Editor-at-Large Checklist

A checklist for editors-at-large to remind them of what they should be watching out for at different stages of the editorial process.

A Google docs version of this article that you can print and use as a checklist can be found here.

Your role as EAL is to be a referee/aunt/godparent to an article - you should be keeping a birds eye view of your articles to make sure everything is chugging along correctly and be available to answer questions or mediate any conflicts between editors and authors. You should not be editing articles until they’re about done, although you can read and offer big-picture feedback at early stages directly to the editors if you wish. Don’t go into the draft to make line edits or suggestions before the editors ask you to, as this creates a “too many cooks” situation. If you think there are serious problems that editors or authors are not addressing, contact the managing editor and you can work together to get an article back on track.

Author Brief and Introductions

• Email your editors to introduce yourself, explain your role, and talk about the kind of editing approach you want to have

• Have editors sent their brief and updated the spreadsheet?

Drafts

• Review second draft and touch base with editors about concerns or direction if needed

• Periodically (once weekly) check the spreadsheet to make sure things are moving

You should use your judgement in offering edits at this stage. Some editors don’t need much help, some articles chug along easily; some do not. You should step in around the second draft to check the article, offer big picture feedback, and touch base with your editors about their editing approach. You can do that via email, Zoom, telephone or commenting directly on a google doc created for the EAL. Make sure editors do not send your feedback directly to authors. Other than that, keep an eye out on the spreadsheet and consider the following questions:

• Are editors receiving drafts in a timely fashion?

• Have editors been updating the spreadsheet with new draft deadlines on time?

• Are editors properly creating new drafts in the Google Drive folder and keeping track of edits?

• Do editors appear to be working well together and giving useful feedback? Are authors generally being responsive to feedback?

EAL review

• Review and edit near-final draft

This is where you come in and offer more detailed edits to the editors if necessary. Again, editors should not be sharing your feedback directly with authors.

As EAL, you give the final OK to all articles, so your edits should revolve around whether or not this article is fit and ready for publication. You can think about the following questions:

• Is the article what was advertised in the pitch? Has it improved?

• How does the article fit in with the rest of the issue?

• Do the politics and message of the article align with SftP principles? Are authors advancing radical points of view in ways that are thoughtful, inclusive, and novel? Is this an article that you or our readers would be interested in reading?

• Are the authors making a clear, concise argument? Do they back up their claims appropriately?

• Is the language accessible to the general public? Does the article flow well?

TE, Copy, Proof

• Are editors moving drafts along the process in a timely fashion?

• Are TEs/copy/proofreaders meeting deadlines?

• Is their feedback appropriate?

• Are editors properly creating new drafts in the Google Drive folder and properly addressing edits?

When an article has finished proofreading, feel free to give it a look over and let the managing editor know if you spot a problem.