Peitho Bylaws
Peitho is the peer-reviewed journal of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition. Published twice each year, Peitho seeks to encourage, advance, and publish original research in the history of rhetoric and composition, including its sister disciplines of communication and gender studies. We publish both externally peer reviewed traditional length essays and shorter reflective pieces in addition to cluster conversations, special issues, and book reviews.
Revised: 1 January 2024
This document outlines the mission and organizational structure, including the responsibilities of the Editorial Team and Editorial Board and the processes for Peitho, the peer-reviewed journal of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC).
Mission
Peitho exists to support the Coalition’s mission: to encourage, advance, and publish innovative “feminist research…across histories, locales, identities, materialities, and media…” We expect reviewers to adhere to antiracist principles for reviewing.
Organizational Structure
Three groups participate in Peitho’s planning and production: the journal’s Editorial Team (Editor, Associate Editor, Editorial Assistant(s), and Peitho Web Coordinator), the journal’s Editorial Board, and the CFSHRC Executive Board (represented by at least one member on the journal’s Editorial Board).
Editorial Team
The Editorial Team consists of an Editor, Associate Editor, any Editorial Assistants hired by the Editor or Associate Editor directly, and the Peitho Web Coordinator. Each of these positions may be held collaboratively, filled by multiple individuals if so desired.
The Editor and Associate Editor hold their positions for four years. An Editorial Assistant may hold their position up to four years; an individual may serve more than one term if conditions warrant. The Peitho Web Coordinator holds the position for a two-year renewable term.
The Editor has full purview over the editorial content and production of the journal, managing the submission, review, editorial, and online publication processes; the editor may also choose to share responsibility for a designated issue or issues with one or more Special Issue Editors. The Editor is responsible for producing fall, winter, spring, and summer issues of Peitho each year.
The Associate Editor is responsible for book reviews in each issue, for following up with authors who receive revise and resubmit requests and, if desired, finding mentors to assist prospective authors with interpreting reviewer comments and refining drafts. In consultation with the Editorial Team, and, where appropriate, with the approval of the Editorial Board, the Associate Editor may take on additional projects related to the journal as desired/needed.
The Editorial Assistant(s) is responsible for facilitating the daily work of the journal: contacting reviewers and submitters, answering emails, and other projects as determined by the Editor and/or Associate Editor.
The Peitho Web Coordinator is responsible for uploading each issue of the journal (currently published four times per year), archiving past issues, and helping to complete special journal features as determined via collaborations between the Peitho Editorial Team and the CFSHRC Executive Board.
The journal is co-hosted by the CFSHRC and WAC Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse posts and archives issues on its website. All issues prior to Spring 2024 also remain archived on the CFSHRC’s website.
Staffing is at the Editor’s discretion (with the exception of the Associate Editorship).
The Editor and Associate Editor are ex officio (nonvoting) members of the CFSHRC Advisory Board and are asked to function in such a manner. Per the CFSHRC Bylaws, Advisory Board members are expected to “participate…during the annual Advisory Board meeting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, as well as occasionally by written consent throughout the year […] In addition to any duties and power conferred on it by the Executive Board, the Advisory Board shall attend Executive Board meetings and serve as mentors at Coalition sessions.” Additionally, they are asked to attend Advisory Board meetings at the biannual Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference as well as the CFSHRC Wednesday night open meeting, held annually at the Conference for College Composition and Communication.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Editorial Team
- Appoint the Editorial Board (see below for details).
- Call and attend regular Editorial Team meetings with the Editorial Board Chair and CFSHRC representative on the Editorial Board attending as needed.
- Send submitted manuscripts out for review
- Maintain communications with corresponding authors
- Provide reviews of manuscripts in a timely manner
- Offer respectful and constructive reviews of material submitted
- Maintain fair practices regarding submission reviews (i.e., blind submissions, blind reviews)
- Evaluate book review submissions
- Track all submissions.
- Write the introduction to each issue or in collaboration with special issue editors, as appropriate
- Prepare accepted manuscripts for layout
- Encourage submissions to the journal
- Offer mentorship to authors who receive revise and resubmits
- Call for special issue proposals as desired, evaluate them, and oversee their production in collaboration with special issue editors
- Collaborate, as appropriate, with the Executive Board of the CFSHRC on special journal features
- Maintain close communication with the Editorial Board and the CFSHRC Executive Board
Editor/Associate Editor and Peitho Web Coordinator Selection Process
At least one year prior to an anticipated Editor opening, and at least six months prior to an anticipated Associate Editor or Peitho Web Coordinator opening, the Chair of the Editorial Board will circulate a call for applications. The Chair will distribute applications to the Editorial Board, which will rank its top candidate/candidates. To enable an onboarding period, the incoming Editor(s) shall be asked to commit to a 6-month onboarding experience prior to the official start of their term. The onboarding arrangement can be worked out between outgoing and incoming Editors.
The Chair, Editor, Associate Editor, and CFSHRC Executive Board Representative on Peitho’s Editorial Board will interview the top candidate/candidates. Afterward, the Chair will share findings and make a recommendation regarding final selection to the Editorial Board, which will vote on the recommendation.
Once the Editorial Board has selected an applicant, the Chair will forward its recommendation to the full CFSHRC Executive Board for approval.
- If the selected applicant is not approved by the Executive Board, the Chair will return to the Editorial Board and strategize next steps.
- If the selected applicant is approved by the Executive Board, the Chair of the Editorial Board will invite the applicant to accept the open Editor/Associate Editor or Peitho Web Coordinator position.
Once accepted, the CFSHRC President will announce the appointment to the Coalition’s Advisory Board and general membership.
Editor/Associate Editor and Peitho Web Coordinator Removal Process
A member of the Editorial Team may be removed for sufficient cause based on the complaint of an Editorial Board member or a member of the CFSHRC Executive Board. Removal will be contingent on a quorum vote of the CFSHRC Executive Board and a two-thirds majority vote of the Editorial Board.
Budget
Beginning January 1, 2024, the Editor(s) shall be allocated an annual operating budget of up to $3,000 per year for two years, on a trial basis, in an account established by the Editor(s), to provide funding for software and technology, training, interns, stipends, publicity, and other costs associated with the development of regular and special issues. The budget shall be reestablished in 2025, i.e., unused funds will not accumulate.
Editorial Board
Publication of Peitho shall be overseen by the Editorial Board while editorial responsibilities shall remain the purview of the Editorial Team.
Each new Editor will have the opportunity to reconstitute the Editorial Board with the following: the Editorial Board will be composed of the Editor and Associate Editor of Peitho, who serve as ex officio (nonvoting) members, and a CFSHRC Executive Board member. At least half of the remaining Editorial Board members will be drawn from the CFSHRC Advisory Board while the other half may be of the Editor’s choosing.
The established Editorial Board will remain in place during transitions between outgoing and incoming Editors; it will stay intact until the incoming Editor has formed a new Editorial Board and the CFSHRC Executive Board Representative on the established Editorial Board has overseen the election of a new Editorial Board Chair.
The Chair of the Editorial Board will call and attend Board meetings. The Chair will also attend Editorial Team meetings with the Editor, Associate Editor, and CFSHRC Representative on the Editorial Board as needed. The Chair of the Editorial Board will initiate and coordinate searches for Editor/Associate Editor and Web Coordinator positions when needed (cf. “Editor/Associate Editor and Peitho Web Coordinator Selection Process” in Editorial Team section of the bylaws).
The Chair and Editorial Board will recommend a course of action to the Coalition’s Executive Board in the case of gross negligence by a member of the journal’s Editorial Team.
Chair Removal Process
The Chair of the Editorial Board may be removed for sufficient cause based on the complaint of the Editorial Team, an Editorial Board member, or a member of the Coalition’s Executive Board. Removal will be contingent on a quorum vote of the CFSHRC Executive Board and a two-thirds majority vote of the Editorial Board.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Editorial Board
Editorial Board positions are voluntary. There will be no remuneration or compensation for members of the Editorial Board, who will serve in the following ways for the duration of their term:
- Advise and support the Editorial Team
- Review and evaluate applications for Editor/Associate Editor positions
- Assist in making decisions on manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest
- Serve as a pool of essay reviewers and/or author mentors for the journal
- Act as ambassadors for the journal, encouraging submissions
- Review and evaluate proposals for Special Issues
- Provide feedback and vote on policy developments when necessary
- Assist in planning for the future of the journal
- Submit manuscripts to the journal for consideration when appropriate
CFSHRC Executive Board
To ensure that the CFSHRC Executive Board has representation on Peitho’s Editorial Board, at least one member of the journal’s Editorial Board will be from CFSHRC Executive Board.
Roles and Responsibilities of the CFSHRC Representative
- Attend Editorial Team meetings with the Editorial Team and Chair
- Oversee Peitho during transitions between outgoing and incoming Editors
- Oversee election of new Editorial Board Chairs
- Oversee and support collaboration between the Editorial Team and the CFSHRC Executive Board
- Contribute to the journal’s long-term planning
