EP Europace: Call for Editor-in-Chief

Journal

EP Europace is an Open Access journal of the European Heart Rhythm Association of the European Society of Cardiology dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in the field of Arrythmia management.

AIMS AND SCOPE

EP Europace is an international journal of the European Society of Cardiology dedicated to the scientific work and reviews in the fields of arrhythmias, pacing and cellular electrophysiology.

It is the official journal of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), the ESC Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology, and the ESC Working Group on e-Cardiology.

Readership

The journal offers readers a collection of contemporary, original, peer-reviewed papers, invited papers and editorial comments, together with book reviews and correspondence.  EP Europace shall comply with ICMJE recommendations and COPE guidance.

The new Editor-in-Chief of EP Europace officially will begin their term on 1 January 2023, although a transition period to allow a handover from the current Editor-in-Chief shall begin soon after appointment of the successful candidate.

The person

The successful candidate should be a highly regarded, international expert in the field of arrhythmias, device therapy and cellular electrophysiology, with wide experience as an author, reviewer and editor/associate editor. The candidate is also recognised for his/her team leading ability and ability to build other successful working relationships.

The candidate subscribes to advance the community’s knowledge in all aspects of arrhythmias, device therapy and cellular electrophysiology, as part of global cardiovascular health.

The successful candidate, if appointed,  must be a paying member of the European Heart Rhythm Association.

Role

• Working with the EHRA/ESC and publisher to develop and implement a strategic plan for EP Europace, to ensure it meets agreed short- and long-term goals
• Enhancing and managing a team of handling editors and an International Editorial Board with clear responsibilities and roles
  
  
• Ensuring fast, efficient, fair, and transparent peer review
  
  
• Establishing high editorial and publishing standards for EP Europace
  
  
• Commissioning key articles (e.g. editorials and reviews) as required
  
  
• Stimulating submission of high-quality data from relevant trials and other key research
  
  
• Promoting the journal to peers e.g. through attendance at key webinars and, when possible, in-person conferences ( the travel costs will be covered)
  
  
• Supporting efforts to grow the journal’s readership and usage
  
  
• Working with the publisher’s special sales department to highlight accepted articles with commercial potential and to approve any proposed adverts
  
  
• Working with the press officer, social media supervisor, social media editor and authors to highlight accepted articles meriting particular interest for dissemination via mainstream media, social media and other communication channels
  
  
• Ensuring that the Journal adheres to good publishing practice including, for example, excellent management of disclosure and/or potential conflicts of interest
  
  
• Representing EP Europace on the board of the EHRA and attending its meetings in an ex-officio capacity and contributing to the development of an overall strategy for the EHRA
  
  
• Joining and attending the ESC Publications Committee and contributing to the development of an overall strategy for the ESC Journal Family
  
  
• Within these responsibilities, consideration is given to establishing the journal’s impact and influence via various metrics. EP Europace is well positioned to benefit from alternative metrics that are now becoming increasingly important when establishing a title’s value, so ensuring that usage and engagement remain high is critical in determining EP Europace‘s influence.
  
  
• Any EP Europace editorial policies that may have financial implications for the ESC must always be discussed with the EHRA Board, ESC Board and the publisher prior to implementation.
  
  

N.B. All business decisions about the journal remain solely with the ESC but the Editor-in-Chief should be fully informed of any change to the business arrangements.

Editorial Support

EP Europace can be supported by a Virtual Editorial Office (VEO) based at distance from the Editor-in-Chief ’s institute or through support of locally-based office. 

The ESC and publisher shall provide financial editorial support.

Workload

The ESC expects that around 1250 papers shall be received in 2022.

Actual demands on the Editor-in-Chief’s time will depend on the proposed editorial team structure and the individual responsibilities of the handling editors.

The Editor-in-Chief will decide their own editorial management policy and shall be in regular contact with the journal’s wider editorial team via teleconferencing / videoconferencing and rely on support from the ESC Publications Department and the staff at OUP (editorial, production and special sales departments in particular).

The role of the EP Europace Editor-in-Chief implies strong links with the wider ESC Journal Family, especially as a system of manuscript transfer exists for high quality papers to cascade from other titles to and from EP Europace.

How to apply ?

Prospective candidates must submit their formal application to the ESC Publications Department by 30 June 2022:

Contact: Margot Lauret 

Email : publications@escardio.org

Candidates should include within their formal application:

• Curriculum Vitae and reference to relevant past experience
• Proof of support from their institution (including any possibility to receive office space, administrative support, etc.)
• Estimation of time per week they can devote to EP Europace
• A detailed vision for the future of EP Europace within the context of the move to Open Access and competitive journals
• Specific plans to develop the Journal’s reputation and impact
• Thoughts on the relationship between EP Europace and the ESC Journal Family
• An outline of the editorial office administration for supporting the Journal, the structure of the wider Editorial and International Editorial Board, including roles for these functions
• Letter(s) of recommendation

Candidates may also wish to express their thoughts on ethics; disclosure of interests; Open Science; strategies for ensuring robustness and reproducibility of research discoveries; the role of industry in medical journals; supplementary content; technological advances; transparency and/or other crucial current topics in the publishing arena.

N.B. As a Gold Open Access journal, the title is fully compatible with cOAlition S’ Plan S. Thoughts on the potential effect of Plan S on EP Europace development are of particular interest.

A desire is expected from candidates to embrace the technological advances now available to the publishing industry.