CZ:Charter drafting committee/Position statements/David E. Volk

I am an active Editor and Author in Chemistry and Biology. As a member of the Editorial Council (2008-2010) I have written and been the driver of 2 of the 7 accepted proposals, Medical Disclaimers and Create workgroup style guides. I also serve as an Editorial Personnel Administrator] approval applications for Editorship.

My general goals in writing the Charter are to maintain the quality of CZ articles and the maintainance of civility in our discourse. To that end, I believe our charter must include protections for authors from editors, constables, and Editor in Chief, a provision holding all citizens to a high standard of conduct and a means for dealing with editorial disputes between equal numbers of editors. Minimum activity levels, especially for members of the Editorial Council and other panels may be a requirement worth considering, especially in terms of forum activity so that good ideas do not die from lack of reasoned responses.

In terms of aricle approvals, I am in favor of smaller articles being approved. It is easier for any one editor to approve of a smaller article and subsequently quickly read improvements in the draft for a swift re-approval process.