Prepare an editor-in-chief handover that preserves editorial independence

1. Separate appointment authority from article decisions

ICMJE places appointment and dismissal responsibilities with journal owners and recommends a contract defining the editor’s authority, duties, terms and conflict-resolution arrangements. It also supports the editor’s authority over content and publication timing, without owner interference in individual article decisions. These principles give a starting point for the society’s own governance document.

Before naming dates, identify which body can appoint the successor and where that authority is recorded. Then state who makes editorial decisions during the transition. An owner’s approval of a budget or appointment should not silently become a second scientific acceptance decision. If roles overlap, record how a conflicted case will be assigned to an appropriate independent editor.

Reference: ICMJE: journal owners and editorial freedom

2. Define what is being handed over

Build a register around responsibilities, not merely folders. Separate active manuscripts, appeals, integrity concerns, policy commitments, editorial-board terms and operational contacts. Each row needs a current custodian, receiving role, next action, due date and location of the authoritative record. Keep sensitive case details inside the approved editorial workspace.

A case summary should preserve the decision history without prejudging the outcome. “Appeal received; reassessment not started” is more useful than “difficult author”. Note conflicts, promised response dates and missing documents. Record which editor will continue a case and which will transfer, so the same submission does not receive competing instructions.

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3. Plan six weeks without pretending every task is complete

For the fictional transition, Week 1 begins when a successor and an effective-date plan have been formally established within the example. The incoming editor takes authority at the start of Week 5. The first four weeks prepare that transfer; Week 6 checks whether it worked. Adapt the order and duration to the journal’s circumstances.

Use planned and acknowledged dates as separate fields. A meeting invitation on the calendar does not prove a handover occurred, and a sent archive link does not prove the recipient opened the correct records. Carry unfinished tasks forward with an owner and explicit next step instead of backdating completion to fit the announcement.

On small screens, scroll the table horizontally, or focus it and use the arrow keys.

4. Transfer access through named accounts

In this proposed workflow, the system administrator grants the incoming person an individual account with the permissions their role requires. Test a harmless training case first. Confirm separately that the person can view the intended record and perform the intended action; seeing a dashboard does not establish the authority to decide a manuscript.

Do not hand over a shared password as the record of responsibility. List outgoing access that should end and any limited access that must continue for an assigned task, with a reason and review date. An access change and a confidential-record transfer are different operations: both need their own receipt. This guide does not perform or certify either operation in any live system.

5. Give unfinished and conflicted cases a durable owner

Suppose the outgoing editor is also an author of fictional Case M14. The transition note should identify the conflict and the independent handling arrangement, not transfer the decision to the new editor through an informal personal request. For A03, the appeals editor needs the original decision and appeal materials, not just the outgoing editor’s preferred conclusion.

If an essential file is missing, mark that limitation and decide who will recover it. Avoid issuing a fresh decision simply to empty the outgoing queue. Keep the chronology intact: original decisions stay associated with their dates and authors, while the new owner’s next action receives its own date. Succession changes responsibility without rewriting the case history.

6. Close the handover through a recipient readback

Ask the incoming editor to select a case from the agreed inventory and explain its last decision, next action, responsible person and deadline using the records provided. Repeat for a policy draft and an appeal. This tests whether the inventory is usable, rather than whether a folder link was delivered.

Record what was received, what access was actually checked and which exceptions remain. Update public role information only through the authorised journal process and the agreed effective date. A completed handover register supports continuity; it does not guarantee editorial quality or remove the need to assess the successor’s future decisions on their merits.

Questions for a practical final check

• Locate the appointment authority and role document.
• Define when editorial responsibility changes.
• Name an owner and next action for each open case.
• Separate current policies from unadopted drafts.
• Verify individual access and confidential-record receipt.
• Carry exceptions forward without rewriting history.