Rural Sociology Editor Proposal Guidelines
Editor of Rural Sociology is one of the most important positions in the Rural Sociological
Society. In order for the Publications Committee to make an informed recommendation to the
RSS Council it is important that it have complete information for all applicants. Applications for
the position must submit a statement covering: 1) the applicant’s vision for the journal, 2)
personal background and qualifications, 3) institutional support and capacity, 4) proposed annual
and three-year budget, 5) an up-to-date Curriculum Vita (no standard form is required), 6) name
and contact information for two referees the committee may contact. A letter of support from an
appropriate local administrator (e.g. Department Chair, supervisor) should also be included in the
application. Electronic submissions are required.
A letter or email of intent should be submitted as soon as possible. The full proposal must be
submitted by January 1, 2014.
For further information or to submit a letter of intent or proposal, please contact:
Mary Grigsby, Co-Chair
RSS Publications Committee
228 Gentry Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Tel: 573-303-2067
E-mail: grigsbym@missouri.edu
Responsibilities of the Editor of Rural Sociology
1. The tasks of the editor include
a. Organizing, managing and supervising the Editorial Office,
b. Appointing and maintaining an editorial board,
c. Appointing the book review editor,
d. Managing the review of manuscripts using the ScholarOne system of WileyBlackwell,
e. Soliciting sufficient high quality contributions to the Journal to ensure that the
production schedule of four issues per year is met. For publication year 2015,
each issue of the Journal is allocated 175 printed editorial pages for a total of 700
editorial pages for the annual volume, inclusive of tables of contents, indexes, and
any frontmatter or backmatter of an editorial nature. Four pages in each issue can
be devoted to Rural Sociological Society information (not included in the 175
editorial pages).
f. Providing leadership for the advancement of rural scholarship that will be
reflected in future volumes of Rural Sociology.
g. Keep records of expenditures and maintain a sound fiscal basis of the Editorial
Office in accordance with the rules of the host Department and College or
University
2. The editor also will work with Wiley-Blackwell on marketing and strategic planning for
the journal. This may involve the editor traveling to Wiley-Blackwell to meet with the
publisher’s team about the advertising, sales and marketing strategies for the journal.
3. Copy editing services now are provided and paid for by the Publisher, Wiley-Blackwell
4. Financial support for the editorial office is available from the RSS.
a. The support from the RSS for the editorial office of Rural Sociology is
approximately $17,500 for the 2015-16 fiscal year. This can be negotiated with
the RSS Executive Director and Treasurer, Ralph Brown
(ralph_brown@byu.edu).
b. These funds can be used for travel related to editor responsibilities such as
attending professional meetings not ordinarily attended to solicit manuscripts and
promote the journal, meeting with the Wiley-Blackwell editorial staff, paying for
the managing editor to attend the RSS meetings, paying for a managing editor or
other staff support for the editorial office, supplies and postage, payments to
contributors and reviewers, and/or honoraria for the Editor and Editorial Board.
The editor is not limited to these uses of the funds. How the funds will be used
must be described in a proposed annual and three-year budget for the editorial
office.
5. The editor of Rural Sociology may not act in a significant editorial capacity on any
competing publication during the term of appointment as editor of Rural Sociology.