This operations manual provides guidance under the IEEE Magnetics Society Bylaws and Constitution for the operational aspects of Magnetics Society activities. The operations manual is subordinate to the Bylaws and Constitution. In the case of conflicting wording or lack of clarity, the Bylaws and, if necessary, the Constitution have precedence.

1. Operation of Conference Executive Committee (CEC)

1.1. The charge of the CEC is to provide support for, coordinate, manage, review, and approve all activities related to conferences sponsored or co-sponsored by the Magnetics Society.

1.2. The general charter of the CEC is defined in the Bylaws.

1.3. The specific CEC Responsibilities are defined in the Bylaws.

1.4. The membership of the CEC is defined in the Bylaws. One administrative assistant shall serve as a non-voting member of the CEC. Other paid administrative staff members may attend as guests if requested by the CEC chair.

1.5. The operational aspects of the CEC defined in this Operations Manual:

1.5.1. Meetings. The CEC shall meet usually twice a year to make or confirm major conference appointments, to formulate plans, and to receive reports from conference chairs.

1.5.2. Voting. The business of the CEC shall be conducted on the basis of a simple majority of those voting. The rules for a quorum, the passage of motions, and the recording of results shall be the same as for AdCom meetings. Except for incidental matters, documentation that forms the basis for discussion and ensuing motions at virtual meetings shall be circulated by electronic means at least ten days prior to a scheduled meeting.

1.5.3. Urgent Decisions. It is recognized that decisions regarding conferences are occasionally needed on short notice. When this occurs, the CEC Chair is allowed to take executive action subject to consultation with the President, or in her or his absence, the President-Elect. Such decisions shall be presented and ratified at the next meeting of the CEC and included in the minutes of record for the meeting.

1.5.4. Advances of Funds to Sponsored Activities. Disbursements from Society funds may be made as advances in the form of loans to sponsored conferences, symposia, workshops, or other appropriate technical activity upon request from the conference treasurer. Such loans are limited to technical activities sponsored by the Society and with budgets that have been approved by the CEC. The advances are to be repaid promptly upon the closing of the books for the sponsored activity or sooner.

1.5.5. Records and Reports. The CEC shall ensure that summary financial records are retained for all sponsored conferences for a period of seven years. In addition to the normal CEC reports to the AdCom, the CEC shall ensure that proper IEEE reports are filed for all sponsored conferences in a timely manner. It shall provide and retain appropriate conference documentation to newly created conference management committees according to their needs.

1.6. The operations of the INTERMAG Conference defined in this Operations Manual:

1.6.1. The CEC has direct and special responsibility for the flagship annual magnetics conference sponsored by the Society, namely, the IEEE International Magnetics Conference (INTERMAG)

1.6.2. Constitution. The CEC is responsible for maintenance of the INTERMAG Constitution. The Constitution and its revisions must be approved by the AdCom, and subsequently submitted to the secretary of the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB).

1.6.3. Memorandum of Understanding for Co-sponsored INTERMAG Conferences. Any agreement for the co-sponsorship of an INTERMAG Conference is to be detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by the CEC, cosigned by the President of the Society and an appropriate officer from the cosponsoring organization, and submitted to the secretary of TAB. This MOU must contain explicit agreements on financial responsibility.

1.6.4. Advance Planning. In view of potential conflicts with other conferences and IEEE functions of importance to the Society as well as the heavy demand for suitable conference hotels, the CEC shall endeavor to set the time, place, and format, and to select the General Chair, for each INTERMAG Conference well in advance of the conference. Preferably, such determinations should be made a minimum of 36 months in advance. This conference information shall then be provided immediately to TAB for an informal clearance of the dates and transfer to the IEEE Director of Operations for formal approval. The request for approval should be accompanied by such forms as required by the IEEE, including the “Information on IEEE Sponsored Conferences” form or any corresponding successor form.

1.6.5. Conference Management Committee. The General Chair shall assemble an appropriate Conference Management Committee for the specific organization and management of the INTERMAG Conference.

1.6.6. Finances. The General Chair and the Conference Management Committee are charged with careful and prompt attention to the formulation of a suitable INTERMAG Conference budget. The CEC shall then review, request modifications as needed, and provide preliminary approval for budget. Upon approval by the CEC, the Conference Treasurer shall complete and submit the “Summary Financial Report for IEEE Sponsored or Co-sponsored Conferences” form or any corresponding successor form, to the IEEE Director of Operations for review and final approval. The General Chair shall appoint an auditing 3 committee and ensure that the audit is carried out promptly and effectively at the end of the conference.

1.6.7. Non-U.S. INTERMAG Conferences. Additional arrangements beyond those stipulated above shall apply when the INTERMAG conference is held outside the United States. For the four major positions associated with conference organization, namely, the General Chair, the Treasurer, the Program Committee Chair, and the Publications Committee Chair, the CEC Chair shall appoint an experienced person to serve as Co-Chair, or in the case of the Treasurer, in a coposition.

1.7. The operations of the Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (MMM) defined in this Operations Manual:

1.7.1. The CEC has direct and special responsibility for the co-management of the annual U.S.-based Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, generally known as the MMM Conference. The specific arrangements for Society sponsorship of this meeting are given in the multi-year “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Conference Operating Agreement between the IEEE and the conference co-management entity.”

1.7.2. MMM Conference Constitution. The CEC is responsible for regular review of the MMM Conference Constitution.

1.7.3. MMM Conference Advisory Committee (MMM AdCom). The CEC is responsible for the appointment of suitable Society representatives to the MMM AdCom as provided for in the MMM Conference Constitution. The appointments will be made by the CEC chair, in consultation with the Society President in compliance with the stated term limits in the Conference Operating Agreement for the MMM and Joint MMM/INTERMAG conferences.

1.7.4. MMM Budget. As the authorized representative of the Society, the CEC shall review, require modifications as needed, and provide preliminary approval for the MMM Conference budget. The budget shall then be submitted, along with a certification of Society approval, to the IEEE through the TAB Secretary for final review and approval.

1.7.5. Records. The CEC Secretary, if appointed, or otherwise the Chair, shall include as part of the appropriate CEC meeting minutes of record, the meeting minutes of record for the MMM Steering Committee and the MMM Conference Advisory Committee

1.8. The operations of the JOINT MMM/INTERMAG Conference defined in this Operations Manual:

1.8.1. Joint MMM/INTERMAG Conference. The specific arrangements for Society sponsorship of and participation in this meeting are given in the above referenced MOU and Agreement. Principally, the position of General Chair for this conference alternates between individuals selected by the Society and the conference co-management entity. Budgets are subject to CEC review, 4 modification, and approval in the same manner as for INTERMAG and MMM conferences.

1.9. The operations of other sponsored and co-sponsored conference defined in this Operations Manual:

1.9.1. Other Sponsored Conferences. The CEC shall assume appropriate responsibility for other conferences sponsored by the Society with financial responsibility, such as the Magnetic Recording Conference (TMRC) and the Magnetic Frontiers Conference, among others. Any conference sponsored by the Society with financial responsibility that is intended to be a continuing periodic event shall be covered by the Constitution.

1.9.2. Other Co-sponsored Conferences. In the case of conferences that are cosponsored by the Society with some other IEEE or non-IEEE entity, and for which the Society has financial responsibility, the CEC shall assume appropriate responsibility for the sound management of said conference in the best interests of the Society. It shall also be proactive in the establishment of a suitable IEEEapproved MOU for conference governance.

2.1. The Publication Committee manages all aspects of the publications related to the Magnetics Society.

2.2. The membership of the publications committee and the procedure for appointment of the publications committee chair and associate chair(s) are defined in the Bylaws.

2.3. The reporting of publication activities to AdCom is defined in the Bylaws.

2.4. The preparation and reporting of budgets are defined in the Bylaws.

2.5. Solicitation of candidates for chief editor positions is defined in the Bylaws.

2.6. The process for the appointment of editors and editorial board members defined in this Operations Manual:

2.6.1. Chief Editors. The Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, the Chief Editor of IEEE Magnetics Letters, and the Magnetics Society Chief OpenAccess Editor, are appointed by the Publications Chair and approved by AdCom.

2.6.2. Editors. The Editors of IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, the Editors of IEEE Magnetics Letters, and the Associate Editors of the Magnetics Society section of IEEE Access, are appointed by their respective Chief Editors.

2.6.3. Newsletter Editor(s). The editor(s) of the Magnetics Society Newsletter, appointed by the Publications Chair, shall have responsibility for the solicitation and assembly of suitable material and publication of the newsletter to serve the best interests of the Society, with direction from the Publications Chair and the President.

2.6.4. Book Publisher Liaison(s). The Publications Chair may appoint liaisons with book publishers, including IEEE Press, at his or her discretion, in order to promote the publication of new or reissued books on topics in magnetics.

2.6.5. Editorial Board Members. At the discretion of the Publications Chair, the Committee may include the members of the editorial boards of the Society's journals, appointed by their respective Chief Editors.

2.6.6. Representatives to Journals Co-Sponsored by the Magnetics Society. At the discretion of the Publications Chair, the Committee may include the Magnetics Society representatives to the steering committees or editorial boards of journals co-sponsored by the Magnetics Society

2.6.7. Others. At the discretion of the Publications Chair, the Committee may include others.

2.7. Paid Editorial Assistant(s). Subject to AdCom approval of the budget and approval by the President, the Publications Chair may appoint paid Editorial Assistant(s). The Publications Chair may request Editorial Assistant(s) to be assigned by IEEE to help manage the Society’s article submission and peer-review platform(s).

2.8. Special Journal Issues. The journals of the Society may publish special issues, including conference-related issues. In order to recover the associated costs of conference-related issues, in whole or in part, the Publications Chair or his or her designee shall be authorized to bill the conferences according to a formula approved by AdCom.

2.9. Author Appeals. Authors may appeal decisions made by the journal editors to the Chief Editors. The Publications Chair shall be the final authority within the Society for author appeals of decisions made by the Chief Editors.

2.10. Expense Approvals. The Publications Chair shall approve all publications expense vouchers, receipts, and invoices submitted by Publications Committee members (e.g., for travel to IEEE Panel of Editors meetings) and contractors (e.g., Editorial Assistants). The Publications Chair shall then forward them to the Secretary-Treasurer for approval and payment by IEEE. The Secretary-Treasurer shall approve reimbursement of expenses submitted by the Publications Chair.

2.11. Liaison with IEEE. The Publications Chair shall serve as the liaison for the Society with IEEE Publishing Operations and IEEE boards and committees, with the same status as the "Vice President for Publications" or positions with similar titles in other IEEE societies.

2.12. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics (the Transactions) shall be a primary publication of the Magnetics Society. It shall contain the technical papers, review papers, and essential notices that constitute the primary output of the Society. (Reproduced for reference from the Bylaws).

2.12.1. Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief of the Transactions shall have responsibility for the content of the Transactions, the approval of page proofs, and establishing subject areas and their associated article-number prefixes. At his or her discretion, the Editor-in-Chief may serve as the Editor for some submitted articles. The Editor-in-Chief shall handle author appeals of decisions made by the Editors.

2.12.2. Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief may appoint Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief with approval of the Publications Chair.

2.12.3. Editors. The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint Editors as needed. These editors shall receive manuscripts, process the reviews, and make editorial decisions.

2.12.4. Advances in Magnetics Editors. The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint Advances in Magnetics Editor(s) for the identification and promotion of special articles or series of articles that address timely topics in review or tutorial format.

2.12.5. Conference Editor. The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint a Conference Editor to manage the journal's conference-related issues and serve as a voting member of the Conference Executive Committee (CEC). The Conference Editor may schedule and appoint guest editors for special issues of the journal. He or she may delegate the corresponding responsibility to these guest editors for the peer review of the technical papers.

2.12.6. Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint members of an Editorial Board, as needed, to advise on the operations of the Transactions.

2.13. IEEE Magnetics Letters. IEEE Magnetics Letters (IML) is a rapid-publication, primarily electronic, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to magnetics articles of current interest. It is published continuously on IEEE's Xplore platform. An annual volume may be published for print subscribers (Reproduced for reference from the Bylaws).

2.13.1. Chief Editor. The Chief Editor of IML shall have responsibility for the content of IML, the approval of page proofs, and establishing subject areas and their associated article-number prefixes. At his or her discretion, the Chief Editor may serve as the Editor for some submitted articles. The Chief Editor shall handle author appeals of decisions made by the Editors.

2.13.2. Editors. The Chief Editor shall appoint Editors and Associate Editors. These Editors shall receive manuscripts, process the reviews, and make editorial decisions.

2.13.3. Editorial Review Board. The Editor may appoint members of a dedicated Editorial Review Board, who may be called upon to anonymously review submitted articles in a timely manner.

2.14. Magnetics Society Section of IEEE Access. The Magnetics Society shall be responsible for a section of IEEE’s open-access multidisciplinary journal, IEEE Access. Articles shall focus on the Society’s field of interest (Reproduced for reference from the Bylaws).

2.14.1. Magnetics Society Chief Open-Access Editor. The Chief Open-Access Editor shall serve as an Associate Editor of the Magnetics Society section of IEEE Access.

2.14.2. Associate Editors. The Chief Open-Access Editor may appoint additional Associate Editors of the of the Magnetics Society section of IEEE Access.

2.15. Terms and Performance Reviews of Chief Editors These are defined by IEEE requirements and reproduced here as an aide-memoire.

2.15.1. Terms. Chief Editors shall have an initial appointment for a two-year term and a limit of two reappointments (total six years of consecutive service). After a break in service of at least three years, a former Chief Editor may be reappointed as Chief Editor for an initial two-year term. A former Chief Editor of a Magnetics Society journal may serve as the Chief Editor of another Magnetics Society journal.

2.15.2. Performance Reviews. At least every two years, and before any reappointment, Chief Editors shall have performance reviews conducted by the Publications Chair and/or the Associate Publications Chair. Chief Editors shall be evaluated based on factors that include quality of published articles, adequacy of peer reviews, and timeliness of editorial decisions and publication. Chief Editors shall not be evaluated based on journal citation metrics. At least three months before the end of a term, the Publications Chair shall solicit comments on the performance of Chief Editors from members of the AdCom.