All 3 entries tagged Recruitment

Opening up the (Editorial Board) Books

Writing about web page https://exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/exchanges/announcement/view/40

It seems a long time since I last made a call for new editors. Sure, we’ve had various calls for associate editors over the past couple of years but the last time I actually made an open call for new Editorial Board members[1] was before the pandemic when we reached out to CY Cergy Paris University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Before I was on the journal myself, my impression was that editors came and went with a greater regularity. Since I took on the Chief Editorship though, we’ve seldom seen members of the team stand down from their roles, or at least those that came onboard have stayed for the long haul.

Now, I would love to attribute this shift to the healthy, collegiate and respectful environment I strive to operate the title under. Perhaps there’s a modicum of veritas in that perception, but you’d have to ask the editors themselves for their perceptions as it not really for me to say! Nevertheless, from time to time my editors do confess how much they enjoy working on the title, so I’m clearly doing something right. Additionally, I’m sure the prestige and experience each gains from contributing to Exchanges plays no small part in retaining so many of the team over such a span of time. Perhaps then this is the key element which has kept them on the team over the years.

That said, in recent months as I’ve watched the IAS’ involvement with the EUTOPIA Alliance, a consortium of European universities of which Warwick is proud to be a member, a thought occurred to me. Surely, there could be a way through which Exchanges could tap into and contribute to these useful inter-intersectional networks in some mutually beneficial ways. Afterall, we were set up to engender a broad, and international, interdisciplinary discourse. Not to mention, for the journal itself, bringing on a few new faces to the Board would help to enrich and strengthen it, alongside giving the team as a whole some greater resiliency.

You see, there’s a truism which suggests the longer anyone remains in a post, the increasing likelihood they will call time on their commitment and depart. While it may not apply to everyone, as the individual tasked with running the journal, this idea does form part of my informal risk registerer associated with maintaining smooth and effective operations. Given so many of our editors have now been with us for such a relatively long time, at the back of my head I’ve always had concerns we might suddenly witness as a ‘great resignation’ all of our own. Which would put me in a difficult spot trying to keep all the plates/wheels/cats spinning[2] on the title, while simultaneously recruiting and training new members of the team. Moreover, with the traditional summer quiet time on the journal operational front, it feels the time couldn’t be better to open up a call and start assessing some potential new editor candidates.

Hence largely for these reasons I’ve concluded it is the right point at which to see if we can find a few new members of the team to join us. Editors play such a crucial role in not only managing the reviewing and copyediting stages of our processes, but also directing and encouraging new author submissions through promoting the journal within their local and professional networks. Bringing in some fresh [3] faces will bring with them some interesting, insightful and useful new perspectives to the table.

Now, as with past calls I suspect I won’t be overwhelmed with applications, early career researchers generally have a lot on their plates [4] to deal with as it is. But I remain hopeful that we’ll have a good batch, varied and diversly international set of candidates willing to throw their hat into the ring.

If you’re interested in finding out more – you can read about the call via the link below. Or of course, by dropping me a line directly via the usual contact routes.

https://exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/exchanges/announcement/view/40

Here’s to an enriched and energised set of new editors working on Exchanges by the year’s end!

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[1] Lets just call them ‘editors’ in this post for brevity

[2] Insert your own preferred metaphorical device here. And maybe not think too hard about spinning cats.

[3] Or at least candidates early in their personal research career journeys – as a mature ECR myself when I joined, age isn’t actually a consideration or barrier here to being considered.

[4] Spinning or otherwise.

Gareth Johnson : 11 Aug 2022 15:23 |  Tags: Board Editors Members Recruitment |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Call for Editors: Monash University (Sept 2019)

Once again, Exchanges is delighted to announce that we’re seeking a new member for our Editorial Board, due the departure of some team members. This call is specifically for early career and post-graduate researchers registered with Monash University, Australia [1]. Thanks in part to the ongoing Monash-Warwick Alliance, Exchanges has long enjoyed a wonderful collaboration with members of the Melbourne based university, and it’s something I’m keen to continue.

You can download and read the formal call here [PDF], or alternatively chat to some of the current Monash based Exchanges editors for more details. Naturally, you can always drop myself as Editor-in-Chief a line directly (exchangesjournal@warwick.ac.uk), with any questions you might have.

The short version of the call is:

• Open to early career or current post-graduate researchers based at Monash University
• A 1 to 2 year commitment of time, working remotely
• Role supports the editorial review and copyediting stages of publication
• Editors also have a crucial role in promoting, commissioning and encouraging new article submissions to the journal
• No experience in publishing required, but an enthusiasm for scholar-led publication is essential

Editors have the opportunity to be part of an international editorial board, forge extensive interdisciplinary networks and gain first-hand experience of editorial and publication production workflows. Further details of the role’s responsibilities and expectations are available on request.

If this sounds like you, then read the call and then get your application in quickly, because it closes Friday 20^th September; although we may close if sooner if a suitable candidate is found sooner. I look forward to hearing from you!

[1] A call for editors from Warwick, is likely to appear later this year.

Gareth Johnson : 19 Aug 2019 09:48 |  Tags: Australia Board Editorial Editors Monash Recruitment University |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Expanding Internationalism & Representation

In recent months there have been a fair few changes with Exchanges’ Editorial Board membership, with some of my seasoned editors departing for pastures new. This has been largely due to exciting new developments arising within their professional careers reducing the time they had available to work with us. While I’m always sad to part with a member of my team, I can’t help but applaud as they move forward to new, exciting and intriguing roles. I can but hope they carry the positive experiences of involvement with our scholarly-led publishing endeavour with them.

Consequently, I’ve been working in the background to recruit and expand on our team of editors. Welcome aboard everyone, I’m looking forward to a long and productive working relationship with you all! Interestingly, my Editorial Board doesn’t just conduct editorial, review and copy editing work. They have an integral role promoting Exchanges as a resource for readers, reviewers and, crucially, potential authors. It’s this latter role which saw me meeting with the delightful Mike Haymes of Warwick’s European Engagement team this morning.

One of Exchanges underlying aims since I took over as Senior Editor, has been to expand our Board to include more members from Warwick’s international partners. For myself and Mike then, this was the crux of our discussions: how we could practically work towards expanding the Board in this manner. The timing of our conversation couldn’t have been more apposite, as Mike’s about to head overseas for various conversations with our partner organisations. Hence, I’m really hopeful that part of these discussions will help open up some dialogues at some of the institutions that don’t yet have representation on our Board between key institutional influencers and myself.

For the journal, this will potentially benefit us in terms of new authors and reviewers, but it will also help us promote the journal to readers who might not as of yet been aware of us. For the new editors, there’s a plethora of benefits, not least of which being the advantage of having an editorial board involvement appearing on their professional CV. This is alongside the experience gained through editing a scholar-led title and the opportunity to expand their professional networks, working alongside the editorial team. On top of this for our partners and Warwick, there’s benefits from establishing further networks of communication, collaboration and collegiality. Who knows what spin-offs, projects or endeavours might emerge from these? I’d argue it’s a win-win-win scenario for everyone!

I look forward to talking more about our expanding Board then, in the coming weeks. Once again, it seems exciting times lie ahead for Exchanges, and the IAS’ scholar-led publication activities.

Gareth Johnson : 03 Oct 2018 11:28 |  Tags: Board Editorial International Membership Recruitment |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem