JTO Clinical and Research Reports: Editor-in-Chief Applications Invited

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) invites applications for the position of Editor-in-Chief for JTO Clinical and Research Reports (JTO CRR). Dr. Alex A. Adjei will step down as Editor-in-Chief of JTO CRR in October, 2022. Through a global search, IASLC is seeking to appoint his successor for a 5-year term, anticipated to begin in November, 2022.

JTO CRR is the official open access journal of the IASLC. It aims to complement the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) by offering authors a gold open access publication option and publishing the following article types in particular:

• Phase I trials
• Well-performed single-arm phase II trials
• Subset analyses of published trials
• Impactful retrospective Studies
• Database analysis
• Large institutional series
• High-quality case reports
• Region-specific clinical trials
• Subspecialty thoracic oncology studies
• Selected high-quality meeting reports

Candidates should have a strong record of recognized scholarship, a broad base of knowledge in the field, demonstrated leadership and communication skills, and appropriate time to devote to the journal. Understanding of publishing ethics is essential. Previous editorial experience, the ability to clearly articulate a compelling vision for the journal, and an excellent international network amongst researchers are other key factors on which candidates will be evaluated.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The primary responsibilities of the Editor are to provide editorial leadership and strategic stewardship of the journal and to guide the journal’s editorial direction. The Editor is the key figurehead for the journal and a true ambassador in all scenarios. The Editor will represent JTO CRR, working with the wider editorial team, to raise its profile and encourage high-quality submissions that support JTO CRR’s mission. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Editor ensures the journal’s content fulfills the journal vision, provides value to its readership, and reflects the highest standards of scientific value and integrity; the Editor also ensures journal operations are conducted in accordance with industry standards and best ethical and publishing practices.

The initial tenure for this position is a 5-year term. Tenure extensions are decided upon mutual agreement.

In overseeing the journal’s content and operations, the Editor-in-Chief’s specific responsibilities are as follows:

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that the content of the Journal is accurate, credible, authoritative, relevant to the Journal’s scope and mission, readable, and comprehensible. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for upholding Journal policies regarding authorship, conflict of interest, ethical conduct of research, and academic misconduct. IASLC recognizes and respects the editorial freedom of the Editor-in-Chief, based on both authority and autonomy. 

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for selecting manuscripts that are of a high quality and are scientifically sound. Published manuscripts are expected to present valid and reproducible results in sufficient detail for readers to assess the validity of the inferences drawn. Published manuscripts are expected to be logically consistent, and to refer appropriately to previous work.

The Editor-in-Chief is expected to recruit and manage a high-profile, international editorial board consisting of sub-specialty experts covering the breadth of the journal’s scope. The Editor-in-Chief will utilize the expertise of the editorial board, other peer reviewers, and editorial staff in critiquing and selecting manuscripts for publication. The Editor-in-Chief may delegate manuscript selection to Associate Editors or other members of the Editorial team. However, the Editor-in-Chief remains the final arbiter for all material published in the Journal.

Journal Information:
Frequency: Article-based publishing model resulting in 12 issues per year.

Expected original manuscript submissions: Approximately 200 original research articles were received in 2021 with a 10% increase anticipated in 2022. With release of initial Impact Factor in 2023, there is an anticipated increase in submissions.

Editorial Structure: the Editor-in-Chief will be supported by a team of Associate Editors. An Editorial Consultant and Editorial Assistant employed by IASLC completes the editorial team. The Editor is responsible for the strategic development and editorial direction of the journal consistent with the stated vision, and the overall management of journal editorial operations. Routine responsibilities include soliciting new content, evaluating submitted manuscripts, managing the peer review process, and communicating with authors, reviewers, and the editorial team. The Associate Editors assist the Editor-in-Chief in executing these responsibilities at the direction of the Editor-in-Chief. In collaboration with the editorial team and the publisher, Elsevier, the Editor regularly reviews and updates editorial policies to ensure consistency with evolving best practices and industry norms. Author guidelines are updated as needed to ensure accuracy and assist authors. Expectations of the quality of the content are set by the Editor; these are communicated clearly and consistently to the editorial team and authors.

Peer review process: The manuscript submission and peer review processes are managed using the Editorial Manager online system. This system allows authors, reviewers, editors, and other editorial office members to perform tasks related to manuscript submissions and peer review independently, online, at any time of day, and from any location.  Many actions are either automated or completed with the assistance of the Editorial Consultant and Editorial Assistant.

Publication ethics: The journal adheres to the guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Meetings: The Editor-in-Chief is expected to meet with the Editorial Board at least once per year. Further ad-hoc meetings may be arranged as necessary.

Operational support: All business services and vendor relationships related to the production, sales, and marketing of the journal are managed by Elsevier.

If interested, please submit the following to Mary Todd, Managing Editor with the subject line "Application for Editor-in-Chief, JTO CRR.

1) Application questions:

• Vision for JTO Clinical and Research Reports [300-word limit]
• Reasons for your interest in this position [300-word limit]
• Brief description of research and/or interests and current fields of activity [100-word limit]
• Prior editorial experience, including work in the following roles: Editor, Associate Editor, and/or Editorial Board Member of a journal [100-word limit]
• Brief description of leadership positions held [100-word limit]
• Estimate of the amount of time per week that can be devoted to the position
• Other personal qualifications and/or comments that may be relevant for the selection committee [300-word limit]

2) Curriculum vitae

Applications will be reviewed from July 15, 2022 onwards; kindly submit prior to August 31, 2022. If interested, please submit the following to Mary Todd, Managing Editor with the subject line "Application for Editor-in-Chief, JTO CRR.