editorial Board members.
- Team oversight: recruiting, coordinating, and managing the editorial team.
- Peer review management: working with the Editorial Office to oversee the review process.
- Special issue topics: proposing themes that broaden the journal's scope.
- Community promotion: representing the journal at conferences and on social media.
- Editorials: authoring at least one editorial per year.
- Research ethics: supporting the editorial team on ethics and misconduct matters.
- Progress meetings: attending journal-development meetings and acting on agreed improvements.
Honorary Editor is an advisory position reserved for highly distinguished, widely respected researchers in the field. Honorary Editors are not typically involved in day-to-day operations such as peer review, manuscript handling, journal promotion, or soliciting submissions. Instead, they provide high-level strategic guidance and may be consulted on complex, sensitive, or exceptional matters where their insight carries particular weight.
Associate Editors assist the Editor-in-Chief with manuscript decisions and the peer-review process.
- Content quality: evaluating manuscripts closely, giving constructive feedback, and confirming compliance with ethical standards and publication guidelines.
- Peer review management: selecting suitable reviewers, overseeing the review process, and making editorial decisions based on reviewer feedback and manuscript quality.
- Board support: participating in editorial meetings, advising on policy and strategy, and helping recruit new board members.
Regional (or geographic) Editors hold responsibilities tied to a specific region or geographic area.
- Content curation: selecting research articles, reviews, and contributions from their designated region that align with the journal's scope and quality standards.
- Promotion: engaging researchers, institutions, and scientific communities in their region to encourage submissions and readership.
- Content diversity: broadening the journal's global representation by sourcing manuscripts from their region.
- Board diversity: recruiting new, active board members who are experts in the journal's field.
- Thematic contribution: contributing or soliciting at least one thematic issue on an emerging topic relevant to the journal.
Section Editors manage a specific section or thematic area within the journal.
- Content selection: curating, selecting, and commissioning articles, papers, and reviews within their section.
- Thematic contribution: soliciting or contributing at least one thematic issue in their area of expertise.
- Promotion: seeking submissions from researchers and authors in their field.
- Emerging trends: keeping the section current with developments in the field.
- Board appointment: recruiting new board members related to their section.
- Manuscript contribution: contributing or soliciting at least one manuscript per year.
- Peer review: helping the Editorial Office select suitable reviewers, and personally reviewing at least 2–3 manuscripts a year within their expertise.
- Promotion: encouraging submissions and readership among researchers, institutions, and scientific communities.
Guest Editors curate thematic issues — typically 8–10 manuscripts — centred on emerging and dynamic areas of research.
- Thematic issue proposal: preparing the aim, scope, summary, and keywords for the issue.
- Inviting contributors: reaching out to relevant contributors across diverse regions.
- Thematic editorial: writing the editorial introducing the thematic issue.
- Manuscript contribution: optionally contributing a manuscript of their own.
- Promotion: promoting the theme at conferences, on social media, and elsewhere.
The Editorial Office arranges peer review for every submission within the thematic issue; final acceptance rests on reviewer feedback and the Editor-in-Chief's decision, ensuring each thematic issue meets the journal's usual standards of quality, relevance, and integrity.
This board gives early-career researchers a platform to build professional experience. Candidates should typically be within five years of completing their PhD and hold at least five publications in international journals.
- Manuscript contribution: soliciting or contributing articles to the journal.
- Reviewing: co-reviewing alongside senior colleagues.
- Promotion: actively promoting the journal and its initiatives.
Interested in joining the Editorial Board of a NexQ Research Consortium journal? Select the journal and role that interests you and submit a request through our online form. Your profile will be reviewed by the relevant Editor, and the Editorial Office will communicate the outcome to you.