EBM Roles and Responsibilities
Editorial board members (EBMs) are individuals who commit in advance to provide peer reviews for a journal or journal section. EBMs provide structured peer reviews of a minimum of 8 to 10 manuscript submissions over the course of 1 year. Typically, EBMs review manuscripts specific to a single editor, though the need to balance workloads across areas of a journal may result in review assignments from multiple editors. EBMs typically possess a high degree of expertise in their specialty (or specialties), have experience with reviewing manuscripts, and are committed to participating in the process of providing timely, high-quality reviews for the journal on which they serve.
EBMs play a key role in contributing to the quality, the value, and even the reputation of science published in ASHA journals. The evaluation and constructive feedback generated from peer review helps authors improve their work and, importantly, allows the editor to assess the paper’s suitability for publication in the journal. EBMs are formally listed/recognized in the following ways
- On the journal’s masthead article (see an example)
- On the roster page on ASHAWire
ASHA's Peer Review Process
ASHA journals strives to increase transparency and to evaluate content consistently by relying on clear criteria and widely adopted reporting frameworks. The ASHA journals have an 80-year strong tradition of excellence in publishing research. Becoming an EBM for these journals demonstrates an important commitment to the development and application of research in the speech, language, and hearing sciences.
Manuscript reviews are conducted through ASHA’s web-based manuscript submission and review system, Editorial Manager. EBMs should keep their contact information in their Editorial Manager accounts up to date, including their current mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. It is also helpful for the EBM to include in their profile a few specific keywords related to their expertise. These will be important to help ensure that the EBM receives the most appropriate review invitations.
Earning Professional Development as an EBM
EBMs who complete a minimum of 5 reviews for a single journal over the course of their calendar-year term are awarded 10 professional development hours (PDHs).
These PDHs recognize that EBMs who have completed the requisite 5 reviews in a single journal will have accomplished the following learning objectives:
- Examine a range of cutting-edge scholarly material on emerging research issues in the discipline
- Evaluate the theoretical perspectives underpinning research
- Develop constructive input and feedback on emerging research issues
- Analyze research to support improvement in evidence-based practice
EBMs who have met the requirements will be issued a certificate as a record of completion of this learning activity. Please note, though, that these are PDHs and not ASHA CEUs (and thus not reported to the ASHA CE Registry). PDHs are applicable toward ASHA certification maintenance, but EBMs receiving these should consult with their state licensing body to determine if this activity is acceptable for maintenance of a license.
PDH certificates will be generated and emailed to all eligible EBMs in January following the term year.
Available Resources
Peer Review Excellence Program (PREP)
EBMs are encouraged to enhance their skills by exploring the Peer Review Excellence Program resources and learning modules within the ASHA Journal’s Academy.
ASHA Community Site
New EBMs join an online Community run by ASHA and accessible by the editors-in-chief of the journals, all journal editors, and all EBMs (though not accessible to ad hoc reviewers). This site supports editors’ ongoing work and allows discussions that can begin on the site and continue via e-mail (similar to a Listserv but with messages archived on the site for future reference).
A great feature of ASHA Community participation is the ability to respond to discussions through e-mail. EBMs can respond to discussion items and have their response logged in the thread for anyone accessing the site to read later, and anyone set up to also receive e-mail notifications of discussions will get the response.
