Linguistic Typology  editor search

Information sheet

History:	LT was founded in 1997 when the Association for Linguistic Typology was founded.  Frans Plank (University of Konstanz) is founding editor and has served for 19 years, founding and building a distinguished journal.  LT has been published since its inception by de Gruyter Mouton (formerly known as Mouton de Gruyter), which also does the production and distribution.   

Circulation:   LT currently has about 400 member subscriptions and about 280 institutional subscriptions.  It publishes 3 issues per year totaling about 550 pages (some expansion is possible).

Editor's responsibilities:    The editor of the journal is responsible for the selection of manuscripts for publication on the basis of solicited reviews, and may also designate issues or sections as thematic sets of papers or commentaries on an article.  The editor should have a distinguished record as a scholar, be able to deal fairly and judiciously with contributors, and be able to handle communications and decision-making efficiently.
	Currently, the Editorial Board is a working group of scholars who evaluate manuscripts, solicit some of the external reviews, and recommend decisions to the Editor.  The next appointee can continue with this model or propose alternative structures. Also, the next appointee can be either an individual or a team.
        Editorial Board members are nominated by the Nominating Committee (consulting closely with the Editor), approved by the Executive Committee, and voted on by the ALT membership.

Term of editorship:  The term of service is that of an ALT officer, i.e. a minimum of four years, with the possibility of reappointment for one (or two) additional terms. To guarantee continuity, two terms of four years would be ideal. The specifics will be worked out with the new appointee.

Manuscript editing and production:   Currently the editor contracts with an editorial assistant for manuscript copy-editing, and the publisher (de Gruyter Mouton) provides an allowance for this.  The new editor may either follow that model or propose alternative structures.   

Appointment and transition schedule:   Proposals and nominations for editorship are due by November 10, 2015 so as to allow time for evaluation and inclusion of the finalist's name on the fall 2015 ballot to members.  2016 (Vol. 20 of LT) will be a transition year during which the editor-appointee(s) will familiarize himself/herself/themselves with the operation of the journal and confer with current editor Frans Plank.