Nominations are open for successors to Dr Simon Day as Joint Editor of Series A and Professor Martin Ridout as Joint Editor of Series C of the Society's journal, who retire at the end of December 2012. Proposals should be sent to Martin Owen, Executive Editor, Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street, London, EC1Y 8LX, UK (e-mail: journal@rss.org.uk), by January 31st, 2012.

 

The editorships of the Society's journal are important and prestigious positions but they can also be demanding and time consuming. The people who undertake them perform an invaluable service for the Society. Each of the journal's three series  has two Joint Editors, serving 4-year terms. The Editors' main role is concerned with the technical assessment of material submitted to the series, in collaboration with their Editorial Panels of Associate Editors. In addition, Joint Editors collaborate closely with the London-based Executive Editor and Editorial Assistant in the Editorial Office.

 

Editors also take an active role with the on-going formulation and review of policy via the Society's Publications Theme Network of Advisors and with the publishers, Wiley–Blackwell, with whom meetings take place at least once a year at the Society's offices.

Editors are also involved in assessing the suitability of papers for presentation to the Society. The Joint Editors of Series B additionally are ex officio members of the Research Section Committee, part of whose remit is to organize discussion meetings on appropriate methodological papers and other events and activities for the benefit of the statistical research community. The Research Section Committee normally meets four or five times each session.
 

 

The primary task of a Joint Editor is to manage the review process of manuscripts submitted to the series via the ScholarOne Manuscripts (formerly known as Manuscript Central) Web-based submission and peer review system. This encompasses the initial screening of manuscripts for suitability or further consideration via selection of the appropriate Associate Editor from the Editorial Panel, who will then usually involve independent referees as well. The submission system records the progress of the review process and the history of each manuscript, enabling the Editor to manage the quality and timeliness of the review process. Overall administration of the system is carried out in the Editorial Office by the permanent Editorial Assistant, who can deal with any problems and assist in any way if required.
 

 

Each of the two Joint Editors receives half of the submissions to the series to handle individually, but it is essential that they have a close working relationship to provide mutual support in matters of policy and technical content. At the start of a new Editor's term, only new papers or those for which authors are awaiting the first decision are dealt with by that Editor. By the end of June of an Editor's first year, any other remaining open files of the previous Editor are transferred in a final hand-over. Towards the end of the first year, the new Editor sets up and chairs a search committee to find a replacement for the more senior Editor, who will retire at the end of the following year. The Joint Editors typically meet in person only at editorial panel meeting and the meetings with the publishers or with the Publications Network of Advisors. Most of the time, contact is by e-mail and perhaps telephone.
 

 

Each of the series has an editorial panel. The size differs for each series and may vary from year to year, among other things, reflecting the submission flow for the series. For Series A, an Editor should expect to receive around 100 unsolicited new manuscripts to handle each year. For Series B and C, each Editor will receive respectively about 200–230 and around 110–120 new manuscripts per year. The Editorial Panels meet, in principle, at least once a year. Each year, the Joint Editors invite cohorts of new members to the Editorial Panel to replace retiring members. Associate Editors serve 4-year terms. They are chosen to reflect the various areas of expertise that need to be covered, for being scientifically outstanding in their area(s) of expertise, and for their commitment to a rapid reviewing process. Associate Editors should therefore be well organised and have good communication skills.
 

 

As new submissions arrive through the ScholarOne on-line system for all the series continuously, the Editorial Assistant to the Executive Editor forwards the manuscripts to the appropriate Joint Editors within a day or so of receipt. The Editor is then responsible for them until the scientific review process has been concluded (ultimately resulting in either rejection or acceptance). Accepted papers are then handled by the Executive Editor, who oversees the production process of the journal in collaboration with the publishers, Wiley–Blackwell. The Executive Editor provides the Editors with regular editorial and production updates, but specific reports from the system can also be provided when required. The Executive Editor also maintains a detailed Editorial Office instruction manual but also issues basic notes on how the system operates to all new Editors and Associate Editors at the beginning of their terms.
 

 

Above all, a Joint Editor must be a reputable statistical scientist, with a broad view of the field that is covered by the series. He or she must have enthusiasm for the process of scholarly publication and have a desire to continue the tradition of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, while constantly seeking ways to improve it further, and must have sufficient time to devote to achieving these aims. The Joint Editor must combine the ability to work independently with being a team player, as he or she will function in close relationship with the other Joint Editor, the Editorial Office in London and the Editorial Panel. Excellent communication and diplomatic skills are indispensable since some aspects of the job may require tact. Examples include communicating the rejection of a manuscript to authors, and urging Associate Editors and referees to turn in their reports within an appropriate time limit, while recognising that they are all volunteers with other pressing commitments. Good organisational skills are essential to ensure the smooth running of the journal.
 

 

The Society is a registered charity with a Royal Charter and bye-laws and therefore cannot make ex gratia payments to its journal Editors. However, travel and subsistence costs to attend committee meetings and other out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed. Claims for secretarial support and postage costs incurred at Editors' institutions will also be paid to the institutions up to a current maximum of about £2500.
 

7. Aims and Scope

Series B (Statistical Methodology) has a long tradition of publishing work that is at the leading edge of methodological development, with a strong emphasis on relevance to statistical practice. Included are papers on study design, statistical models, methods of analysis and the theory that underlies them—almost invariably motivated or illustrated by real examples. Series B aims to disseminate work which is innovative, insightful and likely to have a substantial impact on the way that data are collected and analysed; within these parameters the journal's scope is broad, embracing for example relevant work in applied probability, computational methods and the foundations of statistics.

7.3. Series C

Series C (Applied Statistics) is a journal of international repute for statisticians both inside and outside the academic world. The journal is concerned with papers which deal with novel solutions to real life statistical problems by adapting or developing methodology, or by demonstrating the proper application of new or existing statistical methods to them. At their heart therefore the papers in the journal are motivated by examples and statistical data of all kinds. The subject-matter covers the whole range of interdisciplinary fields, e.g. agriculture, genetics, industry, medicine and the physical sciences, and papers on design issues (e.g. in relation to experiments, surveys or observational studies). A deep understanding of statistical methodology is not necessary to appreciate the content of the journal. Although papers describing developments in statistical computing driven by practical examples are within its scope, the journal is not concerned with simply numerical illustrations or simulation studies. The emphasis of Applied Statistics is on case-studies of statistical analyses in practice. This is often misunderstood by authors, and one of the tasks of the Joint Editors may need to be to communicate the essence of the journal's aim and scope.
 

 

Any queries in connection with the editorships should be directed to Martin Owen, Executive Editor, Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street, London, EC1Y 8LX, UK (e-mail: journal@rss.org.uk).