Editor and Reviewer Guidelines
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) publish information concerning all aspects of the sciences they represent. Their extensive publishing activities offer opportunities for agricultural science-related professionals to communicate findings to colleagues and to larger, more general audiences. Volunteer members serve a very important role as both editors and reviewers for the societies scientific publications.
The boards of directors of the three societies have delegated the responsibilities for review of manuscripts and the production of publications to the editors-in-chief, editors, editorial boards and committees, and to a full-time staff at the Societies’ headquarters office.
Editor's Handbook
The Editors’ Handbook is intended to guide editors in carrying out their responsibilities. See the editorial policies page for an overview of the Societies' policies on prior publication, peer review, and referencing and citation. To view the committees for each Journal, see the Committee listings.
You can download the full copy here or individual sections below.
Responsibilities of the Editors
The review and editing of all scientific papers published by ASA, CSSA, and SSSA is a two-step process. First, scientist-editors determine whether a scientific paper represents a significant addition to the literature. If so, one or more of those editors work with the author to make certain the paper is complete and scientifically accurate.
After scientist-editors accept a paper for publication, professional editors employed by the Societies review and edit the paper to ensure its adherence to ASA-CSSA-SSSA style and other recognized rules regarding style, grammar, and quality and consistency of presentation. In cases of possible disagreement among editors, the scientist-editors have the final say regarding matters of scientific content and style, and the professional editors have the final say regarding matters of grammar and presentation style.
Position Descriptions
Journal-Specific Guidelines for Associate Editors
- Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management Associate Editor Guidelines
- Crop Science Technical and Associate Editor Guidelines
- Journal of Environmental Quality Associate Editor Guidelines
- The Plant Genome Associate Editor Guidelines
- Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems Associate Editor Guidelines
- Vadose Zone Journal Associate Editor Guidelines
Responsibilities of the Reviewers
Maintaining the editorial standards of a scientific journal is the primary task of the journal editors. Their task is made much easier by the help of colleagues who are invited to review manuscripts. Through their critical comments and helpful suggestions, reviewers have done much to maintain and further the quality of research reported in ASA-CSSA-SSSA journals.