Assistant Editor

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Purpose of the Role

Assistant Editors play an important role in the manuscript ‘submission to Decisions’ process, overseeing tasks such as conducting suitability checks, finding and assigning EBMs, Peer Reviewers and managing communication with editors, reviewers, and authors. AEs are also responsible for cultivating professional relationships with peer reviewers and editors to ensure effective communication and engagement. They play a key role in facilitating decision-making, resolving author queries and ensuring manuscripts progress smoothly through the publishing pipeline. Furthermore, they monitor the overall health of the journal by reviewing its performance, identifying challenges and proposing solutions. In essence, they act as catalysts in the peer review process, ensuring high-quality manuscripts are delivered to EBMs and peer review is conducted efficiently and within set timelines.

Responsibilities

1. Quality Checks and Suitability Assessment:

• Perform thorough editorial checks on submitted manuscripts to ensure they meet our journal’s guidelines and standards, determining suitability for peer review and editor assignment
• Ensure that the submitted manuscript aligns with the scope and focus of the journal to which it has been submitted
• Review manuscripts to verify they are not sourced from paper mills, and take appropriate action if any are identified
• Ensure that duplicate manuscripts do not pass through the review process
• Identify and follow the correct process for handling appealed manuscripts by coordinating with internal editors or Editorial board members (EBMs)
• Ensure that all ethical standards, including human, animal, and plant ethics, research integrity, and plagiarism checks, are thoroughly complied with the journal policies

2. Manuscript Pipeline Management:

• Oversee and manage the journal's manuscript pipeline from submission to the final decision, ensuring smooth and timely processing of all submissions
• Ensure that all stages of manuscript processing adhere to the standard turnaround time (TAT), and take appropriate action for any delays
• Actively monitor the progress of manuscripts throughout the review process, offering support where needed to ensure timely completion and final decisions

3. Editor Assignment:

• Invite Editors or assign manuscripts to the appropriate handling editor based on subject expertise and workload
• Ensure that EBMs are engaged and taking action within the established timelines, and take appropriate measures if there are any delays

4. Editor Support and Collaboration:

• Provide ongoing support to editors throughout the peer review process, creating strong working relationships to facilitate smooth operations
• Collaborate closely with editorial staff to improve processes and implement new initiatives for the continuous enhancement of the review process

5. Finding reviewers and peer review support:

• AEs are responsible for finding suitable reviewers on manuscripts whenever required
• Track the progress of peer reviews, ensuring that feedback is collected on time and any necessary follow-ups are handled promptly

6. Email Correspondence Management:

• Handle email communications between authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors, and other stakeholders to facilitate smooth interactions and keep all parties informed at each stage of the publication process

7. Final Decision Assessment:

• Ensure reviews submitted are complete and comprehensive and aligned with journal guidelines
• Ensure the decisions made by editor align to the journal policies and that decisions are based on all reviews submitted
• Collaborate with editors to ensure that reviewer comments are addressed appropriately and that revisions are made according to feedback
• Review and assess the decision recommendations made by handling editors and communicate the final decision (acceptance, revision, rejection) to authors in a timely and professional manner

8. Mentorship and Team Support:

• Provide mentorship to new team members, guiding them through the editorial processes and supporting their growth within the team
• Participate actively in team initiatives/pilots and providing valuable feedback

9. Process Improvement:

• Contribute ideas and suggestions to improve editorial workflows, reduce turnaround time (TAT), and enhance the management of manuscripts at various stages of the editorial process.

Key Relationships

• Authors, EBMs and Peer Reviewers
• Journal Editorial staff
• External and internal partners

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

Experience

• 2+ years of experience
• Good understanding of the Publishing process and Peer review systems

Skills

• Good Communication Skills (written and verbal English)
• Email etiquette
• Subject matter expertise in Humanities and Social Sciences / Medicine/Life/Physical Science.
• Strong analytical and logical reasoning ability
• Customer service and business communication experience
• Experience in Manuscript handling/peer review management will be an added advantage

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in any discipline of Humanities and Social science background (Education/Behavioral Science/Psychology and Sociology/Philosophy and Ethics/Cultural studies, Media, History/Business, Management and Operations/Economics and Finance/Politics and Social Science/Human Geography)
• Master’s degree or equivalent in - Life science/Physics/Chemistry

Eligibility

• A minimum of two years of prior experience in manuscript handling—particularly within the Transfers team—is highly desirable.
• In accordance with our internal career movement guidance, 12 months in current role is a requirement before applying to a new role