2021_ESA_Journals_Guidelines

Guidelines for ESA Journals

1. European Sociological Association support for and responsibilities towards its Journals

i) The Association, working through the Executive Committee, charges itself with:
a) providing a legal framework for journal production,
b) negotiating contracts with publishers to produce and market its journals, and
c) allocating annual operating budgets, including staff salaries.
ii) The Association, working through the Executive Committee and its Publications Committee, will be responsible for:
a) the appointment and dismissal of Editors and members of Editorial Boards (and Advisory Boards, if established),
b) approval of the constitution of the Editorial Boards – including their size, practice, and rules of membership,
c) setting general policies in terms of language and ethics for contributors and members involved in the editorial process,
d) monitoring journal activities and expenditures,
e) making decisions on the part its journals fulfil in the ESA membership benefits package, and
f) final decisions on matters of typography and design.

2. Editorial Teams: requirements, appointments, and conduct

i) ESA journals have at least one and a maximum of three Editors.
ii) Simultaneous with the ESA Executive Committee’s appointment of the Editor(s), a separate position of Review Editor – responsible for soliciting and ensuring the overall quality of book reviews and review essays – will also be filled by Executive Committee appointment.
iii) Editors and other members of the Editorial Team will be members of the Association.
iv) The term of office of an Editorial Team is five years and should not coincide with that of the Editorial Board in order to ensure continuity in the handover to new Editors.
v) The term of office of an Editorial Team cannot be extended unless special circumstances demand this. In such a case, a limited extension (of no more than 2 years) can occur only with the express permission and at the sole discretion of the ESA Executive Committee                  vi) A term of office can be terminated by the ESA Executive Committee on grounds of misconduct, failure to fulfil obligations, unprofessional behaviour or by mutual agreement.
vii) The search for and selection of a new Editor shall be the responsibility of the Publications Committee of the ESA Executive Committee. Six months prior to the close of the fifth year of an Editor’s term of office, the Publications Committee shall issue a call for new Editor(s). Bids should include names of candidates for Editor(s) and the Editorial Team, editorial expertise, an editorial conception, and facilities offered by host institutions. The Publications Committee shall evaluate the bids, report its evaluation, and recommend selected candidates to the ESA Executive Committee which appoints Editors and Editorial Teams.
viii) An Editor may propose a midterm change to the Editorial Team membership by submitting a proposal to the ESA Publications Committee for acceptance. Proposals should include the candidate’s name, affiliation, and the reasoning behind the change of team membership.
ix) Editors and other members of the Editorial Teams will be responsible for ensuring that an ESA Journal adheres to the Association’s policies, guidelines, and practices, and for ensuring that authors do likewise.
x) ESA Journals function on the basis of editorial independence in accordance with best practices. Editors bear final authority in decisions about the academic content of a journal.
xi) Editors or their nominees will attend ESA’s annual conference in order to promote their journal and to participate in events which conference organizers or others hold for promotional purposes.
xii) Editors or their nominees will attend meetings of the ESA Publications Committee to ensure effective communication and liaison.
xiii) Editors may solicit submissions. However, all submissions will be subject to a double-blind peer review process.
xiv) A minimum of two double-blind peer reviews will be sought on all submissions of full manuscripts, with Editors having final authority on acceptance or rejection.
xv) In the case of submissions from members of the Editorial Board a minimum of two double-blind peer reviews must be external.
xvi) It is expected that Editors and members of an Editorial Team will not submit articles for consideration in their own journal during their term of office.
xvii) During its term of office, the Editorial Team shall have the opportunity to publish one special issue of its Journal, reviewed according to established procedures without exception. Editors shall have the authority to appoint special issue editors as deemed appropriate.
xviii) Members of the Editorial Team and Editorial Board as well as all reviewers are required to treat as confidential all submissions and discussions pertaining to Journal activity.

3. Editorial Boards: roles and conduct

i) Membership on Editorial Boards of ESA Journals is by appointment by the ESA Executive Committee, upon an Editor’s recommendation.
ii) Editorial Board membership will be for a four-year term, with the possibility of reappointment for no more than a second consecutive term, subject to agreement by the ESA Executive Committee.
iii) It is essential that members of ESA Journal Editorial Boards be members of the Association upon joining a Board. Exceptions will be made for non-European members of a Board, where membership is preferred but not required.
iv) ESA Journal Editorial Board members are urged to recommend potential candidates for future membership of a Board, encourage potential contributors to submit manuscripts, take part in reviewing, and suggest ways to enhance the Journal’s influence and circulation.
v) Members of the Editorial Boards are expected to have extensive publication experience in international, peer-reviewed, academic journals.
vi) In addition to the academic standing of Board members, taken into consideration will be sub-discipline expertise, regional representation, and institutional affiliation to mirror the broad spectrum of ESA’s membership.
vii) Editorial Board members are expected to conduct business in accordance with the Association’s ethical policies, guidelines, and practices.
viii) Members of Editorial Boards are expected to attend meetings as called by an Editor.
ix) Upon the request of an Editor, membership on a Board can be terminated by the ESA Executive Committee on grounds of misconduct, failure to fulfil obligations, unprofessional behaviour or by mutual agreement.
x) Members of Editorial Boards are expected to maintain communications and provide feedback in a timely fashion.
xi) Where Board members sense a possible conflict of interest, they should declare this to their Editor(s) and abstain.

4. COPE membership and data protection

i) ESA Journals are members of the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE), either through individual journal membership or through their publishers, and, accordingly, these Journals follow COPE Core Practices.
ii) ESA journals comply with EU regulations regarding intellectual property and data protection.