Academic Editors and Specialized Editors: An Approach to Editorial Practice in Open-Access University Academic Journals in Chile

Abstract

The aim of this article is to characterize the working dynamics between academic editors and specialized editors at a group of Chilean open-access journals based in public and private universities. The text examines specific aspects of the editorial process—such as author management, peer review, Open Journal Systems (OJS) administration, design and layout, XML markup, dissemination efforts, and applications for indexing—from a contextualized perspective. It seeks to broaden the scope of university-based scientific knowledge production and publication by framing editorial work more widely as a cultural process. Drawing on self-administered structured interviews, document analysis, and the author’s own professional practice, the study highlights gaps in training for academic editing and a reductive view of the role's scope, while also demonstrating the potential benefits of having stable, specialized support from the traditional publishing sector.