The Leading Edge Editorial Board
The Leading Edge Editorial Board
Overview
The purpose of The Leading Edge, universally known as TLE, is to provide timely dissemination of information likely to interest the SEG membership. TLE serves as an important vehicle for the exchange of technical information and Society news.
Objectives
The TLE Editorial Board is caretaker of the editorial policies and practices of TLE and periodically reviews and adjusts them in response to changes in geophysical practice and Society information-dissemination needs.
One of the Editorial Board’s main functions is to determine the monthly special sections in TLE’s editorial calendar and appoint appropriate guest editors for these sections. Themes for special sections should be published a year in advance of publication month to give the authors who wish to submit an article on a special-section topic ample opportunity to do so.
The Editorial Board also reviews, or ensures adequate review of, the submitted articles that deal with technical subjects to assure that they do not violate the accepted laws of geophysics, are of significant interest to and readily accessible by a high percentage of the membership, and conform to Society policies regarding political issues or commercialism. The Editorial Board delegates review and editing of nontechnical material to staff yet ensures this content is handled fairly and consistently and elevated for Editorial Board review if sensitive or controversial.
The TLE Editorial Board is empowered to recommend its choice for the Best Paper in The Leading Edge award, as well as honorable mentions, to the SEG Board of Directors. Casting votes are all the seated Editorial Board members and Editorial Board members of the year prior to the vote if they are no longer seated. Furthermore, best-paper nominations are solicited from the membership at large by means of an announcement in the November issue of TLE. Criteria for the best paper include that it be concise, clear, original, applicable, and have technical and/or educational impact. All papers are eligible for the award, except Departments, interviews, and staff- and ghost-written articles. Editorial Board member–authored articles are acceptable for nomination, but these authors can neither nominate nor vote for themselves. Voting for such papers will be normalized by the number of eligible voters.
The selection process is as follows:
• TLE staff solicits nominations from special section guest editors and coordinators of up to two papers from each special section published during the previous year. TLE staff also collects nominations received from the membership at large and runs a report in the ScholarOne Manuscripts submission system to identify Standalone Technical Papers that reviewers and editors have noted should be considered for the Best Paper award.
• TLE staff compiles a list of all nominees and distributes the list and a scoring sheet to the Editorial Board and other eligible voters in advance of the January meeting of the Editorial Board.
• In advance of the January TLE Editorial Board meeting, current Editorial Board members and other eligible voters score each nominated paper using the scoring sheet supplied by TLE staff.
• TLE staff compiles scores from all eligible voters and ranks the papers in order based on those cumulative scores.
• At the January meeting or as soon as all scores are tabulated, the merits of the top-ranked papers (usually the top three or four) are discussed by the Editorial Board members and other voting members present. If no objections to the scoring are raised, the highest-scoring paper receives the award. If one or more papers score nearly as high as the winner, the Editorial Board may bestow one or more Honorable Mentions.
• If there are objections to the initial scoring, or if the results of the scoring do not indicate a clear winner, a 3-2-1 point vote can be called in which each voter assigns 3 points to the voter’s favorite paper, 2 to the second, and 1 to the third. The highest-scoring paper of this 3-2-1 vote receives the award. If one or more papers score nearly as high as the winner, the Editorial Board may bestow one or more Honorable Mentions.
• The TLE chair, or the staff liaison on behalf of the TLE chair, conveys the results of voting to the SEG Board of Directors for final approval. The President contacts the winning author(s). The winner is recognized at the following SEG Annual Meeting.
Composition and Membership
The TLE Editorial Board consists of nine members, including a chair appointed by the SEG President. The President typically selects a person recommended for chair by the TLE Editorial Board. The person recommended for chair is usually an Editorial Board member who has served as least two years of a four-year Editorial Board term. Terms of Editorial Board members are staggered to assure continuity. Outgoing Editorial Board members typically nominate their own successors, and the nominees become new Editorial Board members upon their election by the full Editorial Board. On rare occasions, to assist in continuity, the President may ask the chair to serve a fifth year, and in rare instances, the Editorial Board may extend the term of another Editorial Board member for a fifth year also to facilitate continuity.
Current Leadership (2026–2027):
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chair | Vladimir Kazei |
| Board Liaison | Alison Malcolm |
| Staff Liaison | Steve Brown |
Policy and Procedures
The official SEG Policy and Procedures Manual section for this committee can be accessed here: → SEG Policy and Procedures Manual
Annual Reports
Below are recent annual reports submitted to the SEG Board:
- {2024 Report}
- 2025 Report
Meetings
The TLE Editorial Board may meet at any time but typically holds three regularly scheduled meetings during a calendar year: in Q1 and Q3 (by phone/online conference) and a face-to-face meeting during the SEG Annual Meeting in the fall. The date for each meeting is selected by a poll of Editorial Board members. A proposed agenda, prepared by the TLE Managing Editor and approved by the chair, is circulated about one week prior to each scheduled meeting to give Editorial Board members an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the items and to add other items. After each meeting, minutes summarizing key decisions and action items of each meeting are prepared and circulated by the TLE Managing Editor.
Resources and Links
Contact
For questions or to express interest in volunteering for this committee, please contact: [email protected]