Executive Board Terms of Reference

Executive Board Structure

The Executive Board shall consist of one Editor-in-Chief (EiC), and at least five Executive Editors (EE), with voting rights. The Executive Board further includes an Editorial Operations Lead (EOL), in attendance.

Executive Board Member Responsibilities

All Executive Board Members are expected to attend Executive Board meetings and those with voting rights are expected to cast votes on strategic decisions.

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) shall oversee the smooth running of the Journal, convene and chair Executive Board meetings, report to the Executive Board on submissions in progress, and liaise with the Advisory Board. The EiC will also convene an annual Editorial Board meeting (which may be virtual) to update all Associate Editors on MELBA developments.

The Executive Editors (EE) shall support the EiC.

The Editorial Operations Lead (EOL) manages a team that is responsible for the paper publication process after acceptance and technical support. The EOL further facilitates effective communication with authors throughout the publication process and the day-to-day operations of the journal's editorial activities. The EOL team also oversees technical tasks such as running the website and managing the review system.

Term lengths

The EiC sits on the Executive Board for an initial term of four years, with a one-time possible extension of up to two additional years. The EEs sit on the Executive Board for a term of four years, with one renewable term of up to two years. The EOL is appointed for two-year terms with possible future extensions. To preserve continuity, no more than half of the Executive Board members will rotate off in any given year.

Recruitment and application methods

After the initial launch period of the Journal (1 July 2020 - 31 October 2024), at least one EE shall rotate off the Executive Board every year (voluntarily or identified by EiC, normally joining the Advisory Board), and new EEs will be voted in by the remaining Executive Board members. This requires an Executive Board nomination and an Executive Board secondment, as well as an application letter and a curriculum vitae (CV) for each candidate. Candidates will normally be drawn from the Associate Editors (AE) who have served for a minimum of three years for the Journal. In candidate selection, maintaining a diversity of research areas, as well as geographic and demographic balance will be important considerations.

The EiC will normally serve a single term of four years, after which, subject to Executive Board approval, they can be appointed for a second term of up to two years. One year before their term comes to an end, the Executive Board shall start a search for a successor, with the help of the Advisory Board, with Candidates requiring an Executive Board nomination and an Executive Board secondment, as well as an application letter and CV. If the successful Candidate is a current EE or AE, this will trigger another election process to succeed them in their current role until the end of their remaining term.

The Executive Board discusses the selection of and votes on Associate Editors (AEs), as well as of the Advisory Board. All vote outcomes are determined by more than half the majority of a quorum of ⅔ of the Executive Board.

Meeting frequency

The Executive Board shall meet at least once per month, and at a maximum recurring frequency of once per week as required. The EiC will convene and chair the Executive Board meeting. The meeting shall be held virtually, with the aim of holding one annual physical meeting at a relevant conference.

Associate Editors

Associate Editor (AE) Candidates require an Executive Board nomination and an Executive Board secondment. They have a standard term of three years, with possible future extensions of the same duration, and are selected based on the needs of editorial and subject matter expertise. AEs are required to have expertise in the field and experience in reviewing papers, acting as Area Chairs or being members of the organizing teams of relevant international conferences in the field. The Executive Board will strive to select the AEs in order to have a diversity of research areas, as well as geographic and demographic balance. The Executive Board and the Associate Editors form the Editorial Board of MELBA.

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board Members (ABM) provide input on strategic decisions and take on emerging roles as necessary conditioned on Executive Board approval. The ABM is composed of senior members of the field and one or two Executive Editors (EE) rotating off the Executive Board. The composition of the ABM is annually reviewed by the Executive Board.