This short COPE guide aims to summarise the key principles, tasks and relationships of the journal editor role. Becoming an editor of a journal is an exciting but daunting task, especially if you are working alone without day to day contact with editorial colleagues. You may have encountered several different processes, systems and ways of working in your experiences with journals, as author, reviewer, editorial board member on your way to becoming an editor.
These guidelines offer a systematic framework to organise your approach to your new editorial position, understanding the current status, familiarising yourself with current practices, beginning to build relationships with key members of the editorial and wider community and assessing the needs for development.