Call for Submissions Editors (Summer 2024 and Fall/Winter 2024-2025)

Spectrum is an interdisciplinary undergraduate journal at the University of Alberta, managed through the Undergraduate Research Initiative. Spectrum is open to submissions from undergraduate students from any post-secondary institution, and is a venue for students to showcase the work they have completed over the duration of their undergraduate careers. The day to day operations of the journal are carried out by a student editorial board, composed of graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines. Together, the editorial board oversees the journal workflow - promotion of the journal, screening of submissions, assignment of editors and reviewers, correspondence with authors, and production of two issues per academic year.

Submissions editors perform most of the day-to-day editorial work of the journal. This is a volunteer commitment (average 3-5 hours/week, depending on submission volume). Duties and responsibilities include:

• Regularly attend editorial team meetings (normally every 2 weeks during the academic year, less frequently in summer months).
• Receive new submissions and perform a preliminary review to determine whether submissions align with Spectrum aims and scope, and decide whether the submissions are suitable to send for a full peer review.
• Facilitate the peer review process, including selection and assignment of reviewers to submissions, monitoring progress of peer reviews, thanking peer reviewers, consolidating reviewer feedback, and synthesizing reviewer feedback to make appropriate editorial decisions and requests for revisions.
• Communicate editorial decisions to authors in a timely, professional, and constructive manner.
• Communicate regularly with other members of the editorial team, including the journal manager, other submissions editors, copyeditors, and production editors, to steward submissions through the publication process.
• Collaborate with student journal editors from other journals on projects/events of mutual interest, such as training opportunities, promotional events, and student editorial roundtables/forums.
• Contribute to a positive team culture, continuous improvement of journal operations, and sustainable editorial team transitions.

Basic Eligibility:

• The current call for submissions editors is for Summer 2024 and the 2024/2025 academic year. New editors will be onboarded and trained over the summer, and are expected to remain on the editorial board in the 2024/2025 academic year. Students who are graduating in summer 2024, and who are not continuing their studies in Fall 2024 will NOT be considered.
• Submissions editors may be undergraduate or graduate students in any discipline.
• Submissions editors must have completed at least one full year of study and have satisfactory academic standing.

Potential submissions editors should be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• A genuine interest in reading research from a variety of disciplines and learning about various disciplinary norms and methodological approaches.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, and awareness of different communication styles, particularly in the context of a largely virtual (online) work environment.
• Excellent time management skills, including the ability to meet deadlines and proactively communicate with others (e.g. reviewers, authors, other editors) to ensure that editorial decisions can be made in a timely manner.
• Excellent organizational skills, including information management, to ensure consistency and continuity throughout editorial processes.
• Ability to work collaboratively with editors, authors, and reviewers from a wide range of academic backgrounds, diverse lived experiences, and different levels of familiarity with the publication process.
• A strong desire to learn, embrace constructive feedback, and strive for continuous improvement.
• Good problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• While previous editorial experience is NOT required, we look for candidates who have a genuine interest in supporting fellow students, and who can provide supportive, constructive feedback to help authors, editors, and reviewers succeed in their respective roles. Previous experience with formal or informal peer review is an asset (but is not required).

All incoming Spectrum editors will be required to complete introductory orientation and training, which includes the following:

• Privacy, Security and Confidentiality training (~30 min online)
• Introductory Submissions Editor training, which includes general training in editorial roles and responsibilities, ethical considerations in scholarly publishing, copyright, as well as specific training related to Spectrum (i.e. editorial policies, workflows) (approx. 6 hours, online or hybrid - schedule to be determined based on editor availability)
• Open Journal Systems (OJS) training, which introduces editors to the software platform used to manage Spectrum (and many other academic journals worldwide). (approx. 2 hours, online)

New submissions editors normally work collaboratively with an experienced editor on their first submission, and will have ongoing opportunities for training and development throughout their term as editors.

We are NOT currently recruiting copyeditors and production editors; however, submissions editors with an interest in these more specialized roles may complete training for those roles when it is offered in Fall 2024.

How to apply:  

Students who are interested in applying for a submissions editor role are urged to apply via this Google Form by Friday, May 3, 2024.