Michigan State University Press Publisher of Scholarly Books and Journals since 1947

The Michigan State University Press Editorial Advisory Board:

Sue Carter, Professor and MSU Press Editorial Advisory Board Chairperson, Michigan State University
William Castanier, Director, Castanier Public Relations
Stuart Gage, Professor, Entomology, Michigan State University
Kelly Millenbah, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
Anita Skeen, Professor, Department of English, Michigan State University
Curtis Stokes, Professor, James Madison College, Michigan State University
Ralph Taggart, Professor and Chairperson, Geological Sciences, Michigan State University
Larry Wagenaar, Executive Director, The Historical Society of Michigan
 
The Michigan State University Press Editorial Advisory Board shall consist of seven members selected from Michigan State University’s faculty and community, each appointed to serve a three-, two-, or one-year term.  These terms shall be staggered in such a way that one-third of the Board’s members will be newly appointed annually each September. Terms may be renewed for a maximum of six consecutive years. Faculty members selected for membership on the Board shall be appointed by the Provost and may be chosen from a list of candidates submitted by the Editorial Advisory Board Chair.     

The Editorial Advisory Board shall meet every other month during the academic year to advise the Press’s Editorial Staff (Director, Editor in Chief, and Acquisitions Editors). The Board Chair shall convene the Editorial Advisory Board and preside over its meetings. At these meetings the Board will make recommendations regarding manuscripts that have been submitted to the Press for possible publication. After reviewing manuscripts, peer reviews, marketing plans, and production budgets, the Editorial Advisory Board shall decide collectively about a work’s suitability for publication and inform the Editorial Staff of their collective decision. (See General Review Procedures, below.)     

In addition to advising the Editorial Staff as to the suitability for publication of manuscripts, the Michigan State University Press Editorial Advisory Board shall: 
1.  Assist the Editorial Staff in soliciting and acquiring new manuscripts.
2.  Assist the Editorial Staff in locating potential reviewers for manuscripts that are under consideration for peer evaluation.
3.  Actively promote Michigan State University Press, its interests, and the in­terests of scholarship, research, and scholarly publishing in general.
 

Book Manuscript Submissions

General Review Procedures
In the course of selecting manuscripts for publication, Michigan State University Press adheres to guidelines and standards established by the Association of American University Presses.  These procedures include blind peer review by competent scholars or other experts, as well as evaluation by a press editorial advisory board comprised of institutional faculty and community members. Based on these recommendations, as well as financial and other considerations, the editorial staff then makes a final determination for publication. At Michigan State University Press, this peer review and manuscript selection process will generally proceed in the following manner: 
1.  The Press’s Editorial Staff (Director, Editor in Chief, and Acquisitions Editors) will make initial determinations as to the suitability for publication of submitted manuscript proposals. 
2.  Those works that the Editorial Staff believe to be potentially worth publishing, and which fall within the Press's established publishing parameters, will be sent out for blind peer review to specialists who are competent to evaluate the nature and quality of the scholarship on which the manuscript is based. 
3.  When these peer evaluations are returned, the Press's Editorial Staff will deter­mine whether or not the manuscripts in ques­tion merit scrutiny by the Editorial Advisory Board.  
4.  At meetings convened by the Board Chair, the Board will review those manuscripts submitted to it by the Editorial Staff and will decide which ones it considers to be suitable for publication. Based on internal assessments made by the Press staff, outside peer review, marketing plans, production budgets, and  decisions reached as a result of their own deliberation, Board members will make a collective recommendation to the Editorial Staff as to the suitability of a manuscript for publication by Michigan State University Press. 
5.  After receiving the Board's recommendation, and after taking into consideration the remarks made by outside reviewers, as well as financial and other considerations, the Editorial Staff shall make a final determination as to whether or not a manuscript will be published.