Editor-in-Chief Appointment Policy
(Adopted July 27, 2000, Amended February 4, 2002)
I. Appointing a New Editor-in-Chief
- For a new journal
- Generally, the proposal author/champion of the new journal is asked to
become the EiC. The Publications Board will ask the candidate for a c.v. Members
of the Board can make informal inquiries of colleagues regarding the candidate's
qualifications for the position. At some point during the proposal evaluation
cycle, the appropriate SIG(s) will be contacted, and feedback on the candidate
solicited. With this information, the Board will decide whether to appoint the
candidate. Staff will follow up on preparing paperwork.
- For an existing journal
- One year prior to the end of the incumbent EiC's term, HQ will notify the PB
Chair. The Board will then create a small (3-5 member) ad-hoc Search Committee,
with at least one member coming from the SIG community and at least one member
coming from the Board (not as chair), the latter to provide liaison with the
Board and provide quick answers to the committee regarding ACM policy and Pubs
Board strategic directions. (Alternatively, the Board may ask the relevant SIG
to convene the committee themselves, and include a representative from the
Board.) The current EiC should be consulted by the Search Committee to provide
input, but should not be a member of that committee. The Search Committee shall
issue a public call for nominations for the new EiC, to appear at least in CACM
and on the home page of the journal. The Search Committee will have four months
to forward a recommended candidate, along with supporting documentation (a CV
for the nominee, a vision statement from the nominee, and a brief statement from
the committee describing the process they used to select the nominee) to the
Board. With this information, the Board will decide whether to appoint the
candidate. This schedule allows approximately six months for overlap between the
outgoing and incoming EiCs. Staff will follow up on preparing paperwork.
II. Reappointing an Editor-in-Chief
- One year prior to the end of the incumbent's term, HQ will notify the PB
Chair, and the Board will decide whether to initiate Procedure IB. If not, HQ
will ask the incumbent whether s/he is interested in serving another term. If
so, HQ will notify the PB Chair, and, at the same time, request from the
incumbent a summary of the status of the journal, any significant
events/milestones achieved, and the incumbent's future plans for the journal.
The incumbent will be asked to provide this within a month. The Board will
review this document, as well as information provided by HQ on the performance
of the incumbent, and decide on reappointment. Staff will follow up on preparing
paperwork.
EiC terms are normally three years. The normal expectation is a two-term limit as EiC, consistent with general ACM volunteer appointment policy.
