Economic Geology Editor | SEG (Society of Economic Geologists)

Economic Geology Editor
Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Position Summary

The Society of Economic Geologists is seeking a new Editor for our premier publication, Economic Geology. The role will begin in January 2024, and our current editor will support the new editor throughout that year as a period of transition.

The Editor of Economic Geology is responsible for overseeing the scientific content and editorial and review process for the journal in the fields of economic geology and mineral deposits. Typically, the journal receives around 300 to 400 submissions each year and publishes around 80 publications for a total of about 1,600 published pages. Working with 30 Associate Editors (who form the Editorial Board of Economic Geology), the Editor is responsible for ensuring that manuscripts submitted to the journal are peer-reviewed in a timely fashion, tracking trends in scientific publishing, and ensuring that Economic Geology attracts and publishes the highest-quality manuscripts and that scientific and editorial standards are maintained to the highest level.

The Editor is responsible for recruiting members to the Editorial Board and working with Editorial Board members in a collaborative manner. The Editor reports to the Publication Board for the Society of Economic Geologists and will be responsible for liaising with Society of Economic Geologists staff members working out of Littleton, Colorado, who carry out the copyediting, typesetting, and layout processes. The role is envisaged to be remote.

Position Duties

The role of the Editor of the journal Economic Geology is to oversee all technical aspects related to the processing of submitted manuscripts, in order to maintain the high scientific quality of published papers in Economic Geology. The following are the duties of the Editor.

Understand and manage the Editorial Manager software platform that handles the online manuscript submission, review, and revision process. Work with the appropriate Aries System representative, currently Jeff Christie, to keep forms and procedures updated and appropriate for the types of manuscripts submitted to Economic Geology.
Select and manage the Economic Geology Editorial Board. The Editorial Board consists of 30 Associate Editors who represent different areas of scientific expertise. They are diverse in terms of age, gender, geography, affiliation, and expertise. They also possess histories of scientific interaction with a broad network of potential reviewers capable of appropriately evaluating the wide variety of manuscripts that are submitted to Economic Geology. Editorial Board members serve five-year terms such that six new or returning members need to be selected each year, in addition to any Board members who may need to be replaced mid-term.
Be responsible for all aspects of the editorial process. This includes initial assessment of submitted manuscripts (presently ~300 per year) as to suitability for ultimate publication (~80 per year). Currently about half of submitted manuscripts are rejected upon initial submission due to some combination of inappropriate subject matter, lack of sufficient importance of the deposit or mineralization process, duplication of previously published work, poor writing, or not following the Instructions to Authors such that reviewers would be unable to evaluate the science. For potentially publishable manuscripts, the next step is assignment to an appropriate Associate Editor who will handle the review process. Considerations include subject matter expertise, possible conflicts of interest, and identification of potential pitfalls in the submitted manuscript that will need special attention. Upon receiving the publication recommendation of the handling Associate Editor, the Editor weighs that recommendation in the context of the reviews, to decide what revision is necessary to get the manuscript up to a publishable standard. The editorial process continues until a final decision—acceptance or rejection—is reached.
Work with SEG staff, including Executive Director Jennifer Craig and Managing Editor Myra Holmes, to coordinate the transition of accepted manuscripts through to published papers. This includes selecting appropriate cover graphics, papers to include, and order of papers in each issue, as well as working with graphic designer Laura Doll to approve each final issue before it goes to press.
Participate as an ex officio member of the SEG Publications Board. At the semi-annual meetings of the Publications Board, report on the Economic Geology editorial process, including tabulation of manuscripts submitted, in revision, accepted, and rejected. This should include analysis of publication trends involving other related journals and subjects such as Open Access, journal ratings, artificial intelligence, and publication charges.
Evaluate proposals for special issues of the journal. This includes determining whether the proposed theme and included papers would have widespread interest to the readership, as well as whether the guest editors have appropriate editorial experience and whether the proposed timeline is realistic.
Attend scientific meetings, as appropriate, to keep abreast of emerging scientific trends and to identify authors who should be invited to contribute papers on important new work.
Handle all correspondence that comes to the Editor by virtue of being the editor. This includes suggestions, discussions, complaints, and concerns about conflicts of interest, harassment, or scientific impropriety.
Deal with all issues that may arise that are relevant to the continued publication of Economic Geology, some unpredictable, with the aim of ensuring that the journal continues as the leading scientific publication in the field of mineral resources.

Position Requirements

Ph.D. in geology; specialization in the field of economic geology desirable
English fluency
Previous editing experience

Position Details

Salary range 70,000 - 80,000 USD
Approximately 20 hrs/week
Remote position

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