June 15, 2016 |
Scott Yearsley, Managing Editor
10 ways to develop your journal
Editors already play a crucial role in journal development; they
send signals to the readership through their selection of papers and
appointment of board members, for example. But the pace of change in the
world of journals is immense, and there are a number of other
strategies that an editor can employ. Here are just a few to consider:
Revise the Aims & Scope
The journal’s Aims & Scope form its mission statement, and might
be the first thing that potential authors look at when deciding what to
read or where to submit. They are often out of date, however – perhaps
even written by a previous editor. Think about new areas of interest
that you might want to attract. See here our advice for writing a compelling Aims & Scope statement.
board. It is important to ensure that the board represents the right
geographical areas—perhaps Mexico is an emerging area in your
discipline? You might also want to include a spread of researchers at
different points in their careers.
you could go one step further by identifying someone in your field to
act as a social media editor for the journal. Normally an active
researcher, this person would blog / tweet about journal articles,
generating interest amongst the larger research community. This can be a
great way to help people engage with your journal.
from a conference. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the case,
though: the editors and editorial board could designate one issue per
year (perhaps the first) which brings together invited articles they
consider to be of exceptional quality. As well as potentially attracting
citations, this issue would send a message about the calibre of
articles you hope to publish in the coming year.
article’s digital reach—on each article page. Make the best use of this
by encouraging authors to tweet (or otherwise share) their research.
Realistically, not every article is going to be summarized in 140
characters or fewer; you will know when an article has that X-factor,
and your managing editor and marketer are always on standby to help with
promotion.
scholarly publication. It is therefore vital to ensure that the article
is as attractive and relevant as possible. Encourage your authors to
include images and videos in their papers, either in the main body or as
supplemental files. In addition, carefully consider the abstract and
article title – are they accessible to a wide audience and likely to
attract readers and/or citations?
attract them now and keep them coming back as their careers develop. A
prize for early-career authors is a great way of showing appreciation
for their hard work, and could well be the beginning of a beautiful
friendship.
& Francis surveys authors after their article is accepted. Ask your
managing editor to see what authors think about your journal - they
might have some interesting ideas.
our journals are widely read. They identify articles that touch on hot
topics, and promote these through email campaigns and social media.
However, a journal editor’s expertise is also incredibly valuable; if
you see an article that could go far during the peer review process, why
not email your marketing contact so they can make sure it gets seen?
analysis of your journal’s performance, usually on an annual basis. The
data in these reports can provide numerous insights into how your
journal is doing, perhaps pointing to areas of success that can be built
on, or areas that need some work. Discuss any specific requirements for
these reports with your managing editor.
send signals to the readership through their selection of papers and
appointment of board members, for example. But the pace of change in the
world of journals is immense, and there are a number of other
strategies that an editor can employ. Here are just a few to consider:
Revise the Aims & Scope
The journal’s Aims & Scope form its mission statement, and might be the first thing that potential authors look at when deciding what to
read or where to submit. They are often out of date, however – perhaps
even written by a previous editor. Think about new areas of interest
that you might want to attract. See here our advice for writing a compelling Aims & Scope statement.
Refresh the editorial board
Another area that is frequently neglected is the journal’s editorialboard. It is important to ensure that the board represents the right
geographical areas—perhaps Mexico is an emerging area in your
discipline? You might also want to include a spread of researchers at
different points in their careers.
Consider appointing a social media editor
Taylor & Francis makes great use of social media channels, butyou could go one step further by identifying someone in your field to
act as a social media editor for the journal. Normally an active
researcher, this person would blog / tweet about journal articles,
generating interest amongst the larger research community. This can be a
great way to help people engage with your journal.
Make special issues ‘special’
Special issues are normally grouped around a theme, sometimes arisingfrom a conference. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the case,
though: the editors and editorial board could designate one issue per
year (perhaps the first) which brings together invited articles they
consider to be of exceptional quality. As well as potentially attracting
citations, this issue would send a message about the calibre of
articles you hope to publish in the coming year.
Exploit Altmetrics
Taylor & Francis now displays Altmetrics—a measure of anarticle’s digital reach—on each article page. Make the best use of this
by encouraging authors to tweet (or otherwise share) their research.
Realistically, not every article is going to be summarized in 140
characters or fewer; you will know when an article has that X-factor,
and your managing editor and marketer are always on standby to help with
promotion.
Make articles shine
For most readers, the article—not the journal—is the base unit ofscholarly publication. It is therefore vital to ensure that the article
is as attractive and relevant as possible. Encourage your authors to
include images and videos in their papers, either in the main body or as
supplemental files. In addition, carefully consider the abstract and
article title – are they accessible to a wide audience and likely to
attract readers and/or citations?
Attract early-career authors
Today’s postdocs are tomorrow’s keynote speakers. A journal needs toattract them now and keep them coming back as their careers develop. A
prize for early-career authors is a great way of showing appreciation
for their hard work, and could well be the beginning of a beautiful
friendship.
Listen to your authors
Authors can be good judges of your journal. For most journals, Taylor& Francis surveys authors after their article is accepted. Ask your
managing editor to see what authors think about your journal - they
might have some interesting ideas.
Keep in touch with your marketing executive
Our marketing teams at Taylor & Francis work hard to ensure thatour journals are widely read. They identify articles that touch on hot
topics, and promote these through email campaigns and social media.
However, a journal editor’s expertise is also incredibly valuable; if
you see an article that could go far during the peer review process, why
not email your marketing contact so they can make sure it gets seen?
Utilize publishing reports
Taylor & Francis will be happy to provide you with a detailedanalysis of your journal’s performance, usually on an annual basis. The
data in these reports can provide numerous insights into how your
journal is doing, perhaps pointing to areas of success that can be built
on, or areas that need some work. Discuss any specific requirements for
these reports with your managing editor.
10 ways to develop your journal | Editor Resources
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