Publishing Assistant, Scientific Reports

Publishing Assistant, Scientific Reports

3 month contract

London

Do you have a love of science and a degree in a science related topic?

Are you keen to develop skills within scientific publishing?

Are you available to join the Scientific Reports team as a Publishing Assistant almost immediately for a 3 month duration? Then this opportunity might be right for you?

Scientific Reports is a primary research journal from the publishers of Nature, covering all areas of the natural and clinical sciences. Online and open access, Scientific Reports publishes a high volume of scientifically valid, original research papers, without barriers to access. With the support of external editorial board members, papers are rapidly peer-reviewed to ensure they are technically sound.

As Publishing Assistant, you will contribute to the editorial management of Scientific Reports, with a focus on facilitating the peer-review process by assisting in the recruitment of editorial board members (EBMs), assigning manuscripts to EBMs, reviewing editorial decisions for adherence to policy, and responding to author and EBM queries. Key performance indicators include rapid publication, sound peer-review practices, and high levels of service to authors and EBMs, ensuring the quality of published content remains high. You will be part of a large and growing team and play an important role in the success of Scientific Reports.

Responsibilities

• Work within the publishing team on the allocation of manuscripts to EBMs
• Liaise with EBMs to follow up on peer-review (including the chasing of referees) and final decisions
• Assist in the review and improvement of peer-review processes and systems
• Assist in the recruitment and training of the editorial board
• Respond to authors, reviewers, board members, editorial advisory panellists and readers of Scientific Reports in a timely, professional and customer-focused fashion
• Implement editorial policy as and when required
• Maintain a broad understanding of the technical support requirements for the peer-review system
• Work closely with the manuscript assistant and production teams to ensure a smooth and joined-up manuscript journey and seamless author experience
• Journal development
• Assist marketing in driving social media engagement with content
• Administration
• Ensure EBM records are updated
• Provide general administrative assistance as and when required

Experience, skills and qualifications

• Degree in a science subject
• Good administrative and organisational skills
• Attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including written and in person/on the phone
• Proficient computer skills - Word, Excel, and web-based technology
• Customer-focused
• Able to work effectively independently and part of a team
• Sound knowledge and interest in science in general
• Ability to follow instructions and adhere carefully to established procedures
• Ability to organise and juggle a varied workload under pressure and to work quickly and efficiently
• Capacity to make thoughtful decisions and use initiative
• Punctuality and reliability
• A positive attitude in the workplace and a willingness to co-operate with colleagues
• Previous publishing experience would be advantageous but is not essential

To find out more about the publishing assistant role at Scientific Reports, check out our "day in the life of" blog here (blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/06/28/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-scientific-reports-publishing-assistant)

To see how far we've come in the last five years, click here ()

To apply, please submit a CV and a cover letter outlining your key ambitions in the role, including your salary expectations.