Journal ownership and governance
The purpose of the Book Collections and Journals Governing Regulations is to manage the editorial process and criteria for all Editorial CSIC journals and book collections. They also regulate the CSIC Publications Commission and the management and governing bodies of journals and book collections.
Its “General Provisions” include (point 1.2.) the Legal regime applicable to CSIC publications and the Editorial and quality criteria (point 1.3.); these state that “Editorial CSIC is the unit responsible for publishing the institution’s official publications.” Point 1.3. c) further identifies the journals as official publications included in the publishing program of the General State Administration managed by Editorial CSIC. Likewise, point 1.3. d) indicates that “the use of the CSIC's identifying signs (name or logo) in any type of publication shall require the prior authorization of the Publications Commission [which] shall be automatically granted when the publication is included in CSIC’s Annual Publishing Program [managed by Editorial CSIC]”.
Point 2 defines the CSIC's Annual Editorial Program as “the planning instrument through which the CSIC decides which titles and journals [...] will be published each year by Editorial CSIC, also determining their inclusion in the Editorial Program of the Ministry to which the organization is attached.” It also states that “both journals and books must be included in the Annual Editorial Program” and that “journals are included ex officio in the Editorial Program by the publishing house’s editorial staff, without requiring the participation of the journals' Editorial Board in these procedures. The inclusion of a new journal in the Editorial Program requires the approval of the director of Editorial CSIC.” Therefore, Editorial CSIC is solely responsible for preparing the institution's Editorial Program proposal, which is submitted to the CSIC Publications Commission for approval. Once approved, it is sent to the Ministry to which the CSIC belongs for inclusion in the department’s Editorial Program and subsequent approval by the Council of Ministers.
In point 2.3., on Financing and budgetary regime, the regulation states that Editorial CSIC is responsible for the economic, budgetary, and contractual management and processing of CSIC's publishing activity. It also specifies that “the Annual Publishing Program shall be financed from the CSIC expenditure budget” and that “each expenditure file must be accompanied by a certificate from the Secretariat of the Publications Commission, confirming its inclusion in the CSIC Annual Publishing Program and its official identification number (NIPO)”.
Regarding the editorial board of journals, point 1.3. b) provides an initial description that is further developed in point 4 (pages 16 to 20). This section begins with the General criteria for journals, followed by the regulation on the organization of journals, which define and regulate both unipersonal and collegiate bodies, including their composition, appointments, dismissals, competencies, obligations, renewal, terms duration, etc.
Finally, point 5 of the regulation describes the aims, assignment, operating regime, composition, and functions of the CSIC Publications Commission, the collegiate body responsible for advising and guiding CSIC's publishing policy, which is carried out by Editorial CSIC.
