Analysis of repeated roles in editorial boards at oncology focused journals

Our objective was to investigate current landscape of editorial board members at oncology journals with a focus on characteristics of editorial board members who serve on editorial boards at multiple journals concurrently.

We conducted a cross-sectional study describing characteristics of editorial board members at oncology journals with an impact factor (IF) of ≥ 10 in the 2020 Journal Citation Reports.

A total of 73 journals in the period of 2016-2020 were analyzed. A total of 5833 editorial roles were included in our final analysis of which 3979 (68%) roles were carried by men and 3572 (61%) were members located in the US. Repeated roles occurred in 1101 (19%; range: 2-6 roles) of total included editorial roles and were distributed in 488 distinct editorial members. Most editorial board members with repeated roles carried either 2 roles (80%) or 3 roles (17%); however, 18 (3%) editorial board members carried ≥ 4 roles at different journals. A total of 23% of editors-in-chief carried another editorial role at a different journal. Only 1% of all editorial roles were carried by individuals affiliated with universities located in low- or middle-income countries.

One-fifth of the editorial board positions were held by members who served on more than one editorial board, including members serving as editors-in-chief. Editors with repeated roles may be at higher risk for influence from competing interests and diminished quality of work, may contribute to publication delays, and may limit editorial opportunities for other qualified scientists.

A considerable number of editorial team members had multiple roles across various cancer-focused journals, including members serving as editors in chief. Such repeated roles limit appropriate representation and hinders diversity in academia. Regulations to prevent repeated editorial roles are needed.