Editors in academia: how do they think, what do they do and why care?

Scott Gates, editor-in-chief of Peace Research, takes us on a tour inside an editor’s mind! As modern academics we relate to editors all the time. Even though few act as editors-in-chief, many of us are special issue editors. How do good editors work? What do they aim for and how do they work to achieve it? What are the risks and advantages of being an editor? How important are editors and how do their roles vary across journals and editorial tasks?