Editor-in-chief

An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.^[1][2][3]

Description

The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. The term is often used at newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, and television news programs. The editor-in-chief is commonly the link between the publisher or proprietor and the editorial staff.

The term is also applied to academic journals, where the editor-in-chief gives the ultimate decision whether a submitted manuscript will be published. This decision is made by the editor-in-chief after seeking input from reviewers selected on the basis of relevant expertise. For larger journals, the decision is often upon the recommendation of one of several associate editors who each have responsibility for a fraction of the submitted manuscripts.

Typical responsibilities of editors-in-chief include:^[1]

• Ensuring that content is journalistically objective^[4]
• Fact-checking, spelling, grammar, writing style, page design and photos
• Rejecting writing that appears to be plagiarized, ghostwritten, published elsewhere, or of little interest to readers
• Evaluating and editing content^[5][6]
• Contributing editorial pieces
• Motivating and developing editorial staff^[5]
• Ensuring the final draft is complete
• Handling reader complaints and taking responsibility for issues after publication
• For books and journals, cross-checking citations and examining references
• Working to advance the commercial success of the publication^[7]
• Position may involve recruiting, hiring and firing staff.^[7]

References

1. "Job Responsibilities of an Editor-in-chief You Were Totally Unaware Of". CareerStint. Feb 14, 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
2. "editor in chief". The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
3. Bangla. "editor in chief definition". Dictionary – MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05.
4. Nesvisky, M. (2008). Covering Your Campus: A Guide for Student Newspapers. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7425-5389-7. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
5. Young, M. (2007). Death, Sex & Money: Life Inside a Newspaper. Melbourne University Press. pp. 46–51. ISBN 978-0-522-85344-5. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
6. Smith, H. F. (1996). Springboard to Journalism. Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association of Columbia University. p. 6. ISBN 9780916082031. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
7. Niblock, S. (2003). Inside Journalism. Taylor & Francis. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-1-135-37256-9. Retrieved July 17, 2017.

Further reading

• John La Porte Given (1907). "The Editor-in-Chief". Making a Newspaper. New York: H. Holt and Company. pp. 30–35.
• Nathaniel Clark Fowler (1913). "The Editor-in-Chief". The Handbook of Journalism: All about Newspaper Work: Facts and Information. New York: Sully and Kleinteich.
• The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (3rd edn 1996, edited by R. W. Burchfield); Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage (2009).

External links

• The dictionary definition of editor in chief at Wiktionary
• Media related to Editor-in-chief at Wikimedia Commons