Journal Editorship Support in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences includes within its mission activities that foster and advance important and significant research within a wide range of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. Editors of scholarly journals that contribute to this mission may request support from the Dean’s Office. Such support can include one (but typically not both) of the following:

• instructional funds to provide a faculty member with a course release for work as an editor
• clerical, graduate student, or editorial support, typically at the level of 0.25 FTE

When the Dean’s Office provides support for a journal, the letter of commitment will specify a term, typically not to exceed five years and/or the term of appointment of the editor. A request for renewed commitment may be made; however, Dean’s Office support is extended with the expectation that the editorial appointments for most scholarly journals have specific terms and that journals may relocate with a change in editorship. Support will normally be provided only for editors-in-chief of journals and for journals that clearly indicate a connection to the University of Kansas. In exceptional cases, support for associate editors or “action” editor roles with significant editorial responsibility and authority may be considered.

A complete request will include five items:

1. A letter of application (not to exceed 500 words). The letter of application should indicate with evidence the stature of the journal within its fields and explain how support for the journal fulfills the research mission of the College. Information about the editorial board and the referees of submitted articles should be included in the letter. If a course release is requested for the faculty member to serve as editor, the role and responsibilities of the editor must be specified.
2. A summary of basic information about the journal (not to exceed one page). The summary should include the following information, in addition to other factual items about the journal: founding date; list of former editors and institutions publishing the journal; number of issues published each year; average number of articles in each issue; average page length of an issue; number of articles submitted for review each year; number of articles accepted for publication each year; journal impact factor, if available; circulation; annual subscription prices for individuals and institutions; prizes or awards extended to the journal.
3. A one-page budget statement. This budget may be presented as a spreadsheet and should include information about journal income from all sources; journal costs for production, mailing, supplies, and salaries; and the portion of financial subvention that is being requested from the Dean’s Office. Ideally, journals will receive the majority of their income from a national scholarly organization, a major publisher, or through subscriptions. In general, Dean’s Office support will depend in part on the level of support and commitment provided by the organization or publisher.
4. A brief letter of endorsement from the chair or director of the unit(s) where the journal is located. This letter should comment on the letter of application and the qualifications for the faculty member to undertake the editorial role in question.
5. It is expected that the unit will provide the space and/or equipment needed for the journal to operate.