A dataset is not reviewed like a book, so each kind of object needs editors who know it. These are the checks an editor of each section helps us hold to, as set out on what we publish.
Room 01
Books and chapters
Monographs, edited volumes, textbooks and reference works — and every chapter in them, as a citable object of its own.
What an editor checks
- An editor reads the proposal; then the full manuscript is peer reviewed by at least two independent experts in its field.
- Originality: a similarity check against published work, read by a person, not just scored by software.
- Permission for every third-party figure, map, photograph or long quotation.
- Each chapter has its own authors, abstract and references, so it can stand on its own.
- Figures carry text descriptions, so the book can be read with a screen reader.
Apply as books and chapters editor
Room 02
Conference proceedings, posters and slides
Proceedings volumes and the papers in them, and the posters and slide decks presented at the event.
What an editor checks
- That the conference ran as stated: organisers, dates, venue and programme committee.
- The review record for every paper — and an independent review where the committee’s is missing or thin.
- That each poster and slide deck was presented at the event, and its authors agree to publish it.
- A similarity check on every paper.
Apply as proceedings editor
Room 03
Reports, theses and working papers
Technical and policy reports, working-paper series, standards and guidelines, and doctoral and master’s theses.
What an editor checks
- Reports: an independent reviewer with the right expertise reads for accuracy, method and clarity.
- Theses: the awarding institution confirms the degree was awarded and that this is the examined version.
- Embargoes and permissions agreed in writing with the author and the institution.
- Working papers: editorial screening, and a clear label that they are not yet peer reviewed.
Apply as reports and theses editor
Room 04
Preprints and peer reviews
Early versions of work shared before review, and review reports published as citable objects in their own right.
What an editor checks
- Preprints are screened, not peer reviewed — and labelled that way. We check scope, declared ethics approvals, plagiarism and harmful content.
- Review reports are published only with the consent of the reviewer and of the author reviewed.
- Signed reviews carry the reviewer’s ORCID iD; anonymous reviews stay anonymous.
Apply as preprints and reviews editor
Room 05
Datasets and data papers
Research data of any size and discipline, and the data papers that describe them.
What an editor checks
- Every file opens and matches its description.
- A README or codebook explains each variable, unit and code.
- Formats that can still be read in twenty years — or a stated reason why not.
- Personal data removed, or consent and approvals documented.
- How the data were collected and what they should and should not be used for — the questions asked in Datasheets for Datasets (Gebru et al.).
- A checksum recorded for every file.
- Data papers are peer reviewed like any article.
Apply as datasets editor
Room 06
AI models and model cards
Trained machine-learning models, their weights, and the model cards that explain them.
What an editor checks
- A model card that answers the questions in Model Cards for Model Reporting (Mitchell et al.): model details, intended use, factors, metrics, evaluation data, training data, quantitative analyses, ethical considerations, caveats and recommendations.
- The training data are identified, and their licences allow this release.
- The evaluation can be repeated: its data and code are linked.
- The weights are archived with checksums, so the identifier names exactly one model.
- Known limits and risks are stated plainly. We decline releases whose risks outweigh their use.
Apply as AI models editor
Room 07
Software, notebooks and protocols
Research software releases, computational notebooks, workflows and step-by-step protocols.
What an editor checks
- The code installs and runs by following its own instructions.
- Its tests run, if the project has them.
- An exact release is archived, so the identifier always points to the same code.
- An open-source licence approved by the Open Source Initiative.
- A citation file and every contributor credited, following the Software Citation Principles.
- Notebooks run top to bottom in a stated environment; protocols list every step, material and safety note.
Apply as software and protocols editor
Room 08
Courses and open educational resources, recorded lectures, research and documentary films, sound recordings and images.
What an editor checks
- A subject expert checks the content for accuracy.
- Captions and transcripts, so the work can be used by people who cannot hear or see it.
- Consent from everyone who appears or speaks; permission for music and images.
- Courses state their level and learning outcomes.
- Files in formats suited to long-term preservation.
Apply as learning and audiovisual editor
