The Editorial Board Welcomes New Members

Individuals appointed to the Editorial Board of a scientific journal have an important but at times poorly understood job. According to a survey performed by Dr. Robert Quencer, former Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR), a few years ago, Editorial Board members responded that¹:

• Editors-in-Chief spend 50% of their professional time working for their journal; only 45% receive some salary for this activity.

• Over 90% of journals have “Senior” Editors but only 20% are paid.

• 80% of Editorial Board members are selected by the Editor-in-Chief, 20% because they occupy prominent positions in their societies; none are paid.

• 50% of journals have nonsociety members on their Editorial Boards.

• 70% of Editorial Board positions are time-limited.

How are members of Editorial Boards chosen? Senior or Associate Editors are generally selected by the Editor-in-Chief and are individuals with aspirations/potential to become chief editors. Performance as a manuscript reviewer, recognition in one's field, and academic productivity are all taken into consideration when selecting members for an Editorial Board. I consider the Editorial Board of AJNR to be a working one and not an honorific one. Thus, all members are asked to review more manuscripts than our other reviewers and write editorials, opinions, and commentaries. AJNR Editorial Board appointments are limited to 2 years, and reappointments are given to those individuals whose work is considered to be exceptional. The AJNR is proud to have as members of its Editorial Board a mixture of younger and established investigators. Researchers as well as clinicians help us maintain balanced content. Not all members of the Editorial Board are American Society of Neuroradiology members.

How “American” is our editorial board? Out of 60 members, 10 reside outside of the United States. International members are critical to our mission as the pre-eminent journal in neuroimaging. They provide geographically diverse perspectives, and because they are generally “well-connected” individuals, they contribute to our impact factor by increasing our international visibility. They represent AJNR in distant meetings, provide cultural diversity, and enhance global communications. International advisory boards and peer reviewers are thought to increase international submissions.² In the future, I hope to increase the number of international members on our Editorial Board.

The benefits of being a member of an Editorial Board are many. Prestige, a sense of accomplishment, recognition by promotions committees, contributions to science, and being able to read articles before they are published are a few of them. The members of the Editorial Board also guide our authors in improving their manuscripts. Members of the Editorial Board of AJNR meet at least once a year, while Senior Editors and the Editor-in-Chief have monthly telephone conferences. This promotes solidarity and a feeling of “family” among us all.

This issue debuts a new Editorial Board. New members have been chosen from reviewers with the highest number and quality of manuscript reviews during the last 2 years. I look forward to working with them and welcome any suggestions. I also take this opportunity to thank those individuals who have finished their terms and sincerely hope that they will continue contributing to the AJNR.

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