The editorial team comprises operational editorial management (Editor-in-Chief, Chair of the editorial board, managing editor, language editors, as well as financial and digital administrators), an editorial board, and members of an editorial advisory committee, who acts primarily as reviewers.

Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk plays a pivotal role in overseeing and managing the Journal’s publication process. Overall, the Editor-in-Chief is instrumental in executing the journal's policies.

Tasks and responsibilities typically include:

1. Editorial Oversight: Responsible for the overall editorial direction of the Journal, setting the tone, scope, and focus of the content to ensure alignment with the Journal's mission, vision, and policies.
2. Management of the operational editorial team: Delegates and oversees the work of the managing editor, language editor, and financial and digital administrators.
3. Editorial board and editorial advisory committee management: Recruits and appoints editorial board and editorial advisory committee members for a three-year term. Continuously engages with them regarding their expectations, assigns tasks, provides clear guidelines for responsibilities, solicits expertise, and makes decisions regarding roles and responsibilities. Reviews re-appointments after every three-year term.
4. Peer review: Oversees the peer review process, including selecting and managing a team of editorial board members and editorial advisory committee members (reviewers). Makes final decisions on manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection based on reviewers' recommendations.
5. Quality control: Ensures the quality and integrity of published content, maintaining the Journal's standards for scientific rigor, clarity, and ethical considerations.
6. Content selection: Selects articles for publication in particular issues, resolving disputes or uncertainties about a manuscript's suitability.
7. Ethical oversight: Upholds and enforces ethical standards in publishing, including plagiarism prevention, conflict of interest disclosure, and adherence to ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects.
8. Managing submissions: Oversees the submission and peer review systems, ensuring efficiency and transparency in the process.
9. Decision making: Makes final decisions on manuscript acceptance or rejection, based on recommendations from reviewers and editorial board members. Decides on special issues, editorials, and other content.
10. Communication: Communicates with the Chair of the editorial board, authors, editorial board, and editorial advisory committee members regarding the status of submissions, decisions, and editorial policies. Engages with the Journal's readership and the broader scientific community.
11. Maintaining the focus of the Journal: Ensures the primary focus of the Journal is on scholarly work from South Africa. Aims for at least 40% of research articles published in a two-year period to indicate significant South African participation.
12. Journal strategy: Develops and executes the Journal's strategic plan and policies, including decisions about open access, website content, digital publishing, indexing, and marketing.
13. Conflict resolution: Handles disputes between authors, reviewers, or editorial board members and makes decisions to resolve these conflicts.
14. Promotion and outreach: Plays a primary role in promoting the Journal, expanding its readership, and enhancing its impact and reputation in the scientific community.
15. Record keeping: Maintains records of the number of articles reviewed by each reviewer and other statistics necessary for the strategic operation of the Journal.
16. Reporting: Provides the editorial team annually with a report on the work and functioning of the editorial team and the Journal in general, including recommendations for Journal improvement.

Chair of the editorial board

The tasks and responsibilities of the Chair of the editorial board collectively contribute to supporting the Editor-in-Chief and, in turn, the successful operation of a scientific journal and its ability to disseminate high-quality research to the academic community.

Tasks and responsibilities typically include:

1. Leadership: Provides leadership and guidance to the Journal management, fostering collaboration and a sense of purpose amongst the team.
2. Collaboration: Collaborates with the Editor-in-Chief, Department of Social Work, Stellenbosch University, and other key stakeholders to ensure the smooth operation of the Journal.
3. Consultation and support: Offers individual consultations and support to the Editor-in-Chief in the execution of all dedicated tasks and responsibilities.
4. Editorial decision-making: Participates in and supports editorial decision-making processes, aligned with the Journal's standards and policies.
5. Policy development: Contributes to the development and revision of editorial policies, guidelines, and ethical standards of the Journal.
6. Quality assurance: Contributes to the quality and integrity of the Journal's content, ensuring that it meets scholarly standards.
7. Acting Editor-in-Chief: To provide members of the editorial operational management team with the opportunity to publish in the Journal, the Chair of the editorial board assumes full editorial discretion over their submissions (directly to the editorial board Chair), following the same submission and review process as any other author.
8. Recruitment: Participates in identifying and recruiting qualified editorial board members and reviewers, considering diversity and expertise to ensure a well-rounded team.
9. Conflict resolution: Addresses conflicts or disputes that may arise among the Editor-in-Chief, editorial operational team, editorial board members, editorial advisory team members, and authors.
10. Editorial board reporting: Engage with the Editor-in-Chief regarding the annual Journal report for the Editorial Board and Editorial Advisory Committee.
11. Long-term and strategic planning: Contributes to the long-term sustainability and growth of the Journal by setting strategic objectives and exploring new opportunities.

Managing editor

Tasks and responsibilities are delegated by the Editor-in-Chief to the managing editor, including:

1. Regular consultation with the Editor-in-Chief regarding all tasks and responsibilities.
2. Providing appropriate responses to all communications addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.
3. Consistently monitoring and updating article processing and reviewing details worksheets.
4. Receiving new submissions from authors.
5. Acknowledging receipt of submissions from authors.
6. Preliminary editorial reviewing articles to check compliance with the Journal's requirements, including focus and scope, language, technical, and ethical standards, and communicating with authors about any issues.
7. Submitting articles to the Editor-in-Chief that meet Journal requirements and standards for the appointment of reviewers.
8. Communicating with authors to outline the further reviewing processes.
9. Inviting two reviewers in the first round of review, as appointed by the Editor-in-Chief, to perform peer reviews and providing them with requirements and deadlines, as well as the manuscript document and reviewer template.
10. Monitoring the compliance of reviewers with the set deadlines for referee feedback.
11. Collecting referee reports and submitting them to the Editor-in-Chief.
12. Receiving the combined referee report from the Editor-in-Chief and distributing it to authors, communicating to authors the editorial decision and further process.
13. Monitoring the compliance of authors with deadlines set for revisions and resubmissions.
14. Receiving revisions and resubmissions from authors, checking compliance, and submitting them to the Editor-in-Chief.
15. Receiving decisions from the Editor-in-Chief regarding revisions and resubmissions from authors and communicating to them the editorial decision and further process.
16. Inviting reviewers in subsequent rounds of review, as appointed by the Editor-in-Chief, to perform peer reviews and providing them with requirements and deadlines, as well as the manuscript document and reviewer template.
17. Monitoring the compliance of a subsequent round reviewers with the set deadlines for referee feedback.
18. Collecting referee reports of subsequent round reviewers and submitting them to the Editor-in-Chief.
19. Receiving the combined referee report from the Editor-in-Chief of subsequent round of reviewing and distributing it to the author, communicating to authors the editorial decision and further process.
20. Distributing approved articles to the language editor.
21. Receiving articles from the language editor, checking adherence to the technical and formatting requirements of the Journal in terms of margins, fonts, headings, citations and referencing, and other layout elements. This includes verifying that citations and references are correct and conform to the Journal's guidelines.
22. Communication with authors: communicating with authors to clarify ambiguities or seek clarification on certain points in the manuscript. This may also involve explaining and justifying editorial changes made.
23. Preparing final proofs and obtaining consent from authors for publication.
24. Submitting prepared-for-publication articles to the Editor-in-Chief.
25. Preparing Journal editions for publication based on decisions of the Editor-in-Chief.
26. Collaborating with the digital administrator regarding the publication of Journal editions.
27. Informing authors when articles have been published

Language editor

Language editors play a crucial role in ensuring that articles are clear, error-free, and conform to the Journal's prescribed style guidelines. Their work contributes to the overall quality and professionalism of the Journal's content.

 The task and responsibilities of the language editor typically include:

1. Proofreading and editing: Reviewing manuscripts for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and syntax issues. Ensuring that the text adheres to the Journal's style guide and is written in clear and concise language.
2. Language enhancement: Improving the overall readability and flow of the manuscript. This may involve rephrasing sentences for clarity or coherence, eliminating jargon, and enhancing the use of language to make it more engaging for readers.
3. Consistency: Ensuring consistency in terminology.
4. Collaboration: Collaborating with the managing editor to ensure the overall quality of the published content.
5. Feedback: Providing constructive feedback through the managing editor to authors when necessary, and offering guidance for improving their writing.

Financial administrator

The financial administrator ensures the financial stability and sustainability of the Journal, allowing it to continue its mission and vision. Some of these tasks may also be fulfilled and/or coordinated by the managing editor.

Tasks and responsibilities typically include:

1. Receive every new Journal edition from the Editor-in-Chief for record purposes.
2. Generate an invoice to the corresponding author for production fees.
3. Oversee invoice settlement
4. Dispatch reminders to corresponding authors regarding outstanding invoices.
5. Manage all financial communications related to the Journal.
6. Disburse production fees.
7. Maintain accurate financial records and archives for auditing purposes from Stellenbosch University.
8. Furnish periodic financial statements to the Chair of the editorial board and Editor-in-Chief as per the agreed-upon schedule.

Editorial board members

Editorial board members are essential for the successful operation of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, as they contribute their expertise and time to ensure the publication of high-quality research and provide international prestige to the Journal.

Tasks and responsibilities include:

1. Maintain a record of the official appointment letter for the Editor-in-Chief, utilise the membership on the editorial board in work-related biographies, and be open to reapplying once the term of reference has concluded.
2. Verify that your name and affiliation are accurately listed on the Journal's website.
3. Familiarise yourself with all the Journal's policies, as outlined on its website.
4. Respond promptly to all communications from the Editor-in-Chief
5. Advise the Journal Editor-in-Chief on its policies and scope.
6. Advise and support the editorial team from time to time regarding the operation and quality of the Journal's contributions.
7. Review occasional articles that fall within the expertise of the board member when requested by the Editor-in-Chief.
8. Assist the Editor-in-Chief in decision-making on issues such as plagiarism claims and contentious submissions when editorial advisory committee members (referees) cannot reach a consensus (in which case the identities of referees and the editorial board member will only be known by the Editor-in-Chief and will not be divulged in any way to anyone).
9. Serve as a guest Editor if approached by the Editor.
10. Promote the Journal on local, national, and international academic and practice platforms.
11. Be prepared to meet annually or to respond to the annual Journal management report by the Editor-in-Chief.
12. Respect confidential Journal information and ensure it is not inappropriately circulated.
13. Should the Editor-in-Chief invite editorial board members to assist in decision-making, the following ethical principles must be upheld (this correlates with the ethical governing policy guidelines of the Journal).
    1. Any manuscript received for review or under discussion must be treated as confidential, and manuscripts and review documents or discussions thereof must be stored in a secure, private platform. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review or discussions thereof may not be used for personal advantage.
    2. Reviews and decision-making must be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly, in a developmental/constructive way, and with supporting arguments so that authors can use them to improve the manuscript.
    3. Any editorial Board member who feels unqualified to review or discuss a manuscript or knows that it will not be possible to respond within one month to a request of the Editor-in-Chief must notify the Editor immediately and excuse themselves from the particular review process or request.
    4. Editorial Board members should not consider for review any manuscripts or discussions thereof where they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, organisations, or institutions connected to the manuscripts.

Editorial advisory board members

Editorial advisory committee members are responsible for serving as referees for manuscripts upon the invitation of the Editor-in-Chief. They play a crucial role in the successful operation of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, as their reviews determine and reflect the eventual quality of articles published in the Journal.

Tasks and responsibilities include:

1. Maintain a record of the official appointment letter for the Editor-in-Chief, utilise the editorial advisory committee membership in work-related biographies, and be open to reapplying once the term of reference has concluded.
2. Verify that your name and affiliation are accurately listed on the Journal's website.
3. Familiarise yourself with all the Journal's policies, as outlined on its website.
4. Respond promptly to all communications from the Editor-in-Chief.
5. Review manuscripts submitted by authors to the Journal.
6. Provide detailed feedback to authors with in-text track changes and comments directly on a manuscript document.
7. Complete a referee report template, which includes written feedback according to questions on a template.
8. Advise the Editor-in-Chief in decision-making regarding the suitability of publication for articles.
9. Advise the Editor-in-Chief on issues such as plagiarism claims, AI-generated manuscripts, and any contentious submissions.
10. Promote the Journal on local, national, and international academic and practice platforms.
11. Respect confidential Journal information and ensure it is not inappropriately circulated.
12. When the Editor invites editorial advisory committee members to serve as referees for a manuscript, the following ethical principles must be upheld (this correlates with the ethical governing policy guidelines of the Journal):
    1. Treat any manuscript received for review as confidential, and store manuscripts and review documents in a secure, private platform. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review may not be used for personal advantage.
    2. Conduct reviews objectively, and formulate observations clearly, in a developmental/constructive way, and with supporting arguments so that authors can use them to improve the paper.
    3. Notify the Editor immediately and excuse oneself from the review process if an Editorial Advisory Committee member feels unqualified to review a manuscript or knows that it will not be possible to respond within one month to the request by the Editor-in-Chief.
    4. Editorial Advisory Committee members should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, organizations, or institutions connected to the manuscripts.