CSE Short Courses (In-Person and Virtual)

CSE Short Courses are offered intermittently throughout the year and at the annual meeting in May.

Short Course for Journal Editors

Objective: To provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of scientific journal editors.

Course Description: The Short Course for Journal Editors is designed as an introduction for newly appointed editors and a refresher for experienced colleagues, providing a survey of the roles and responsibilities of editors of scientific journals. There will be formal presentations on the fundamentals of editorial policies, peer review models, data sharing, reporting guidelines, content recruitment, citation metrics, editorial boards, open access/public access/Plan S, journal management, and publishing ethics. The sessions are a combination of didactics, interactive case studies, and small group breakouts. Participants can pose their questions and problems for consideration by the faculty and other participants.

Who Should Attend: Editors-in-chief, editors, associate editors, and chairs of publications committees, particularly those who are new to their position or who are taking on additional responsibility.

Short Course for Manuscript Editors

Objective: To provide manuscript editors and copy editors with an overview of the various skills, tools, and knowledge required to prepare high-quality scientific manuscripts for publication.

Course Description: This 1-day course is designed for manuscript editors and copy editors who need to stay current in the field of scientific/medical publishing, including a review of the skills and tools required for mechanical and substantive editing of scientific material. In addition to a discussion about the basic tenets of language editing in scientific/medical texts, the course will include sessions on (1) editing scientific tables, (2) the various components of scientific research journal articles, (3) effective author correspondence, and (4) Microsoft Word tips for manuscript editors. Attendees are encouraged to share their own ideas and experiences in a room full of like-minded individuals. All attendees will receive course content as well as supplementary information electronically during the class. Attendees must furnish their own laptops to participate in this short course.

Who Should Attend: Manuscript editors and copy editors (or those interested in the field) at any level of experience and expertise.

Short Course on Publication Management

Course Description: The Short Course on Publication Management is designed to address the wide-ranging role of managing editors and publication managers as well as the daily challenges they face. This is the fundamental course for those newer to journal management. This year’s experienced faculty will reinforce efficient and effective methods for managing a journal by focusing on such topics as communications and personnel management; navigating relationships with editors-in-chief, Societies, and publishing partners; peer review processes and tools; journal production workflows; essential metrics; ethical best practices; and effective leadership. Attendees are encouraged to bring specific questions from their own experience for discussion by faculty and other attendees. Active participation and exchange of ideas are encouraged.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of this short course, attendees will be able to:

Explain, at a high level, the workflows and teams involved in publication management.
Implement best practices and policies in peer review management.
Identify resources to support editors and editorial teams as they address ethical challenges.

Who Should Attend: New or early-career managing editors and those in other management positions in the journal publishing industry.

Advanced Short Course on Publication Management

Objective: To provide advanced training in publication management for experienced managers and to further opportunities for discussion and professional development for seasoned senior staff.

Course Description: The Advanced Short Course on Publication Management is designed to address the challenges facing managing editors and publication managers who are already experienced in managing a journal or publication program. Previous enrollment in the more basic Short Course on Publication Management is encouraged but is not a prerequisite. The course presumes familiarity with basic areas of management including managing people, communications, and workflow; an understanding of production processes and interactions with vendors; and experience working with editorial boards or other publication bodies as well as editors-in-chief, authors, reviewers, and other stakeholders. Discussions will cover topics related to leadership, vision, and strategic planning; effective meeting planning; verbal and nonverbal communications in the business world; change management, including interactions with parent organizations; staff development and mentoring; data sources for reporting and third party metrics; and recent developments and challenges in publishing. Discussions will include opportunities for attendees to share practical strategies, and attendees are encouraged to bring specific questions or topics for discussion. Active participation and exchange of ideas are encouraged.

Who Should Attend: Experienced managing editors and those in other senior management positions in journal publishing.

Short Course on the Business of Publication Management

In a rapidly changing business environment, it is more important than ever for publication managers to
understand the business implications of changing dynamics. Understanding the basics of finance and strategic planning is critical to new product assessment, product evolution, and portfolio management. In other words, this is not your grandma’s editorial shop! Further, possessing these business skills when coming from an editorial background gives people a leg up in earning those promotions and new roles in senior leadership positions.

This course will cover the following topics:

Finance 101: understanding the simplicity of a profit and loss statement and why you should have one for every product you manage
Portfolio evaluation: time to get your head above journal-level strategy and think about the bigger picture
New products: don’t have a portfolio of products? Have nowhere to cascade content to? We will talk about how to evaluate what you have, what you are losing, and how to make the pitch for a new product or partnership
Sales: what are you selling if you aren’t selling subscriptions
The changing world of publishing partnerships and contracts: the rules of the game are changing. What does a publishing agreement even look like in a mostly APC-driven market?
Workforce issues: Is your team properly resourced? Do you know how to fix that if there is no appetite for new positions? How might post-COVID workplace policies affect the retention and recruitment of staff?
Skilling up: How to approach your organization about building on these skills

Objectives:

Broaden the scope of financial literacy, strategic planning, and product development of participants
Identify emerging trends in scholarly publishing and people management and discuss how participants must be equipped to respond

Short Course on Publication Ethics

Objective: To introduce and review, for managing editors, publication managers, and journal staff, ethics issues outlined in the CSE Recommendations for Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications.

Course Description: The objective of this course is to address ethical issues that arise in journal publication and to consider ways of investigating and resolving breaches of publication ethics. The course will present an introduction of ethical issues for the new publication editor, managing editor, or journal staff member and a review for seasoned editors, using the CSE Recommendations for Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications as a guide. It will include topics such as conflicts of interest, duplicate publication, piracy and plagiarism, data misrepresentation, image fraud, authorship disputes, editorial independence, falsification of data, and research misconduct. Participants will learn the appropriate approaches to investigate suspicions of breaches of publications' ethics and uses of errata, retractions, and expressions of concerns.

Who Should Attend: Managing editors, publication managers, journal staff, and those in other management positions in the journal publishing industry.

Short Course on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Course Description

The Short Course on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) is designed for journals and their editorial staff to address the importance of keeping DEIA in the forefront of all processes and activities. Presentations will be given on topics including fair and representative review processes and policies, race and ethnicity reporting guidelines, inclusive language, parachute science and collaboration, and putting DEIA policies into place for journals, publishers, and societies. Faculty will bring real-life experience and share what has worked for them. Participants will have the opportunity to put forward their questions and problems for consideration by the faculty and other participants. There will also be a guided open discussion where attendees will be able to share and discuss ways they plan to implement changes based on what they learn from the program. Active participation and exchange of ideas are encouraged.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this short course, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify barriers to DEIA in their publications.
2. Discuss procedural guidelines and policies to support DEIA in their publications.
3. Implement changes in their publications that will encourage authors to follow DEIA best practices for conducting their research and ensuring accessibility to research outcomes.

Who Should Attend
Managing editors, publication managers, journal staff, editors-in-chief, associate editors, and those in other management positions in the journal publishing industry.

All CSE volunteers serve in their own personal capacity. All opinions expressed are those of the volunteers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Council of Science Editors or the Editorial Board of Science Editor, or the volunteer’s employer.