View source for Editor-in-chief

{{Short description|Publication's editorial leader}}
An '''editor-in-chief''' ('''EIC'''), also known as '''lead editor''' or '''chief editor''', is a publication's [[Editing|editorial]] leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Editor in chief|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/editor+in+chief|work=The Free Dictionary by Farlex |access-date=23 May 2012 |archive-date=17 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417181910/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/editor+in+chief|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bangla |title=Editor in chief definition |url=http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/editor%2520in%2520chief.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605112244/http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/editor%20in%20chief.html |archive-date=2009-06-05 |website=Dictionary – MSN Encarta}}</ref> The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. The term is often used at [[newspaper]]s, [[magazine]]s, [[yearbook]]s, and [[television news]] programs. The editor-in-chief is commonly the link between the publisher or proprietor and the editorial staff.

==Responsibilities==
Typical responsibilities of editors-in-chief include:<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Job Responsibilities of an Editor-in-chief You Were Totally Unaware Of |date=Feb 14, 2018 |work=CareerStint |access-date=2019-01-06|url=https://careerstint.com/editor-in-chief-responsibilities |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106072828/https://careerstint.com/editor-in-chief-responsibilities |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-01-06 }}</ref>
* Ensuring that content is [[journalistic objectivity|journalistically objective]]<ref name="Nesvisky 2008"/>
* [[Fact-checking]], spelling, grammar, writing style, page design and photos
* Rejecting writing that appears to be plagiarized, [[ghostwriter|ghostwritten]], published elsewhere, or of little interest to readers
* Evaluating and editing content<ref name="Young 2007"/><ref name="Smith 1996 p. 6"/>
* Contributing editorial pieces
* Motivating and developing editorial staff<ref name="Young 2007"/> 
* Ensuring the final draft is complete
* Handling reader complaints and taking responsibility for issues after publication
* For books and journals, cross-checking citations and examining references
* Working to advance the commercial success of the publication<ref name="Niblock 2003"/>
* Position may involve recruiting, hiring and firing staff<ref name="Niblock 2003"/>

===In academic journals===
The term is also applied to [[academic journal]]s, where the editor-in-chief gives the ultimate decision whether a submitted manuscript will be published. This decision is made by the editor-in-chief after seeking input from [[Peer review|reviewers]] selected on the basis of relevant expertise. For larger journals, the decision is often upon the recommendation of one of several associate editors who each have responsibility for a fraction of the submitted manuscripts.<ref>{{Citation |last=Nestel |first=Debra |title=Peer Review for Publications: A Guide for Reviewers |date=2019 |work=Healthcare Simulation Research: A Practical Guide |pages=325–329 |editor-last=Nestel |editor-first=Debra |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-26837-4_43 |access-date=2024-10-07 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-26837-4_43 |isbn=978-3-030-26837-4 |last2=Kunkler |first2=Kevin |last3=Scerbo |first3=Mark W. |editor2-last=Hui |editor2-first=Joshua |editor3-last=Kunkler |editor3-first=Kevin |editor4-last=Scerbo |editor4-first=Mark W.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Peer Review Process {{!}} Wiley |url=https://authorservices.wiley.com/Reviewers/journal-reviewers/what-is-peer-review/the-peer-review-process.html |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=authorservices.wiley.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Journalism ethics and standards]]
* [[Journalistic interventionism]]
* [[Value judgment]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Young 2007">{{cite book | last=Young | first=M. | title=Death, Sex & Money: Life Inside a Newspaper | publisher=Melbourne University Press | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-522-85344-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4TJRabjLnQC&pg=PA46 | access-date=July 17, 2017 | pages=46–51}}</ref>
<ref name="Niblock 2003">{{cite book | last=Niblock | first=S. | title=Inside Journalism | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-135-37256-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XqOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA62 | access-date=July 17, 2017 | pages=62–63}}</ref>
<ref name="Smith 1996 p. 6">{{cite book | last=Smith | first=H. F. | title=Springboard to Journalism | publisher=Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association of Columbia University | year=1996 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIvsAAAAMAAJ | access-date=July 17, 2017 | page=6| isbn=9780916082031 }}</ref>
<ref name="Nesvisky 2008">{{cite book | last=Nesvisky | first=M. | title=Covering Your Campus: A Guide for Student Newspapers | publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-7425-5389-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1nMMBh_4-gC&pg=PA35 | access-date=July 17, 2017 | page=35}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Making a Newspaper|author=John La Porte Given|chapter=The Editor-in-Chief|pages=30–35|location=New York|date=1907|publisher=H. Holt and Company}}
* {{cite book|title=The Handbook of Journalism: All about Newspaper Work: Facts and Information|author=Nathaniel Clark Fowler|chapter=The Editor-in-Chief|location=New York|date=1913|publisher=Sully and Kleinteich}}
* ''The New Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (3rd edn 1996, edited by [[R. W. Burchfield]]); [[Bryan A. Garner]], ''Garner's Modern American Usage'' (2009).

==External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline|editor in chief}}
* {{commons-inline}}

{{Journalism roles}}
{{Portal bar|Journalism}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Editors by type]]
[[Category:Leaders of organizations]]