Generally, functioning of the journal is overseen by the Editors and the Editorial Board Members, who are the eminent and competent researchers in the field, and contribute by inviting contributions and proposing expert opinions on the suitability of submissions.

Selection Criteria

The Editorial Board plays an essential role in the progress of the journal. It must be geographically diverse, having members from various regions based on their field of expertise, however, the size of the board may vary from journal to journal.

The Editors and the Editorial Board Members are appointed as per the following criteria:

• Relevance of expertise
• Must have a specific number of publications to their credit
• Eminence as per their posts in key research institutes

Roles and Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board consists of the following important positions:

Honorary Advisors

The Honorary Advisors play an essential role in the progress of the journal. We seek their valuable suggestions for the development of the journals.

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) is the leading role of the journal and makes major decisions for developing and promoting the journal. The Editor-in-Chief has considerable knowledge and expertise about the editorial activities of the journal, and is greatly involved in all key procedures of publication. The Editor-in-Chief:

• Assesses submissions, keeping in view the aims and scope of the journal.
• Offers suggestions on organizing the publication plan of the journal by adhering to the norms and policies of the journal.
• Maintains the desired standard and quality of the articles, as per the publishing ethics such as cope guidelines, etc.
• Approves the design and structure of the journal.
• Is involved in establishing the editorial team, which includes board members, section editors, associate editors, regional editors, executive guest editors, etc.
• Maintains close coordination with the entire editorial team for smooth functioning of the journals, proper supervision and for regular inflow of the articles.
• Has an insight into the analysis of the journal with the prevailing trends and standards.
• Is involved in the major decision-making process of approval of articles for publication.
• Promotes the journal at relevant events and conferences.
• Suggests/contributes special and themed issues or an article to the journal.

Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Co-Editor assists and facilitates the Editor-in-Chief in performing different editorial tasks for the journal, from being equally involved in the peer-reviewing, revision and finalization of articles as well as the selection of the editorial team. The Co-Editor is expected to:

• Play a key role in the decisions taken for the journal by the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher.
• Be involved in the overall development and improvement of the journal.

Country Editor

A Country Editor is involved in handling and managing thematic issues' submission and is expected to:

• Solicit and review one thematic issue per year, in trending and emerging fields in their respective section.

Associate Editors

An Associate Editor assists the Editor-in-chief in finalizing the manuscripts. An Associate Editor is expected to:

• Contribute one thematic issue in a year.
• Solicit articles/hot topics for the journal.
• Be involved in the overall development and improvement of the journal.

Regional Editors

A Regional Editor is involved in handling and managing article submissions and other publication processes. The regional editor is appointed from specific geographical boundaries and is expected to show greater involvement to represent that particular geographical region, and be aware of the current geographical issues. The regional editor assists in the following:

• Soliciting thematic issues from their regions.
• Contributing to trending and emerging themed issues.
• Overall development and improvement of the journal and the promotion of the journal in the respective region.

Section Editors

A Section Editor is responsible for a section dedicated to an area of interest in the general discipline of the journal that requires specific expertise. A section editor is expected to:

• Solicit and review one thematic issue a year, in trending and emerging fields in their respective section.
• Be involved in the overall development and improvement of the journal.

Section Editor (Special Issues)

A Section Editor (Special Issues) contributes and manages special issues within a specific journal section, ensuring alignment with current research trends and section interests. This role involves compiling at least one thematic issue annually.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing a comprehensive proposal for a special issue relevant to the section, highlighting its importance and detailing prospective contributors.
• Collaborating with co-editors to effectively organize the special issue and coordinate with authors, ensuring a smooth editorial process.
• Inviting contributors from diverse regions, focusing on those with a proven publication record.
• Promoting the special issue to enhance its visibility and impact.

Executive Guest Editor

An Executive Guest Editor is involved in handling and managing thematic issues' submission and is expected to:

• Executive Guest Editors are appointed for a period of three (3) years and are expected to initially submit a brief proposal in the journal for their first thematic issue, in a hot and emerging field, for editorial consideration.
• Executive Guest Editors are also expected to solicit a guest-edited thematic issue each subsequent year, so as to arrange the submission of one full-length thematic issue annually to the journal. The thematic issues may be solely guest-edited by the Executive Guest Editor or in coordination with another expert in the field whom the Executive Guest Editor includes as a Co-Guest Editor. (To elaborate, a Thematic/Special issue is a collection of 8 to 10 comprehensive review articles on a topic of major importance to the field. The contributors should preferably be researchers having a respectable h-index and should ideally be from various regions, preferably technologically advanced countries, to ensure diversity in the contributions. Editorial decisions on all Thematic issue manuscript submissions are made by the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of the journal, hence it is preferred that the EGE should provide a list of 12 to 14 contributors in their proposal along with the tentative titles of their papers, since a few manuscripts may not be found suitable by the Editor-in-Chief or in the review process.)
• Executive Guest Editors are expected to peer-review submitted articles to the journal, which are in their area of expertise (2 to 3 times per year).

Editorial Board Members

The Editorial Board is a panel of researchers with expertise in the relevant field. They are appointed by the publishers in consent with the Editor-in-Chief of the journal for a specified term of 2-3 years. Editorial Board Members are involved in:

• Peer-reviewing of the submitted manuscripts as per the policy and scope of the journal.
• Arranging hot topics or theme issues.
• Inviting potential authors and contributing articles themselves.
• Locating peer reviewers for a specific topic and providing a second opinion on papers whenever required.
• Promoting the journal amongst authors, readers, and subscribers, and encouraging colleagues to contribute to the Journal.
• Suggesting competent board members for the journal.

Associate Editorial Board Members

The Associate Editorial Board Members are young and emerging researchers or scientists who are at the early stage of their careers. This responsibility provides a platform for such researchers to interact with experts in the relevant field. The Associate EBMs are expected to:

• Submit and solicit articles to the journal.
• Introduce and promote Bentham Open journals among librarians, colleagues and researchers in their region.

Potential Candidates for Editorial Board Membership

Editorial Board Members are appointed based on the selection criteria stated above. Guest editors, previous authors or peer reviewers who have worked for the journal or have been recommended by other board members can be considered for Editorial board membership.

On being invited to the editorial board, the potential candidates are given a brief description of their responsibilities, and a clear statement of the position being a voluntary position with no remuneration.

A successful journal owes a lot to a competent editorial board, which must serve the journal with dedication and conviction.