Editor Essentials

Editor Essentials has been designed both to give new editors a thorough grounding in the role and responsibilities of managing a journal, as well as providing an opportunity to more experienced editors to refresh their memory on particular issues.

Developed and delivered by publishing professionals and with input from leading editors, Editor Essentials covers a comprehensive range of topics spanning the breadth of editorial work – from receiving a submission to making a final decision, dealing with ethics cases, and managing and developing a journal and editorial team.  

Each module is self-contained and most contain interactive Q&A sections describing real-life scenarios. There is also a range of resources and “further reading” on each module to facilitate more in-depth follow up.

What you will learn

  • Acquire all necessary skills to conduct editorial work
  • Find information on specific topics, such as how to handle an ethics case or commission a special issue
  • Access easy-to-digest and engaging content including real-life scenarios to test your knowledge

Modules in Editor Essentials

15 m
Editor Essentials

Getting started

This module walks a new Editor through the initial steps and considerations of taking on a journal as the Editor-in-Chief.
20 m
Editor Essentials

Getting started: Essentials for new editorial team members

This module gives new editorial board members an overview of the role, responsibilities and benefits. It’s a great place for new board members to start the Editor Essentials journey.
20 m
Editor Essentials

Initial submission assessment

When a research manuscript first lands in your inbox, it needs to go through a number of checks verifying completeness of the submission, and ensuring that the conducted research and manuscript pre
15 m
Editor Essentials

Desk decisions

Once a manuscript has passed an initial submission check, editors must assess its content to determine whether it is suitable for peer review.
40 m
Editor Essentials

Publishing ethics

This module gives editors an overview of the central concepts of publication ethics and point out some things to look out for when editing a journal.
15 m
Editor Essentials

Building and managing an editorial team

Editors lead a team of experts in the successful publication of a journal, and this course will give you more information about what is involved and how to effectively work together as a team for t
8 m
Editor Essentials

Article types

In this module, new editors will learn about the range of article types published in journals, how they differ and have a bearing on journal performance.
45 m
Editor Essentials

Peer review and revision process

This interactive module gives editors an overview of the core elements of constructive and fair peer-review.
14 m
Editor Essentials

Promoting your journal

This module gives editors an overview of journal promotion. It runs through the Elsevier marketing program and gives advice to editors wanting to boost the profile of their journal.
15 m
Editor Essentials

Commissioning content & special issues

Both new and established journals can benefit from directly commissioned content or special issues.
30 m
Editor Essentials

Guest editors

Guest editors play a vital role in curating high-quality contributions on a particular topic and driving the editorial review process for special issue publications.
10 m
Editor Essentials

Staying in touch

A crucial part of an editor’s job is regular communication with the journal's stakeholders.
20 m
Editor Essentials

Inclusion & diversity

This module provides editors with an introduction to inclusion and diversity and its vital importance for science and society.