Editorial Research Associate

*This role is to be filled by an employee working from a remote location within the UK. This is a 12 month fixed-term contract.

Role Summary

We’re looking for an Editorial Research Associate to work in a team environment dedicated to supporting all PLOS journals. As a Research Associate for PLOS, you will focus on three major initiatives: assigning individual research submissions to Editors with matching scientific expertise, developing and maintaining the expertise of the Editorial Boards as a whole, and assessing submitted manuscripts for compliance with reporting requirements and publication criteria. You collect relevant information on and evaluate specific aspects of manuscript submissions, research potential reviewers and Editorial Board members with appropriate expertise, and approach them to request that they act as reviewer or Editor. You also evaluate researcher profiles and select candidates to determine whether they qualify as a potential peer reviewer or Editorial Board member. You will also monitor the review process for manuscript submissions and support Editors in offering excellent service to PLOS authors.

This position works closely and collaboratively with the in-house Editorial teams to develop and establish related priorities, processes, and new strategies and initiatives. You apply knowledge acquired through information gathering research on both individuals and submissions to identify research subject areas currently underserved by our Editorial Board, and make recommendations for increasing membership or activity in these areas.

Responsibilities

• Assessing manuscript submissions, focusing on ethics and methodological reporting
• Performing research to collect relevant information on, identify, and select potential candidates with appropriate scientific expertise to act as a peer reviewer or Editor for specific submissions
• Identifying and resolving potential conflicts of interest in reviewer or Editor candidates
• Contacting Editors that have appropriate scientific expertise for conducting peer review on specific research submissions
• Supporting the in-house Editorial team and Editorial Board in decision-making capacities related to the peer review process
• Conducting research to acquire knowledge and data to identify and report on trends in underserved research subject areas at the journal
• Undertaking special projects as directed by the line manager, which may involve data analysis and reporting
• Developing documentation for relevant policies, procedures, and workflows
• Working with Editorial teams to establish priorities and urgent needs

Qualifications

• A postgraduate university degree or equivalent research experience in an academic research area.
• Experience with database searching or mining for relevant concepts, keywords, or individuals, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and/or other scholarly databases
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, particularly with respect to email correspondence
• Strong organization and time management skills, and attention to detail
• Technical proficiencies, knowledge of Excel, Word, file types, and file conversions

The base salary range we’ve established for this position is (UK) £27,000 - £36,800. The final salary will depend on several factors, including the candidate’s relevant work experience, skills, education, and other qualifications; the region in which the candidate resides, and internal pay equity with current PLOS employees in similar jobs. PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package that will be shared with candidates in the interview process.

The Organization:

PLOS is a non-profit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. PLOS journals propelled the movement for OA alternatives to subscription journals. We established the first multi-disciplinary publication inclusive of all excellent research regardless of novelty or impact and demonstrated the importance of open data availability. As we continue to lead the way in making research content more open, we need to make it a system that's open for everyone. We are intentionally spreading our roots deeper, globally. 

We believe in pushing the boundaries of 'Open' to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding—it’s core to who we are, inside and out. Beyond accepting distinct perspectives, we seek and support divergent backgrounds among our staff because we know differences strengthen our teams, our work, and our communities. We’re ever-evolving in our journey for representation and equity, and strongly encourage applicants of diverse identities to apply: you’ll find a group of critical thinkers eager to challenge the status quo and learn with you as we continue breaking barriers to open science.

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