11 March 2026—The Seismological Society of America announces its search for the next editor-in-chief (EIC) of The Seismic Record (TSR), its open-access, online-only journal publishing short-form papers covering the entire spectrum of seismological science.
Nominations for the position, including self-nominations, will be accepted through 30 June 2026.
SSA has initiated the search to replace the journal’s inaugural EIC Keith Koper, who began his term in 2021.
TSR provides an outlet for timely dissemination of early results, important updates and current topics that warrant rapid peer review and publication. Through this short-form journal, and its two other publications the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA) and Seismological Research Letters (SRL), the SSA meets its core mission to advance earthquake science worldwide and to support the assembly and distribution of quality science. TSR and the other SSA journals also play a key role in supporting SSA’s core purpose of advancing seismology and the understanding of earthquakes for the benefit of society. Revenues from its publication activities enable the nonprofit Society to provide a host of professional benefits to its members. (For more information on the member benefits provided by SSA journals, please visit our Publishing Program page.)
Role and Responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief
The editor-in-chief of TSR is fortunate to work with a dedicated volunteer editorial board, including a deputy EIC. The EIC’s primary responsibility is to ensure the quality and timeliness of the content published in TSR and to make final acceptance and rejection decisions on submitted papers. Accordingly, the EIC should be able to interact with the journal on a daily basis. SSA supports the EIC through a network of paid contractors and staff.
Specific tasks of the EIC include:
- Maintaining the highest standards and best practices of editorial oversight for the journal;
- Overseeing the work of the Deputy EIC and Associate Editors;
- Overseeing the peer-review process to ensure that it is rigorous, fair and timely;
- Recruiting Associate Editors as necessary;
- Completing an initial screening of submitted papers, assigning those potentially suitable for TSR to Associate Editors;
- Making final decisions on acceptance or rejection of peer-reviewed manuscripts based on the recommendations of Associate Editors and/or reviewers;
- As warranted, communicating directly with authors of rejected papers, establishing and implementing procedures for reconsidering editorial decisions, and referring any disputes to the Publications Committee;
- Reviewing and making publication decisions on all comments, replies and errata;
- Determining the line-up of articles for each issue and choosing cover art;
- Working collaboratively with SSA’s press officer to promote papers published by TSR;
- Establishing editorial policies and guidelines and regularly reviewing these with the publishing management team, revising as necessary; and
- Working collaboratively with EICs of Seismological Research Letters and the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
Role as SSA Liaison
The Editor-in-Chief works with SSA’s publications leadership to make policy decisions that affect the overall direction of TSR and that have a financial impact on SSA. In the role of liaison between TSR and SSA, the Editor-in-Chief:
- Participates in regular conference calls and email discussions with the SSA publications leadership, recommending policies that could improve the journal;
- Prepares an annual report on journal statistics and the activities of TSR; and
- Represents TSR at the meeting of the SSA Board of Directors every April.
Candidate Profile and Nomination Process
The EIC is chiefly responsible for TSR’s content and quality. As editorial leader, the EIC serves as an ambassador of SSA and focuses on recruiting the best submissions for the journal and maintaining the quality and integrity of the peer-review process.
The EIC must be well-regarded in the seismological community and have excellent scientific credentials, exceptionally good judgment, and strong communications skills, and must actively support the ethical standards described by the SSA Professional Ethics Policy.
The EIC position is a volunteer position and the EIC serves at the pleasure of the Board. SSA anticipates a five-year agreement and will provide a modest annual honorarium.
SSA will accept nominations, including self-nominations, through 30 June 2026, with a new editor-in-chief in place before the end of the year. The SSA Search Committee is led by John Townend, chair of SSA’s Publications Committee. Nominations and applications are welcomed and encouraged and should be sent directly to SSA at search@seismosoc.org.