Editor-in-chief

An editor in chief is a publication's editorial leader, having final responsibility for all operations and policies.

Description

The editor in chief heads all the departments of the organization and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. The term is often used at newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, and television news programs. Some publications have no overall chief editor, such as The New York Times, which has an executive editor over the news pages, and an editorial page editor over opinion pages.

The term is also applied to academic journals, where the editor in chief ultimately decides whether a submitted manuscript will be published. This decision is made by the editor in chief after seeking input from reviewers selected on a basis of relevant expertise.

Typical responsibilities of editors-in-chief include: