Recruiting for Co-Editor-in-Chief, Area Development and Policy

Deadline: 17 April 2023

About the role

The Regional Studies Association seeks to appoint an Editor-in-Chief to the journal, Area Development and Policy (ADP). The current Co-Editors-in-Chief are Professor Mick Dunford and Professor Liu Weidong (both Chinese Academy of Sciences) and the former will step down at the end of his editorial term in October 2023. The journal is published by Routledge, Taylor and Francis.

About the journal

Area Development and Policy aims to be a world class journal publishing original academic research examining the economic, political, cultural and geographical contexts which play a fundamental role in shaping and developing regions, cities, rural areas and the relationships between them.

ADP concentrates on issues relating to the Greater BRICS and welcomes submissions emerging from these countries as well from the developed world. ADP places an emphasis on research which examines the role of diverse institutional configurations and values at both national and regional levels within the Greater BRICS, and believes that theories should derive from the experiences of these countries and regions and not necessarily from the (possibly exceptional) experiences of Northwest Europe and North America.

ADP is dedicated to expanding common ground while accepting differences, improving mutual communication and increasing cooperation and shared learning.

Key Skills and Attributes

The Editor-in-Chief of Area Development and Policy is expected to:

Continue the development of the journal, particularly by encouraging submissions and special issues from leading researchers in the field to reflect the full scope of the journal.
Manage the team of co-editors and chair editorial meetings.
Represent the journal on the Regional Studies Association’s Journals Committee and
Board.
Write a preface for twice annual reports on the journal for the Journals Committee.
Write editorials for publication from time to time.
Assess new submissions for scope and quality, and send constructive desk reject decisions for out of scope or below quality submissions.
Assign appropriate manuscripts to handling co-editors for peer review based on expertise.
Make final decisions on submissions, based on peer review reports and co-editor recommendations.
Check and approve proofs of articles accepted for publication.
Support the peer review process by selecting referees when acting as a handling editor directly.
Use ScholarOneManuscripts, the online submissions tracking system, to assist in the editorial process.
Collaborate with the author, Publisher and Association where there are quality issues over the written presentation of the article rather than the content, to find appropriate solutions (some support is available to authors following acceptance).
Contribute to the appointment of Editors and members of the Editorial Advisory Board
Liaise with the Editorial Advisory Board
Organize public lectures (AAG conferences, RSA online webinars) with a view to publication in the journal.
Give presentations of the activities of the journal and journal management.

Under the current arrangements, the Regional Studies Association provides an Editorial Assistant to support the journal with administration such as liaison with authors and the publishers. The publisher, Routledge handles production. It also markets the journal to the Regional Studies Association membership, to the journal subscriber base and beyond. Area Development and Policy is available as part of a bundle with the RSA journals Regional Studies; Spatial Economic Analysis; Territory, Politics, Governance and (from 2024) Finance and Space. Area Development and Policy is also available for separate subscription and is provided to all RSA members.

Application Instructions

In making expressions of interest candidates are invited to submit:

A brief editorial manifesto (not more than 500 words) outlining their intentions for the safeguarding and further development of the academic excellence, relevance and scope of Area Development and Policy;
An indication of host institution support; and
A full CV – this may be in summary form but should give enough information to demonstrate embeddedness in the field, e.g., information about networks, conferences attended, relevant publications, professional memberships, etc.

The selection of the new Editor-in-Chief will be made by the Regional Studies Association in the light of recommendations from the Regional Studies Association’s Journals Committee.

The post is for commencement in in or around September 2023 to provide overlap with the current co-editor-in-chief and if the selected candidate is not currently an editor they will be invited to join the editorial team from appointment to learn the Journal’s processes.

The successful candidate is expected to join the Regional Studies Association as a member. For clarity non-members may apply. The successful candidate is expected to engage with the Association and support the journal in this community. Further details on are available from the Regional Studies Association Office or from the Association website.

Interested applicants with questions about the journal are invited to contact:

Sally Hardy
Chief Executive, Regional Studies Association – sally.hardy@regionalstudies.org

Apply via the T&F portal

Closing Date: Monday 17 April 2023, 5pm UK time

The journal is committed to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion within its editorial team and decision making processes. All applications will be treated as strictly confidential, and each will be judged on its merits without bias for seniority of institutional affiliation. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or protected veteran status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics.