Guest editors play an essential role in framing the scope of article collections at Genome Biology, advising on front matter content and relevant articles, and may contribute guest editorials or other content.
Article collections explore a specific theme, discuss aspects or advances in research, and ultimately influence future research, policy and practice.
Manuscripts submitted to the collection (including the ones submitted or commissioned by guest editors) are not guaranteed acceptance for publication. As for all manuscripts submitted to Genome Biology, all articles are assessed by the in-house editorial team. To be considered, manuscripts must be within the scope and threshold of the journal, and we base decisions upon an extensive and rigorous peer review process by academic experts.
How to become a Guest Editor
Interested experts are invited by the journal because of their expertise in a specific field.
Guest Editor role
The role of guest editor is mostly advisory. The overall editorial responsibility for the journal is with the Chief Editor. Editorial decisions are made by considering the advice of the peer reviewers following at least one round of peer review. Guest editors and Editorial Board Members may provide advice on manuscripts submitted but are not usually involved in the final decisions.
Following is a brief outline of the roles guest editors usually play in the development of our article collections. Guest editors can fulfill some or all or the roles described below, depending on the needs of specific article collections and/or guest editors. Such action areas are discussed with the Genome Biology in-house editorial team at the onset of the process.
• Work with the Genome Biology in-house editorial team on commissioning relevant articles. Articles are typically commissioned by in-house editors, however guest editors can also approach the authors directly, in consultation with the in-house editors.
• Publicize the collection within their professional networks and social media
• Author and submit a guest editorial and/or other relevant pieces for publication as part of the collection
• As needed, advise in-house editors on submissions for the collection as well as pre-submission inquiries, and provide input on the article’s potential novelty and significance. Such input will be considered by the in-house editorial team when completing a full manuscript assessment. The in-house editorial team is responsible for all decisions on what to send to peer review.
Expectations of Guest Editors
In line with our general policies (https://www.biomedcentral.com/getpublished/writing-resources/competing-interests), guest editors are required to declare any competing interests and also recuse themselves from handling or advising upon any submissions where they might have a conflict of interest.