Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A guest editor named in a special issue's introduction who solicited and curated the submitted papers
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A typesetter doing copyediting on accepted manuscripts is performing production work, not editorial contribution in this sense
Editorial commentary
Editorial contribution is the intellectual work performed in the role of editor for a scholarly venue — soliciting submissions, selecting and instructing reviewers, synthesising review feedback into a decision, and shaping a journal or special issue’s scope and standards. It spans several distinct roles: editor-in-chief, associate or handling editor, guest editor, and editorial board member, each carrying a different scope of authority.
How it differs from related terms: Peer reviewer contribution is advisory — a reviewer recommends, but the editor decides; editorial contribution carries the actual decision-making authority, including responsibility for managing reviewer conflicts of interest and enforcing a venue’s ethical standards. Reviewer role typology‘s controlled vocabulary distinguishes types of review activity from this separate, higher-authority editorial function.
Disclosure conventions include masthead listings naming a journal’s editorial board, and, for guest-edited special issues, an editorial statement or introduction in which the guest editor is named alongside the scope and selection process they applied.
References
- COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors (2017)
- NISO Peer Review Terminology Recommended Practice, NISO RP-29-2024
Also known as
Editor contribution · Editorial work
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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"datePublished": "2026-05-21T01:58:15",
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