Positions.
Seven levels of responsibility connect training, manuscript development, scientific revision, editorial coordination, and branch leadership. The Editor In Chief and Editorial Lead are presented separately from the ordinary role progression.
A supervised introduction to ISAD manuscript development and organizational operations.
Advancement is based on readiness, contribution quality, consistency, and organizational need.
The highest position within the ordinary 01–07 progression, with full responsibility for a branch.
A structured path forward.
Primary purpose
Interns complete a supervised introductory period lasting a minimum of one month after acceptance. Their primary responsibility is to observe how journalists develop manuscripts and to learn ISAD’s standards, workflow, communication structure, and organizational functions.
Responsibilities
- Observe the planning, drafting, revision, and completion of manuscripts.
- Learn how journalists research, organize, and write assigned sections.
- Become familiar with ISAD policies, deadlines, communication standards, and team structure.
- Attend assigned meetings and complete introductory or observational tasks.
- Write an Abstract only when explicit permission is provided by the appropriate senior member.
Restrictions
- Interns may not assume responsibility for major Results or Discussion sections.
- Interns may not independently claim or manage a manuscript section.
- The internship period does not qualify for ISAD authorship or formal contribution credit.
- A member who leaves ISAD while still serving as an Intern will not receive ISAD credit for the internship period.
Advancement
- An Intern may be considered for advancement to Journalist after completing at least one month.
- Advancement is based on performance, reliability, participation, learning progress, and readiness.
- Completion of one month does not guarantee automatic promotion.
- The internship period may be extended when additional training or performance evaluation is necessary.
Primary purpose
Journalists are the primary manuscript-writing members of ISAD. They research assigned topics, develop scientific content, respond to feedback, and complete manuscript sections according to the project outline and editorial standards.
Responsibilities
- Research assigned topics using appropriate academic and scientific sources.
- Write clear, accurate, properly referenced manuscript content.
- Follow the approved manuscript outline, hypothesis, formatting rules, and deadlines.
- Revise assigned work in response to comments from Revisors, Editors, and branch leadership.
- Report progress, concerns, and anticipated delays to the appropriate team member.
Section authority
- Journalists may assume full responsibility for an Introduction, Methods, Conclusion, or Abstract section.
- Journalists may contribute to major Results and Discussion sections.
- Results and Discussion assignments should ordinarily be divided into focused subsections.
- A Journalist should not normally be assigned the entire Results or Discussion section without approval from senior leadership.
Expected standard
- Writing must be scientifically accurate, logically organized, and professionally presented.
- Citations and claims must be checked before submission for revision.
- Journalists remain responsible for addressing feedback until their assigned section is approved.
Primary purpose
The Revisor position is primarily a review and quality-control role rather than an original writing position. Revisors evaluate manuscript content and help journalists improve scientific clarity, language, structure, and consistency.
Responsibilities
- Read assigned manuscript sections closely and identify areas requiring revision.
- Proofread grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and academic tone.
- Evaluate clarity, logic, organization, continuity, and consistency.
- Provide specific, constructive, and actionable feedback.
- Confirm whether requested revisions have been completed appropriately.
Branch assignment
- Each Revisor is assigned to a specific ISAD branch.
- Revisors ordinarily work only on manuscripts belonging to their assigned branch.
- They should remain familiar with the projects, expectations, and progress of that branch.
Writing during shortages
- Revisors are not normally expected to serve as primary manuscript writers.
- When a branch has an insufficient number of Journalists, a Revisor may contribute to writing.
- Any temporary writing assignment must be authorized and coordinated by the Head Revisor.
Primary purpose
Head Revisors perform advanced revision work while coordinating the Revisor team. Unlike branch-specific Revisors, Head Revisors operate across the entire organization and may review manuscripts from every ISAD branch.
Responsibilities
- Perform all standard responsibilities assigned to a Revisor.
- Assign revision tasks according to manuscript needs and Revisor availability.
- Coordinate revision schedules, priorities, expectations, and deadlines.
- Review the quality, usefulness, and consistency of feedback provided by Revisors.
- Resolve conflicting comments and communicate major concerns to Editors or Branch Heads.
Organizational scope
- Head Revisors are not restricted to a single branch.
- They may revise manuscripts from all branches and all active manuscript teams.
- They help maintain consistent revision standards throughout ISAD.
- They may be reassigned according to organizational priority and manuscript urgency.
Team coordination
- Guide Revisors who require additional training or clarification.
- Authorize and coordinate temporary writing contributions from Revisors when Journalist capacity is insufficient.
- Report revision progress and unresolved concerns to the editorial leadership team.
Primary purpose
Editors combine the responsibilities of Journalists and Revisors with broader editorial coordination. Their central specialized responsibility is the development and refinement of manuscript figures.
Combined responsibilities
- Write manuscript content when required.
- Review, proofread, and provide feedback on manuscript sections.
- Coordinate Journalists, Revisors, and Head Revisors during manuscript development.
- Identify inconsistencies between sections and support their resolution.
- Ensure that manuscript content follows the approved outline and central hypothesis.
Figure development
- Prepare, fabricate, organize, and refine scientific figures.
- Translate data, mechanisms, and manuscript concepts into clear visual formats.
- Develop figure labels, legends, captions, annotations, and layouts.
- Confirm that figures accurately represent the corresponding manuscript content.
- Maintain consistent visual standards throughout the manuscript.
Editorial feedback
- Provide scientific, structural, linguistic, and visual feedback.
- Help determine whether sections require minor revision, major revision, or restructuring.
- Communicate major editorial concerns to the Head Editor or Branch Head.
Primary purpose
Head Editors may perform responsibilities ranging from manuscript writing through advanced editorial coordination. They also support the Branch Head by assuming delegated responsibilities and reducing the administrative and editorial burden of branch leadership.
Editorial responsibilities
- Perform the responsibilities of a Journalist, Revisor, Head Revisor, and Editor when necessary.
- Coordinate the overall editorial process for assigned manuscripts.
- Supervise manuscript consistency, figure development, and revision quality.
- Resolve editorial disagreements and determine appropriate next steps.
- Identify sections requiring restructuring, reassignment, or substantial revision.
Support for the Branch Head
- Assist with task distribution, member coordination, and deadline management.
- Monitor manuscript progress and report major concerns.
- Support final manuscript preparation and internal quality review.
- Assume delegated responsibilities when the Branch Head requires additional support.
- Represent the editorial team in meetings when requested.
Leadership expectation
- Maintain communication between writers, Revisors, Editors, and branch leadership.
- Ensure that editorial work remains organized, efficient, and consistent.
- Help prevent delays by identifying problems before they affect submission timelines.
Primary purpose
The Branch Head is the leader of an entire ISAD branch. This position carries final responsibility for branch performance, manuscript direction, team organization, recruitment, communication, and submission readiness.
Research direction
- Select appropriate research topics.
- Develop research questions and hypotheses.
- Create manuscript outlines and define the direction of each project.
- Evaluate project feasibility, relevance, scope, and academic value.
- Lead the team from topic selection through manuscript submission.
Manuscript leadership
- Distribute roles, sections, and responsibilities among team members.
- Monitor manuscript progress and maintain internal deadlines.
- Conduct final scientific, structural, and linguistic edits.
- Ensure compliance with journal-specific formatting requirements.
- Manage manuscript formatting and final document preparation.
- Prepare or supervise cover letters and rebuttal letters.
- Coordinate responses to editors and peer reviewers.
- Oversee the complete manuscript submission process.
Team leadership
- Lead branch meetings and establish priorities.
- Distribute workloads according to member ability, experience, and availability.
- Monitor participation, communication, professionalism, and performance.
- Address delays, incomplete work, internal concerns, and accountability issues.
- Support member training, evaluation, advancement, and role reassignment.
- Prepare and deliver branch progress reports.
Recruitment and administration
- Review membership applications.
- Conduct applicant interviews.
- Oversee branch recruitment and selection.
- Coordinate marketing, announcements, and branch promotion.
- Maintain branch records, expectations, and organizational standards.
Representation
- Serve as the first line of contact with ISAD Co-Founders.
- Serve as the first line of contact with supervising professors.
- Represent the branch in organizational discussions and leadership meetings.
- Communicate major developments, concerns, delays, and achievements.
- Ensure that all branch activities comply with ISAD policies and academic standards.
Editor In Chief (EIC)
Reviews manuscripts for publication, prepares final formatting, and coordinates manuscript work across all ISAD branches.
Determines whether a manuscript is ready for publication, requires revision, or should not proceed.
Formats approved manuscripts and checks figures, references, and journal requirements.
Tracks manuscript progress and coordinates publication work across every branch.
A distinct senior appointment available after completing service as a Branch Head. It is not part of the ordinary 01–07 progression.
Editorial Lead
Supports the Editor In Chief with manuscript formatting, figure production, and organization-wide editorial work.
Titles reflect responsibility, not time alone.
Advancement within ISAD is not automatic. Decisions may consider performance, communication, reliability, manuscript quality, leadership readiness, organizational need, and compliance with ISAD standards.