The JAOA’s new editor-in-chief seeks section editors

Dr. Ross Zafonte, DO, the new editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA), is carrying forward the strategic agenda of advancing osteopathic medical research by revising the way articles are evaluated and presented in the JAOA. He is looking for section editors to assist him in this endeavor.

Beginning this month, manuscripts will be assigned to a section editor whose area of expertise matches the focus area of the paper; should the section editor deem that manuscript worthy of peer review, he or she will be responsible for selecting two to three experienced reviewers in that category and synthesizing their comments into a meaningful, robust set of feedback for each JAOA author.

Accepted manuscripts will also be presented in the JAOA by section/domain category beginning in 2021 so readers can easily find the osteopathic research most relevant to their practices.

Each section editor will be responsible for:

Evaluating submitted articles in his or her specialty/domain area in a timely fashion, maintaining the JAOA’s 30-day time-to-first-decision
Developing a list of reliable reviewers in his/her specialty/domain area and recruiting new ones
Reading and synthesizing reviewer comments into an accurate and meaningful response to authors
Identifying “gap areas” of research in his/her specialty where topics could be invited and developed
Soliciting and recruiting new authors and topics in collaboration with the JAOA’s Editorial Office
Overall, maintaining (and advancing) a rigorous level of scientific vetting
Acting as an enthusiastic ambassador for the JAOA’s mission and strategic development plan

JAOA editors are specifically seeking applications for section editors in the following specialty/domain areas:

Musculoskeletal medicine and pain
Cardiopulmonary medicine
Public health and primary care
Neuromusculoskeletal medicine
Obstetrics and pediatrics
Behavioral health

Applications are due to Melissa Schmidt, director of the JAOA. They should be submitted by email: mschmidt@osteopathic.org. They must include:

Your CV
A cover letter that details your interest in the position, your own research experience, your academic appointment, any previous involvement with the JAOA, and information about any other journal-related scholarly activity

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