Expressions of Interest

The International Journal of Wildland Fire is seeking Associate Editors to join the editorial board. The journal focuses on new and significant papers that advance basic and applied research concerning wildland fire. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: Remote sensing, Fire ecology (flora or fauna), Fire impacts on soils / hydrology, Various aspects of modelling / machine learning, Fire behaviour (modelling and experimental approach) and Wildfire suppression and management. The International Journal of Wildland Fire is owned by the International Association of Wildland Fire and published by the not-for-profit publisher, CSIRO Publishing. Editors-in-Chief determine the publishing strategy of the journal and lead a team of Associate Editors to manage the peer review process of papers received by the journal.

Associate Editors are responsible for handling manuscripts and determining the suitability of manuscripts for publication. Each Associate Editor may receive approximately 5-20 manuscripts per year. Responsibilities include closely scrutinising manuscripts, selecting appropriate reviewers, reading and assessing reviewer reports, making a preliminary recommendation to the Editor-in Chief (EiC), reading a revised manuscript and author responses to reviewer comments, overseeing possible further peer review and revision, and making a final recommendation to the EiC. Associate Editors correspond with the Editors-in-Chief and the Publisher about difficult decisions and possible ethical concerns.

Associate Editors have editorial support from CSIRO Publishing, including access to the web-based editorial management system and a dedicated Editorial Assistant. Associate Editors are also supported by resources offered by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to assist with the complexities of peer review.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Ensuring high standards of publication ethics are followed to make certain the Journal meets its commitment as a member of the COPE.
• Being willing to handle a wide range of manuscripts.
• Managing timely, rigorous and constructive peer review of manuscripts submitted by a diverse range of appropriately chosen reviewers, while maintaining confidentiality.
• Acting as a proactive reviewer for the journal, as requested by an EiC.
• Promptly recommending rejection of manuscripts, without recourse to reviewers’ comments, where they are clearly outside scope, not new or significant, or are unsound (i.e., insufficient data to support conclusions, poor experimental technique).
• Commissioning content contributions to the Journal in consultation with the EiCs (for example, Special Content Collections).
• Excusing yourself from handling any manuscript with which a conflict of interest or a relationship may bias treatment of the manuscript under consideration.
• Corresponding with reviewers and authors, in a courteous, respectful and timely manner.
• Assessing, in consultation with the EiCs and the Publisher, any ethical concerns that may arise from time-to-time, including plagiarism, and working within COPE guidelines to resolve them.
• Making recommendations on manuscripts (i.e., revise, recommend, accept, reject), with comprehensive reasoning provided to the EiC and authors.
• Where appropriate, submitting original contributions to the Journal that will undergo the same rigorous peer review as other submissions to the Journal.
• Representing and advocating for the journal to the research community at national and international conferences, on visits to key institutions/laboratories, etc.
• Attending Editorial meetings in person or online, where possible
• Advising authors on promoting their work via CSIRO Publishing’s resources.

Term: the initial term for the role will be 3 years with possibility of renewal.

Position Description: International Journal of Wildland Fire Associate Editor Position Description (PDF 238 KB)

Please send questions or applications (including Curriculum vitae and short statement expressing your interest in the role) to Pat Hannah – pat.hannah@csiro.au