Bylaws concerning the Joint Publications Committee (JPC)

Best Practices for the JPC regarding the nomination of Associate Editors to Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

The Joint Publication Committee (JPC) has the responsibility to work with the Executive Editor (EE) of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (GCA) to recommend and approve Associate Editors for the journal. Associate Editors (AEs) serve a critical role in the publication process, maintaining the scientific integrity of the journal and ensuring that a diversity of qualified opinions are solicited during the review of submitted articles. This statement was approved by the Meteoritical Society Council in 2021.

The JPC hereby adopts the following principles for the consideration of AE candidates.

The evaluation criteria should consider the current makeup of the AE pool in GCA, and the selected candidate should be chosen to contribute to the overall balance of this pool to maintain and enhance the scientific integrity of the journal and ensure that it operates in an efficient manner. Criteria to evaluate for balance include the scientific expertise of candidates in a needed subject area for GCA as identified by the EE of GCA, and consideration of the demographic composition of the AE pool as a whole, such as geography (as indicated by the institutional affiliation) and other factors (gender, race, etc.) that best reflect the geochemical community.  These combined criteria will promote representation of the diverse community in the review process, which can enhance the fairness for authors.