[ASA] PASA Editorial Board - Call for Applications

[Bryan Gaensler]

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PASA EDITORIAL BOARD - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
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Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA) is an ISI-listed, fully-refereed journal for new and significant research in astronomy and astrophysics. PASA seeks up to three suitably qualified astronomers to join its Editorial Board for three-year terms, beginning January 2014. Applications can be made by sending a statement of strengths and suitability and a brief CV to the Chair of the PASA Editorial Board, Bryan Gaensler (bryan.gaensler at sydney.edu.au) by 31 Oct 2013.


About the Journal
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PASA (journal WWW page at http://journals.cambridge.org/pas) publishes new and significant research in astronomy and astrophysics. PASA covers a wide range of topics within astronomy, including multi-wavelength observations, theoretical modelling, computational astronomy and visualisation. PASA also maintains its heritage of publishing results on southern hemisphere astronomy and on astronomy with Australian facilities.

PASA publishes research papers, review papers and special series on topical issues, making use of expert international reviewers and an experienced Editorial Board. As an electronic-only journal, PASA publishes paper by paper, ensuring a rapid publication rate. There are no pages charges. PASA's Editorial Board approve a certain number of papers per year to be made available without a paywall or subscription to the journal. All papers are indexed by the NASA ADS database; the ISI impact factor for PASA is currently 3.1. PASA is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA).


The PASA Editorial Board
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PASA maintains an Editorial Board of seven members (currently chaired by Prof Bryan Gaensler). The main duties of the Editorial Board are to select referees for submitted papers, to make final decisions based on those reports, to solicit papers for submission, and to be an advocate for the Journal. Detailed duties are outlined below.

There will be up to three vacancies on the Editorial Board, beginning in January 2014. Appointment to the Editorial Board is for a period of three years. An honorarium is paid annually, currently at the level of AU$3000 per year. Members of the Editorial Board are selected on the basis of their standing in the community, the breadth of their knowledge, and their specific areas of expertise. Applications are sought from candidates with
expertise in any areas of astrophysics.

Interested candidates should send a statement of their suitability for the position, along with a brief CV, to Bryan Gaensler (bryan.gaensler at sydney.edu.au) by 31 Oct 2013. A decision on the appointment will be made by the ASA Council shortly following this closing date. Note that ASA Council members may apply, but if selected are not eligible to receive an honorarium.


PASA Editorial Board Responsibilities 
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Members of the Editorial Board of PASA are appointed by the ASA Council. The ASA also appoints a Chair from among the seven Editorial Board members. The Editorial Board is responsible for the overall scientific success of the journal in the international astronomical community. Measures of success include number and quality of submissions, rejection rate, citations and impact factor, and timeliness of peer review. Individual Editorial Board members contribute to this by:

1) Attracting submissions of quality research papers to the journal.

2) Organising peer review of submitted manuscripts in a timely fashion, using Cambridge University Press' electronic submission and peer review system. Key components of this process are:

   a)	Assessing a manuscript's suitability for review, including identification of possible cases of plagiarism using the results of automated plagiarism-checking software provided by the publisher.  

   b)	Selection of suitable reviewers, to be undertaken within 3 days of receipt of a manuscript.

   c)	Delivery of a recommendation for publication/revision/rejection based on reviews, to be completed within 1 week of receipt of a review.


3) Other duties and responsibilities of Editorial Board members are to:

   a)	Act fairly, courteously, and without personal bias in all dealings with authors and reviewers.

   b)	Immediately declare to the Chair of the Editorial Board any personal involvement or potential conflict of interest that may arise for any manuscript or in any component of the review process.

   c)	Be a public advocate for the Journal, including the identification of at least one "special issue" or topical series of articles per year.

   d)	Actively seek to publish one's own work in the Journal, and to encourage colleagues to do the same.

   e)	Enhance the standards and scope of the Journal.

   f)	Ensure that refereeing guidelines are adhered to and comprehensively considered by referees

   g)	Provide strategic advice to the ASA, to the Chair of the Editorial Board and to the publisher on current directions in relevant research disciplines that can be used to the benefit of the Journal, its subscribers and its readers. To this end, the Editorial Board meets three times per year (one half-day face-to-face / video meeting, and two shorter meetings by phone).