Senior Editor

• Assigns manuscripts to editors.

• Directly handles papers that require ad hoc special handling.

• First point of contact for questions from editors regarding editorial processes and decisions.

• Terms renewed every 5 years to a maximum of 10 consecutive years.

Senior Editors can be found on the Microbiology Spectrum website.
 

Editor

• Handles the peer review of manuscripts, from initial evaluation to final decision.

• Invites reviewers for manuscripts.

• Makes initial and final decisions on manuscripts.

• Can have up to 5 active assignments at a time (not including revisions).

• Should send editorial rejection decisions to authors within 4-5 days of submission and post-peer review decisions within 30 days from the day of submission.

• Editors are renewed every 3 years, to a maximum of 9 consecutive years.

Editors at Spectrum can publish 1 free article in any ASM journal per term (3 years)—no page charges or APCs for this article. To use the waiver, you simply reply to the accept decision letter stating that you are a Spectrum editor, and that you would like to use your article wavier for that particular paper. 

Editors can be found on the Microbiology Spectrum website.

Reviewing Editor

• Peer review manuscripts that are assigned to them by editors.

• Peer review ~2 manuscripts per month, to a maximum of 24 per year.

• Return peer review assignments to editors within 14 days.

• Terms are 3-year-long appointments and are not renewable.

• The reviewing editor has the potential to advance to the editor role on the basis of performance and subject area expertise.

Reviewing editors can be found on the Microbiology Spectrum website.