International Editorial Board Search

Overview

You know the editorial board needs to be more international and more active. You also know that cold emails from an editor go unanswered, that you do not have time to search, and that appointing the wrong person is worse than leaving a seat empty.

International Editorial Board Search is a recruitment service for journals. We define the profile of member the journal needs, build a candidate list from the publication record in your field, verify each candidate’s activity, affiliation and integrity record, and make a structured approach explaining the journal, the role and the expectations. What you receive is a shortlist of researchers who have agreed in principle, with a profile of each, ready for your editor-in-chief and board to decide.

It is for journals preparing for indexing, journals whose board has become inactive or concentrated in one place, and new journals that need a credible founding board.

What’s Included

• Board gap analysis — current board by region, discipline, seniority and activity, against what your scope and target databases expect.
• Member profile and role description — what the journal is asking of a board member (reviewing load, meetings, term length, recognition), written so candidates can say yes with clear eyes.
• Candidate identification — a long list built from bibliographic data in your field, screened for recent activity, institutional affiliation and any integrity concerns.
• Approach and follow-up — personalized invitations sent in the journal’s name with our coordination, and up to two follow-ups per candidate.
• Shortlist with profiles — candidates who agreed in principle, each with a one-page profile, publication summary and any declared conflicts.
• Onboarding pack — welcome letter, board member agreement, and the role description finalized for the appointed members.

How It Works

1. We agree the target: how many seats, which regions and subfields, and what the role asks.
2. We build and screen the candidate long list and share it for your veto.
3. We make the approaches and handle replies over roughly six to eight weeks.
4. You receive the shortlist and profiles; your editor-in-chief and board make the appointments.
5. We send onboarding materials to the appointed members and update the journal’s board listing.

Priced per search, defined by the number of seats to fill. A typical search covers five to ten seats.

What Stays With Your Editors

Every appointment is made by the journal. Your editor-in-chief and existing board see the long list, can remove any candidate, and decide who is invited to join. Once appointed, board members answer to the journal, not to NeucitePress. Reviewer selection, editorial assessment and acceptance remain with your editors; we run the search process and the correspondence.

Important Limitations

• We cannot guarantee that any particular researcher will accept, and we do not pay candidates to join.
• Screening is based on public records. We verify affiliation, publication activity and public integrity notices, but we cannot see everything.
• Where the search supports an indexing application, inclusion is decided solely by each database. NeucitePress prepares, remediates and submits but cannot sell inclusion.
• A stronger board improves the journal; it does not by itself guarantee acceptance, citations or ranking.

Common Questions

Why do candidates respond to you and not to us?
Often they do respond to editors. The difference is the preparation: a clear role description, a credible journal profile, a defined commitment and persistent follow-up. We supply that and do the work.

Do we have to remove existing board members?
No. The gap analysis may recommend retiring inactive members, but that is your decision. Many journals add a term limit and a rolling renewal instead.

Can you find guest editors for a special issue instead?
Yes. The same process works for guest editors, usually as a smaller search.

Request a proposal, or begin with the Journal Health Check.