The high quality associated with TODS is due to the superb papers published by that journal. But those papers are the result of high quality submissions, which are the result of the authors' perception of the quality of the Editorial Board, and the result of a rigorous reviewing process, which is again principally dependent on the quality of the Editorial Board. The future of the journal rests on the selection of Associate Editors.

Prospective Associate Editors must meet the following qualifications.

• The prospect shall have a recognized international reputation for quality research in an area relevant to the scope of the journal. Good judgment by the prospect is critical to the editorial process, as the Associate Editor is ultimately responsible for making the accept/reject editorial decision.

• The Editorial Board in concert should adequately cover the scope of the journal.

• The prospect must understand what a good TODS paper consists of. Hence, he or she should have (co-)authored at least one TODS paper, and preferrably two or three TODS papers.

  (As of summer, 2003, 754 people had co-authored a TODS paper. 205 people had co-authored at least two such papers; almost 100 had co-authored three or more.)

• The prospect must understand the scientific reviewing process, from both the author and reviewer viewpoints. Hence, the prospect must have reviewed scientific papers and must have some editorial experience (say, by serving as a member of a program committee of a prominent database conference).

• The prospect must be known to be diligent in his or her professional service obligations. Each Associate Editor is expected to maintain a high level of responsiveness.

• Diversity, whether geographical, organizational, age, gender, or racial, is encouraged.

The Editor-in-Chief appoints Associate Editors. Upon invitation, the prospect will be asked to review the policies then in effect and to explicitly agree to effectively implement those policies.

Amended September 24, 2004