Australasian Historical Archaeology (AHA) is the annual peer-reviewed journal produced by the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology. It is seen by the Society’s members as a critical part of their membership and is a vital conduit for dissemination of information related to historical archaeology in the region.
Following a recent review of the production of the AHA Journal assisted by an expert sub-Committee in late 2024, the ASHA Committee is seeking Expressions of Interest for a new position, namely Editor-in-Chief for the AHA Journal. We are seeking EOI’s from interested individuals that possess the personal attributes, experience and skills required to make a positive contribution to the future of the AHA Journal.
The new Editor-in-Chief would be appointed by mid-2025 and would commence with responsibility for Volume 43 of the AHA Journal.
The Editor-in-Chief would:
1. Be accountable to the ASHA Committee for the publication of the annual journal Australasian Historical Archaeology
2. Provide a central point of contact with responsibility for responding to emails related to the journal
3. Work in concert with other relevant positions such as the Associate Editors (see below for their role), Reviews Editor, the Monograph Editors, the Editorial Board (see below) and others as may be determined by the Executive Committee
4. Serve for a minimum renewable term of 3 years
There would be clear expectations and performance indicators established with the ASHA Committee. At a minimum these would be:
- Publication of annual volume of AHA within the calendar year (for Volume 43, this would be 2026)
- Attendance at the annual ASHA conference to report at the AGM and respond to membership queries related to the Journal and its operations
- Monthly reporting to the Executive Committee on progress against milestones (see below)
- Failure to produce the annual volume would result in the Editor-in-Chief being required to provide the Executive Committee with a reasonable explanation and plan for timely publication
- Failure to produce the annual volume within two calendar years of its expected publication would result in the Editor-in-Chief being removed from office
A shared repository (eg Dropbox, GoogleDrive) would be established so that papers, reviews, proofs and an overview of progress is accessible to the Editor-in-Chief and the ASHA Executive at all times.
Relevant milestones would be established for reporting to the Executive Committee, such as:
- receipt of manuscripts
- manuscripts sent to reviewers
- reviews returned to authors
- revised manuscripts returned to editor
- proofs sent out and returned
- volume sent to copy editor
- distribution of printed volume
The ASHA Committee is not able to provide payment for the Editor-in-Chief position. However, the Editor-in-Chief would receive free annual ASHA Conference registration and the ASHA Committee would also consider payment of conference travel costs (to a maximum agreed for that calendar year with the ASHA Committee).
Other matters
Once appointed the Editor-in-Chief may appoint Associate Editors in consultation with the Editorial Board:
- Associate Editors may take future responsibility for editing individual volumes, including generating copy and reporting to Editor-in-Chief
- Associate Editors to form a pool of potential successors to role of Editor-in-Chief
The role of the ASHA Editorial Board is to be clarified and strengthened by ASHA in conjunction with appointment of a new AHA Journal Editor-in-Chief.
It is anticipated that:
- The Editor-in-Chief would appoint Board members in consultation with the ASHA Executive Committee
- The Editor-in-Chief would determine the position description and expectations of Board members in consultation with the ASHA Executive Committee.
Expectations may include:
- Approaching potential authors
- Reviewing papers
- Advising Editor-in-Chief on complex editorial issues
- In exceptional circumstances, alerting the Executive Committee of potential problems
It is envisioned that:
- The Editorial Board would consist of 8-12 members and aim to provide diversity of gender, career stages, areas of industry, and broad regional representation
- Board members would not simultaneously be members of the ASHA Committee
- The Editor-in-Chief would not to be simultaneously a member of the Editorial Board
- Board members would be appointed for a 3-year renewable term
- The Editor-in-Chief would be required to consult the Board at least twice a year
An EOI which outlines relevant experience and interest in the position should be sent to the ASHA Secretary ([email protected]) by 5.00 pm (AEST) on 30th April 2025.