Establishing and managing an academic journal requires a clear balance of administrative structure, rigorous peer review, and bibliographic compliance. While modern publishing platforms simplify technical distribution, editors must still manage the foundational elements that establish credibility: building a qualified editorial board, acquiring an ISSN, and positioning the publication for inclusion in indexing databases.
Building and Structuring an Editorial Board
A journal's editorial board defines its academic reputation and governance. Indexing bodies evaluate board composition early in their assessment process to determine whether a journal is legitimate and capable of sustaining expert review.
Defining Editorial Roles
An effective board is typically organized into clear tiers:
- Editor-in-Chief (EiC): Oversees the journal's strategic direction, upholds ethical standards, and makes final decisions on contested submissions.
- Associate or Section Editors: Handle specific subject areas, assign peer reviewers, evaluate reports, and recommend acceptance or rejection.
- Editorial Board Members: Provide strategic advice, occasionally review manuscripts, and act as ambassadors for the journal.
- Managing Editors: Oversee day-to-day administrative operations, formatting checks, and reviewer follow-ups.
Selection Criteria and Transparency
When recruiting members, prioritize researchers with proven publication records and active institutional affiliations. Aim for institutional and geographic diversity relevant to the journal's scope; an editorial board dominated by a single department or university often raises concerns during index evaluations.
Public transparency is essential. The journal's profile must clearly display every board member's full name, academic title, institutional affiliation, country, and relevant identifiers (such as an ORCID profile). Maintain this roster regularly by archiving inactive members and updating affiliations.
Securing an ISSN
An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit code that uniquely identifies a serial publication. It is required for cataloguing by academic libraries, subscription agents, and indexing services.
Application Requirements
Journals published online require an electronic ISSN (e-ISSN). If a print edition is also distributed, a separate print ISSN is required. In most jurisdictions, editors apply for an ISSN through their respective national ISSN centre or directly through the ISSN International Centre (CIEPS).
To secure an e-ISSN, national centers generally require evidence of an active publication. This typically includes:
- A live journal website with a dedicated domain or URL.
- A clear editorial scope, author guidelines, and list of editorial board members.
- At least one fully published issue containing several peer-reviewed articles.
- Transparent publication ethics statements and copyright policies.
Once assigned, place the ISSN prominently in the journal's header, footer, and article metadata templates. On SciMatic, ensure this number is updated in the journal's metadata configuration so it appears correctly across published volumes.
Managing the Editorial Workflow on SciMatic
A consistent publication record depends on an organized peer-review workflow. SciMatic provides the infrastructure needed to process manuscripts from initial intake to publication.
Submission Intake and Screening
When an author submits a manuscript through the platform, the managing editor or Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial desk screening. This stage confirms that the submission adheres to the journal's formatting requirements, falls within its stated scope, and includes necessary ethical declarations.
Editors can also run submissions through the SciMatic AI Review Process. This automated step serves as an auxiliary screening tool, helping identify structural weaknesses, formatting discrepancies, or potential issues early, prior to assigning external human reviewers.
Reviewer Assignment and Decisions
Submissions passing desk review are routed to section editors, who assign qualified independent reviewers. The platform tracks reviewer invitations, deadlines, and submitted evaluations. Once reviewer reports are complete, editors can request revisions (minor or major), reject the manuscript, or accept it for copyediting and final layout.
All editorial communications, decision letters, and status updates can be managed directly through the platform's administrative mailbox and Letterpad utilities, keeping a verifiable audit trail for every manuscript.
Laying the Groundwork for Indexing
Inclusion in recognized indexes—such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Scopus, Web of Science, and major field-specific repositories—is essential for author discoverability and citation impact. Indexing agencies do not accept journals immediately; they expect proof of sustained, high-quality operations.
Key Prerequisites for Indexing
Before applying to major indexes, verify that your journal consistently meets these standards across multiple issues:
- Predictable Publication Schedule: Publish issues according to your stated frequency (e.g., quarterly or bi-annually) without prolonged delays or missed volumes.
- Robust Peer Review: Clearly document the review model (e.g., single-blind, double-blind) and ensure every published research article has undergone rigorous evaluation.
- Open Access and Licensing Terms: State clearly whether articles are published under Creative Commons licenses and detail author copyright retention.
- Ethical Policies: Publish explicit guidelines regarding research misconduct, data availability, conflicts of interest, and handling retractions or corrections.
- Structured Metadata: Ensure each article includes complete metadata, including abstracts, keywords, publication dates, and author affiliations.
By establishing rigorous editorial board oversight, obtaining the proper serial identifiers, and maintaining a transparent review pipeline through SciMatic, journal editors establish the credibility required to serve researchers and achieve long-term indexation.
