The hidden work of an associate editor

Serving as an Associate Editor for an IEEE journal is a rewarding role, but it also comes with a lot of behind-the-scenes work. I recently looked at how my editorial time is actually spent. The majority of my time (around 65%) goes into writing emails to identify and invite appropriate reviewers. This is essential work, but it can also be the most time-consuming and tedious part of the editorial process in my opinion. About 20% of my time is spent reading manuscripts, and the remaining 15% is devoted to communicating with authors and other editors. For me, the most rewarding parts of the editorial job are reading manuscripts and communicating with authors.