Journals Policies and Procedures

Background and History

The development of an academic journal was a significant motivation for the establishment of NCA. The Quarterly Journal of Public Speaking (currently The Quarterly Journal of Speech) was first published in 1915 at The University of Chicago Press, just one year following the establishment of the organization. By 1919, the journal was being published by the Association.

The Association began publishing Speech Monographs (currently Communication Monographs) in 1934, The Speech Teacher, (currently Communication Education) in 1952, Critical Studies in Mass Communication in 1984, Text and Performance Quarterly in 1989 (previously named Literature in Performance, established in 1980), and Journal of Applied Communication Research in 1991 (founded in 1973).

As early as 1917, membership in the Association was linked to subscription to the Association's journals. Today, while the membership structure has become more complex to accommodate additional journals, convention registration, and non-journal publications, the journals continue to provide a common bond between members of NCA and the motivation for many to join.

The journals are important to NCA and its members in at least three ways.

First, the journals constitute a defining feature of the nature of NCA and the field of communication itself. The publication of a journal results in a conception of what NCA seeks to promote as scholarship and ultimately how the field is understood by ourselves and others.

Second, the journals provide a means of promoting, disseminating, and preserving research scholarship. The facilitation of such scholarship is important to the production and application of knowledge relating to communication.

Third, the journals are central to the financial structure of NCA. NCA journals constitute a significant portion of NCA's annual operating budget. Additionally, subscriptions to the journals are difficult to separate from membership.

Editors of NCA's journals therefore play key roles in the definition of the field, in the facilitation of research, and in the health of the Association. They are responsible for maintaining the tradition of the journals, for promoting scholarship related to the issues addressed by the journals, for ensuring adherence to academic standards, and for administration of the production of the publication.

Editor Selection

Editors for NCA's journals are elected by the Legislative Council one year in advance of their taking office. That simple statement, however, masks a considerable amount of detail. A sample sequence of events for a 1998 editorial appointment is contained in the table below.

The election process begins with the publication of a call for nominations two years prior to the production of the first issue by the new editor. The early call is designed to provide applicants with time required to secure administrative support from their institutions, develop editorial goal statements, and obtain letters of support. This time frame gives them about six months to complete that process.

Another six months is consumed by the review process. The Publications Board meets in the summer (usually July) to review the applicants and to make a nomination to the Legislative Council. That nomination is typically reviewed by the Administrative Committee during their September meeting. The actual appointment is made by the Legislative Council during the November NCA Convention.

It is the policy of the Publication Board to nominate one person for vacant editorial positions. The Legislative Council has the authority to reject the Board's recommendation and to elect another candidate. Experience suggests, however, that the Board's nominees are generally accepted by the Legislative Council.

While editors are elected approximately one year prior to producing their first issue, they begin editing about three to six months after being elected (or as soon as the sitting editors fill their page allocations). Sitting editors must stop accepting manuscripts when their page allocations have been exhausted. They then transfer articles in review and new submissions to the editors-elect. NCA policy prohibits sitting editors from transferring accepted articles to their successors.

The time between the actual election and assumption of duties is relatively short (often three to six months). Editors should therefore be prepared to act quickly to set up editorial boards and administrative systems.

To help facilitate the establishment of these support systems, the newly elected officers should meet with the Publications Board during the convention at which they are elected. They should also plan to meet with the printer, currently Science Press, during the first quarter following the election.

Typically, the newly elected editors, the Publications Board Chair, and the Executive Director travel to Ephrata for a two-day meeting. The specific date of the meeting is coordinated by the National Office. Expenses are the responsibility of NCA. Additionally, other editors, the Publications Board chair, the printer's representatives, and the National Office staff are available for consultations and assistance.

Editor Responsibilities

The NCA Administrative Committee has established minimum standards of professional conduct for editors of NCA publications. The standards, listed in the table below, include personal standards. Failure to adhere to these standards could be grounds for removal from the editor position.

Personal standards for editors. In addition to the obvious editorial duties, NCA requires the following from journal editors.

Reviewing standards. Specific acceptance and rejection decisions regarding manuscripts are the responsibility of the editors. The editors are also free to organize and manage their review boards as they feel appropriate. The Association does, however, require the following minimum standards for review.

Publication standards. Editors are responsible for managing production schedules for their journals. Falling behind in production has serious potential impact on the members satisfaction with the journal and with library subscriptions. While members are generally tolerant of minor schedule delays, libraries are not and often cancel subscriptions if delays are long or frequent. Once a library subscription is lost, it is very difficult to regain. Therefore, NCA has established the following minimal requirements.

Ethical practices for NCA authors. NCA Association makes certain assumptions about articles submitted for publication in NCA serial outlets; about papers and reports presented at NCA conventions; and about chapters, books, pamphlets, etc., that are published under the aegis of the Association. Editors are responsible for monitoring compliance of the following by authors of articles published in their journals.

Evidence concerning alleged misconduct under this code must be presented to the Administrative Committee's Ethics Committee.

Review Boards and Process

All articles submitted to an NCA journal and that meet the submission criteria and basic editorial policy should be peer reviewed by at least two reviewers. The reviews must be such that the author cannot be identified by the reviews.

It is essential that editors develop an editorial board that reflects the breadth of the journals' substantive domain. Editors should also develop boards that are reflective of the demographic characteristics of the Association and the field it represents. Within these broad guidelines, editors are free to recruit and organize their review boards as they determine appropriate.

It should also be remembered that editors are responsible for the substantive content of the journals. While they will rely heavily on the reviews received from their boards, the decision to publish or not to publish rests with the editors.

Editors should also design administrative systems that permit them to easily track the progress of manuscripts through the review and publishing process. To accomplish this, some editors use log sheets that record information concerning who is conducting the review, when the manuscript was sent/received, and contact with the author(s). Other editors use computer software in the "contact management" and/or "personal information management" (PIM) categories.

Editors should also ensure the reviews are conducted in a timely manner and that authors are treated fairly and professionally. For example, reviews should be conducted promptly and authors should be informed periodically of the status of the review. Authors should be given copies of the review and relevant comments from the editor.

Contracts

NCA is the publisher of the Association's journals. The National Office is responsible for administration of the printing contract for the actual production of the journals, including contract negotiation, monitoring, and payment. The journals are currently being produced by Science Press (a Division of Mack Printing) in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Science Press is responsible for typesetting, composition, printing, binding and mailing the journals.

Content and Page Counts

Editors are responsible for the content of the journals. The content of the journals can be thought of along several dimensions: substantive, administrative, grammatical, stylistic, and page allocation. The authority of the editor to make decisions is different for each type of content.

Substantive content. NCA has not developed specific policies regarding the substantive content of journals. Editors are therefore free to make acceptance/rejection decisions based on their judgment of the merits of the material and their goals for the journal, so long as those judgments are consistent with broad guidelines established by the Association and with the traditions of the journals.

The NCA journals were created to publish scholarship in particular areas of the field, and the content parameters for the individual journals have evolved over time. Therefore, while there are not specific policies governing substantive content, the domains of the NCA journals have been established by the initial decisions to create the journal and by the traditions of journals as they have been managed over time.

The continued development of the evolution of the journal content is managed by the Association via the election of editors. Applicants for editorial positions are leading scholars within the area of the field served by the journal they seek to edit. As such, editors are familiar with the traditions of the journal and with the range of scholarship it publishes. Additionally, their record of research is suggestive of the contribution they will likely make to the continuing evolution of the journal.

When individuals apply for nomination for editorial positions, they are required to submit a statement of plans and goals for the journal. This statement is carefully reviewed by the Publication Board and weighs heavily in the evaluation process. The statement is also presented to the Legislative Council as part of the materials supporting the nomination.

The selection of editors is therefore made based on three primary criteria: their qualifications, both substantively and administratively to discharge their duties as editor; their statement of goals and objectives; and their record of scholarship.

The election of editors will be reported in Spectra, the Association's newsletter. Editors will be asked to supply a photograph, a short biographical statement, and a statement of goals and objectives.

Editors should also should publish the purpose or domain of the journals in each issue, as a guide for authors and readers unfamiliar with the journal. The following represents the statements of purpose currently carried in the NCA journals.

Editors may not make major shifts in content, structure, or graphic layout of journals without the approval of the Publications Board. Editors wishing to make such changes must apply in writing to the Publications Board. A formal review of the request may be required prior to a Publications Board decision.

Administrative (required) content. NCA does require certain administrative content to be carried in its journals. While the format of the required content will vary with the style of the specific journal, editors are responsible for the inclusion and the accuracy of the information.

Grammatical content. Editors are responsible for working with authors to ensure the published articles meet acceptable standards of writing (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.). The printer is not responsible for proofreading initial copy or galleys.

Copy editing can have a significant effect on the cost of producing the journals. To understand the relationship between copy editing and costs requires a working knowledge of the printing procedures established by NCA and Science Press. These are covered in detail during the editors' visits to the printers.

Science Press is a printer, not a publisher. They print what the editors provide. While their experience with NCA sometimes enables them to catch mistakes in style or grammar, they are not responsible for any copy editing.

While never the responsibility of the printer, the ability and willingness of the Science Press staff to catch errors missed or made by editors has, in the past, been excellent. In particular, many editors have previously relied on NCA's customer service representative to guide them through the three-year term. The should not, however, be counted on to copy edit material, to assist with deadlines, or to monitor other editorial responsibilities.

Science Press manages their work with a folder system. Each manuscript (paper or disk) is placed in a folder with a cover sheet logging all activities that are performed on that manuscript. That cover sheet is used to track the manuscripts through the system and to supply information to the accounting department for invoicing NCA.

Science Press will first typeset the manuscript (supplied on paper or electronically by the editor) exactly as it is presented. The material is double-keyed (typed by two operators) and the two versions are compared by computer and justified by comparison to the manuscript by the operator. This reduces printer errors to a very low rate.

Science Press will then return galleys to the editor and to the authors. The galleys will be formatted to look like pages from the journal. They will not be exact replications of the pages, because Science will not have spent time with exact placement of figures, page numbering, specific font selection, and so forth.

Changes made to the article at this point will be of two types: alterations made by the editor or authors, called author alterations (AAs), or printer errors (PEs). Editors are responsible for identifying both.

Science Press will make corrections resulting from PEs at their expense. Science Press will make corrections that result from AAs for a charge (currently $44.15 per hour). Because the printer error rate is assumed to be low, Science Press will assume all marked errors to be AAs unless the editor indicates otherwise.

After galleys have been returned and corrected Science Press will send page proofs to the editor but not to the authors. Changes can also be made at this point under the same procedures as above. The difference is that a change to a page proof will likely be much more expensive because it will require a typographical change and a probable formatting change, both billed at the $44.15 per hour rate.

Finally, when page proofs have been returned and corrected, Science Press produces bluelines. These are produced directly from the negatives that will be used to produce the journal. Changes can be made at this point, but they are very expensive. To make a change, Science Press must either start the process over (beginning at page proofs) or correct the negative by hand. The latter process requires producing a small negative, cutting out the mistake by hand and attaching the correction using transparent tape.

It is impossible to specify what a change will cost because they are accounted for by the hour and not by the alteration. The folder system comes into play in determining the cost. When the Science Press operator picks up the folder, the start time is logged. When the operator is finished with the folder, the stop time is logged. NCA is charged for the elapsed time (minus any PE charges).

For example, assume a simple task of making a word change.

The cost incurred by editors and authors who made alterations to manuscripts late in the publication process of journals and other publications is of concern to the Association. Editors of NCA publications are strongly encouraged to minimize any changes made on galleys, page proofs, and bluelines received from the printer.

To minimize AA costs, editors are encouraged to:

The NCA National Office will periodically report to NCA editors the total cost for their changes in galleys, page proofs, and bluelines in relation to the total cost of producing their issues. As a general rule, the total cost of all changes in galleys, page proofs and bluelines should not exceed four (4) percent of the cost of publishing the issue (about $1,000 per year).

Any such author alteration costs in excess of four percent (4%) of the cost of publishing the issue will be charged to the author, the editor, or deducted from the NCA reimbursement budget allocated to the editor.

Stylistic Content

As used here, stylistic content refers to the appearance of the journals (e.g., font selection, use of headlines, color, etc.) and to use of a consistent writing style (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.). The NCA journals have each developed their styles over the years, and it is assumed that editors will honor the traditions of the journals they edit.

NCA's journals are produced electronically at Science Press. The manuscripts submitted to the printer are first typed into a word processor to which tags are added for special features such as headlines, bolding, italics, etc. The meaning of a tag is defined in a computerized style sheet. When the text file representing the manuscript is transferred from word processing files to the pagination system (Science Press uses a program called XyVision), the style sheet interprets the tags and formats the article accordingly.

For example, editors do not have to know what font and point size is used for a main headline. They simply need to mark the appropriate text as a main head so the typists at Science Press can add the correct tags. The style sheet will then automatically format the text according to the style for the journal.

Editors may explore and propose new design, format, and style sheet changes in journals that they feel will enhance the readability, accuracy, convenience, and aesthetics of the journals in a cost effective manner. All such changes must be formally approved by the Administrative Committee before the changes are adopted. In order to implement such changes, editors should forward their proposals and rationales for these proposals to the Chair of the Publications Board. Proposed changes shall be formally considered by the Publications Board, distributed by the Chair of the Publications Board to other relevant Administrative Committee Boards, and presented by the Publications Board to the Administrative Committee for its approval.

Minor changes may be made to specific text in order to address one-time needs of a particular issue. For example, editors may find that an article includes only a few lines on the last page and that a minor style change (e.g., space between lines, size of sub-heads, etc.) would save the extra page. Such changes can be made by the editor without consultation with the Publications Board, although they should be limited in their overall impact on the appearance of the journal and should not be carried over to subsequent issues.

As a matter of general policy--in those journals which carry advertisements--ads should be clustered following the editorial material. Exceptions that would lead to cost-savings would, of course, be encouraged.

There are two changes not covered in the style sheet maintained by Science Press, volume/issue/year numbers and cover color. Editors are responsible for ensuring the printer changes the volume and issue number and the date for each issue. Additionally, the journals have developed color schemes over the years (see table). Color changes are the responsibility of the editor and not the printer.

Note: PMS numbers for each color are maintained by Science Press.

Page allocations and counts. The Association specifies the total pages allocated to the editors over a three-year period. These page allocations must be closely monitored by the editors and must not be exceeded.

Fiscal responsibility. Should authorized page counts of journals exceed the listed allocations, the difference in printing-related costs will be charged against the editor's fiscal year budget or against the editor personally. This policy of fiscal responsibility will be applied to excessive AA costs as well.

The three-year, total page allocations authorized for each journal are included in the table below. The counts are exclusive of covers, advertising, statement of ownership, and roster of officers; but they do include: title page, table of contents, index, editor's page, notes for contributors, etc. Pages in which ads are shared with editorial matter may be assigned proportionately.

As indicated above, some pages counted in the page allocation do not carry pagination numbers. Using page numbers as a measure of total pages used will result in overestimating the number of pages remaining in the allocation. For example, if a journal contains an average of 4 pages of unnumbered "front-matter" per issue, at the end of the 12 issues contained in the editorial term, the page numbering would underestimate the pages remaining in the allocation by 48.

Each editor is responsible for making certain that the total allocation for the three-year term is not exceeded. Editors must not accept more articles than they can publish within the limits of their page allocations.

The NCA National Office will monitor page counts on a continuing basis. Each editor shall receive from the National Office a page-count report within two weeks of the end of each volume year. This report shall clearly indicate the substantive pages used and the substantive pages remaining in the editor's authorized three-year allocation.

It is the firm policy of NCA not to increase the authorized journal page count after the editor's appointment has been confirmed. Increases in an editor's page count during his or her term of service will be made only for very special purposes or under the most extenuating circumstances. Any such increases must be recommended by the Publications Board and must be explicitly approved by both the Finance Board and Administrative Committee or by the Legislative Council.

While there is no fixed page count for any particular issue, or even for a particular volume year, it is critical for editors to continually monitor their page usage. Experience suggests that editors often find themselves short of pages for the last issue because of decisions made early during their terms.

Editors are reminded that the most economical issue is one in which the total white pages count is an even multiple of 32 (i.e., 64, 96, or 128). Other four-page multiples are acceptable (e.g., 6, 8, and 16) but are increasingly expensive to produce. Present policy permits articles to begin on either left or right-facing pages. The National Office (within reasonable limits) can supply "house ads" to help fill pages that would otherwise remain blank.

NCA journals are to be maintained on electronic media for possible use as reprints or as the content of an electronic data base. The National Office should contract for such storage and to budget sufficient funds for such a purpose.

Editors are responsible for working with the printers on matters involving processing of individual articles or issues of the journal.

Budgets

Budget limits are established by the NCA governance based on the normal manuscript flow for editors of the publication or publication series. The budgets are not necessarily intended to fully compensate the editor or host institution for all costs incurred in editing the publication.

Journal editors are currently provided a budget of $4,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Requests for budgets in excess of $4,000 may be submitted, but must be thoroughly justified. NCA's policy is generally to provide equal financial support to all editors within a particular category of publication and to approve additional funds only in extraordinary circumstances.

Reimbursement. Reimbursement to editors is limited to the budget approved by NCA. Funds may not be carried over to subsequent fiscal years. Additionally, all requests for reimbursements must be accompanied by a receipt for or documentation of the expenses incurred. Failure to document expenditures may result in rejection of the request for reimbursement.

Transition of Editors

It is assumed that editors will cooperate with their successors by supplying current information on procedures, etc. Editors and their successors should come to early agreement on the disposition of any article backlogs that may exist. Editors are expected to share their budgets appropriately with their successors in transition years.

Outgoing editors shall agree not to pass along excess articles, accepted or not accepted, to their successors. At the end of an editor's second year, she/he will be asked to affirm (1) that the authorized page count will not be exceeded, and (2) that no "overage" will be passed along to the editor's successor.

The transition of editors often does not coincide with the NCA fiscal year. Editors are asked to cooperate by sharing budgets during transition. The percent allocated to the existing and incoming editors should reflect the flow of manuscripts going to each person.

Reporting Responsibilities

Article V, Section 6 of the NCA By-Laws requires that each editor report annually to the Legislative Council in such a form and manner as the Council shall prescribe. The Council requires a written report at its annual meeting that includes the information contained in the table below.

Editors should maintain a log of activities concerning the characteristics of manuscripts processed to facilitate the reporting to the Legislative Council.

LC Reporting Requirements

Intellectual category represented by the manuscript.

Review process characteristics (e.g., number of manuscripts received, time requirement for editorial decisions, time between acceptance and publication, number of revisions submitted for manuscripts, and overall acceptance rate).

Production Schedules and Press Runs

It is NCA policy that journals are to be delivered to the post office no later than the 15th of the month prior to the month of publication. It is the responsibility of the editor to work out with the printer a mutually agreeable schedule for submitting copy, returning proofs, etc. in order to meet the publication schedule in the table below.

The goal is to distribute all issues of all journals in a timely fashion. Delays that occur in the production of one journal should not be allowed to slow down production of the other journals or other issues of the same journal.

The printer will provide detailed production schedules which should be followed. In general, these schedules include the following working frames:

This is an optimal time frame. It does not allow for contingencies. In practice, three months appears to be the working minimum for carrying out the steps above. Given the realities of delays that can be introduced by authors, editor, publisher, and printer, four months appears to be a more realistic time frame, at least at the beginning of an editor's tenure.

To expedite production, Science Press will mail galleys to individual authors, using instruction sheets and name/address labels provided by the editor.

Editors are encouraged to stockpile articles with the printer for use in future issues. This practice provides flexibility in achieving an economical page count for a particular issue and provides the editor with a buffer, in the event of unanticipated delays.

In order to trouble-shoot problems, should they occur, it is NCA policy that a production log for each issue of each journal be maintained independently by Science Press, by the Editor, and by the NCA National Office.

Press runs. Press run figures are supplied to Science Press by the National Office. They are based on the current subscription numbers plus an anticipated inventory to fill individual orders. The press run is to be regarded as minimum; while an over-run of up to 10% is allowable (but certainly not encouraged), under-runs are not acceptable. The press run includes:

The balance of each issue is stored by Science Press.

Science Press provides a report to the National Office as soon as possible of the distribution information for each issue published. The report shows the following:

Because of the excessive costs involved, offprints of articles published in NCA journals are not available. Science Press provides each editor with tear sheets of each article published in a NCA journal. While these are limited in number, each editor can supply each author with tear sheets of his/her article which are suitable for photo copying by an author.

Editors will receive from the National Office annually a bound volume of the four issues of the journals produced.

NCA's policy is to return journal article manuscripts only when postage is provided by the author.

Copyright

NCA's policy is to publish materials only for which it holds the copyright.

It should be noted, however, that NCA's concern regarding copyright is largely administrative and not economic. While there is relatively little economic value associated with a particular journal article, there are often numerous requests to reprint the article in books and in class readers. Additionally, efforts are underway to place back issues of the journal in electronic forms (e.g., CD-ROM, computer networks). The value of such products increases with the number of articles included. It is judged to be important that the Association maintain copyright on all material it publishes.

Copyright and permission statement. A copyright statement must be run in each issue of an NCA Serial Publication. No substantial modifications of the copyright statement can be made without the prior approval of the Publications Board, Administrative Committee, or Legislative Council. The model statement is printed in the Appendices.

Assignment to NCA. Copyright law stipulates that for NCA to clearly obtain the copyright of materials produced outside the obvious work place (i.e., by persons not directly employed and supervised by NCA), editors and authors must assign such copyright to the Association under the law's "work for hire" provisions.

To implement this requirement, editors must assign copyright of the issues they produce. The assignment document will be supplied by the National Office upon election of the editor. Failure to assign copyright to NCA will prevent editors from assuming their duties.

Editors must also have each author of articles published in NCA journals sign a copyright assignment and release document. The signed assignment forms shall be obtained before the article is finally accepted for publication. Editors should maintain a file of such assignment documents and forward them to the National Office upon completion of each issue of the journals.

Editors should develop procedures for obtaining copyright assignments that are consistent with their review process, but that also ensures the statements are signed prior to publication.

It is recommended that a cover letter for copyright assignment be developed. An example of a cover letter is given in the Appendices.

Copyright assignment agreements must be signed by all authors publishing in NCA journals. It cannot be significantly modified. Copies can be supplied on paper or in electronic form by the National Office. Model agreements are given in the Appendices.

Recognition of Editors

NCA recognizes the contributions made to the Association by journal editors. While recognizing the editors perform their duties out of a sense of professional commitment and service, NCA seeks ways to reward their efforts.

NCA attempts to provide journal editors with a complimentary room at the NCA annual meeting during their last year as editor of an NCA journal.

The NCA Publications Board Chair will present a plaque at the annual meeting to editors during the last year of their term as editor. In addition, at the end of an editor's term of office, the President and the Executive Director of NCA shall send letters to those at an editor's institution designated by the editor involved, indicating the significance of the contribution to the discipline provided by the editor and itemizing the specific benefits which the editor's institution derives from supporting an NCA editor.

An annual convention forum (program or panel), sponsored by the Publications Board, shall be organized by the Publications Board for editors to address and to receive responses from the members of NCA.

The Executive Director shall include a picture of the Editor-Elect in Spectra when a new editor is announced.

Questions

Editors are encouraged to address questions or concerns to the Executive Director or Publications Board Chair. Additionally, editors are encouraged to contact one another to discuss issues of common interest.

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