Reporting Committees
- Books Editorial Committee
- JGS Editorial Board
- QJEGH Editorial Board
Aims
- to publish high-quality Earth Science literature with a rapid time to publication and to disseminate the resulting literature to an international audience
- to publish at an affordable cost to the Earth Science community, but at minimal financial risk to the Society
- to publish literature for both scientific and commercial reasons
- to publish at least 24 book titles per annum, as a means of regulating the Society’s income
- to develop the Society's publications portfolio (traditional, digital and on-line) to meet the changing needs and requests of the Earth science community
- to review and stay abreast of new developments and technologies in publishing and to implement such technologies as appropriate
- to oversee the financial performance of the Publishing House and to develop and approve the annual Publishing House budget
- to maintain and develop the Society’s online bookshop
- to oversee the copyright and commercial aspects of the Society’s web-site
Terms of Reference
- the establishment and maintenance of journal editorial boards
- the establishment and maintenance of a books editorial team
- the establishment and maintenance of quality control on all aspects of publishing
- liaison with other Earth Science organisations to develop both reciprocal and one-way sales distribution agreements
- liaison with other Earth science organisations to develop co-operative publishing ventures
Structure
The Publications Management Committee will be chaired by the Honorary Secretary (Publications). The Committee will comprise Council members with either publishing experience (traditional or electronic) or financial experience, plus other co-opted members with a similar background. External publishing consultants may also be appointed and their time charged (as agreed) to the Society. Council members who have valid scientific or editorial experience, but no direct publishing experience, may join the Publications Committee. Council approves membership annually.
The Executive Secretary and the Chief Accountant will attend meetings of the Board. The secretariat will be provided by the Publications Manager.
Method of working
There will be at least three meetings of the Committee per year, normally in preparation for a forthcoming Council meeting. The meetings will take place either at Burlington House or at the Publishing House. The Committee will establish sub-Committees and editorial boards as required. Committees and editorial boards are:
Publications Committee
This will maintain a scientific overview of Society publications and will provide quality control for both books and journals. The Committee will make scientific judgements on publishing proposals, with the assistance of external referees’ comments. The Committee will be chaired by the Publications Secretary. The Committee will normally meet three times per year at Burlington House, with these three meetings normally reviewing, in turn, (a) overall publishing strategy, (b) journal publishing policy, (c) books publishing policy. Between meetings the committee conducts its regular business by e-mail correspondence.
Books and Special Publications editorial team
This team is a sub-set of the Publications Committee, comprising a group of 3-4 Series Editors whose experience covers a broad range of Earth Science topics. The editorial team will be concerned with raising the profile of Society books, in particular the Special Publications series, within the Earth Science community. It will establish procedures to expedite publishing decisions and to ensure that high scientific quality is maintained at all times. The editorial team will normally meet during Publications Committee meetings or at times in between as appropriate.
Journal of the Geological Society
The Board will appoint an Editor-in-Chief, who will in turn appoint an editorial board for the magazine. The Board will be concerned with policy, strategy, and refereeing feature articles. The Board will meet at least three times per year. The Editor-in-Chief will be a member of the Publications Committee. Day to day running of the magazine will be the responsibility of the Editor and Production Editor, in consultation as necessary with the Editor-in-Chief and Board members as appropriate..
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
The Board will appoint a Chief Editor, who will in turn appoint an editorial board for the journal. The editorial board will be concerned with journal policy, scientific strategy, refereeing, style and promotion. The editorial board will meet at least three times per year. The Chief Editor will be a member of the Publications Committee.
Petroleum Geoscience (published jointly with the EAGE)
The Board, in collaboration with the EAGE, will appoint a Chief Editor, who will in turn appoint an editorial board for the journal. The editorial board will be concerned with journal policy, scientific strategy, refereeing, style and promotion. The editorial board will meet at least once a year, normally at the EAGE's annual meeting. The Chief Editor will be a member of the Publications Committee. All decisions regarding Petroleum Geoscience will be agreed jointly with the EAGE.
Geoscientist
The Board will appoint an Editor in Chief (E-i-C), who will in turn appoint an editorial board for the magazine. The Board will be concerned with magazine policy, strategy, and refereeing feature articles. The editorial board will meet at least three times per year. The E-i-C will be a member of the Publications Committee. The Geoscientist Board will report to the Publications Board on publishing matters and to the Officers on policy matters. The day to day runing of the magazine will be the responsibilioty ofthe Editor and production Editor, in consultation with the E-i-C and Board members as appropriate.
Other committees
The Society is also represented on the following committees:
Petroleum Geoscience Management Committee
This Committee is made up of representatives from the Geological Society and the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. The Committee will be concerned with policy, strategy, finance and marketing. The Committee will meet at least once a year, either at the EAGE's annual meeting or another appropriate venue. The Geological Society's representatives will normally be the Publications Secretary, the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer. The Publications Manager will attend as a representative of the publisher but not as a member of the Society’s management team.
Geology Today Management Committee
This Committee is made up of representatives from the Geological Society , the Geologists' Association and Blackwell Science. The Committee will be concerned with policy, strategy, finance and marketing. The Committee will meet at least twice a year at Blackwell Science (Oxford or London). The Geological Society's representatives will normally be the Publications Secretary, the Publications Manager and a member, or former member, of the Publications Committee. The Society will also nominate a remunerated editor as a member the editorial board.
Terra Nova Management Committee
This Committee is made up of representatives from European geological societies (currently eighteen) . The committee normally meets biennially at the EUG meeting in Strasbourg, or in between such meetings as appropriate. The Geological Society's representative will normally be the Publications Secretary, or a member of the Publications Board or Committee attending the EUG conference.
