Evolution & Human Behavior Invites Associate Editor Applications
The journal Evolution and Human Behavior is expanding its team of Associate Editors. Below I have pasted the announcement on this topic that appeared in the September issue of the journal:
To the readers of Evolution and Human Behavior,
Over the last 10 years, the rate of submissions to Evolution and Human Behavior has more than doubled. While this increase is a welcome development for the Journal, the Society, and the field, it has posed a set of challenges that we at the Journal have worked hard to overcome.
One way that we have tried to deal with the larger volume of submission is to change the editorial structure of the Journal. We are transitioning to a slightly more structured editorial model with one Editor-in-Chief and five Associate Editors, all of whom will make decisions on a fraction of the manuscripts submitted to the Journal. Our hope is that this structure will streamline the review process, and that the expanded set of action editors will clear the submission queue at the sort of brisk pace that has been the tradition of the Journal. On this note, we recognize that some authors have experienced substantial delays during the review process, though we are pleased to report that time to decision is much improved and continues to decline. We remind all concerned that reviewers ultimately govern the pace of the flow of manuscripts through the system. Prompt responses to invitations to review and punctual reviews allow the manuscripts to be handled efficiently.
With the end of Ruth Mace’s term in 2013 after ten years of service, we are looking to add two Associate Editors to the Journal to bring the editorial board to full strength. We are asking your help in filling these positions. If you are interested in becoming an Associate Editor, please let us know by sending an email to Robert Kurzban (kurzban@psych.upenn.edu) with a copy to the publisher, Virginia Prada Lopez (v.pradalopez@elsevier.com), indicating your interest.
In making additions to the editorial board, we are looking for people who are ready to make a substantial time commitment to the Journal. Associate Editors can expect to handle manuscripts at a rate of more than one per week, possibly greater if the present trend continues. Editors are also expected to attend the Publications Committee meeting at the annual Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference. Compensation is currently in the form of payment of travel expenses to this conference and a modest per-article payment.
Our decision will of necessity be guided by many factors, including the key issue of trying to ensure that the editorial board covers the very broad range of research areas from which we receive submissions. We are very sensitive to issues of representation, and hope to work toward a board that represents our authors’ diversity in geographic location, research methods, academic disciplines, and so on.
As part of the changes at the Journal, we continue to try to meet the demands of a dynamic scientific landscape and respond to technological advances. Please consult the “Instructions to Authors” page each time you submit a new article, as we continue to adjust policies regarding manuscript length, data archiving, supplementary materials, and other important aspects of manuscript preparation and submission.
The Journal has enjoyed a period of success, due in no small part to the efforts of its previous editors, from Martin Daly and Margo Wilson to Daniel Fessler, Martie Haselton, and Steven Gaulin. We hope that you will join us in working to build on these successes and making the Journal as strong a scientific outlet as it can be.
Rob Kurzban
On behalf of the Editors of Evolution & Human Behavior