Co-Editor-in-Chief, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology

[Cross posted to Non-Academic positions; moderators, feel free to remove from there if not allowed!]

The Wilson Ornithological Society, publisher of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, seeks an accomplished ornithologist to join its publication team as Co-Editor-in-Chief of its venerable journal. We invite applications for the position of Co-Editor-in-Chief, with the intention of appointing the successful applicant to begin their duties in mid-2024, joining current Co-Editor-in-Chief Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza in the completion of the current Volume, our 136th. 

Published continuously since 1889, as The Wilson Bulletin until the name was changed beginning with Volume 118 in 2006, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology is an international, peer-reviewed quarterly publication comprised of Major Articles based on original research, Short Communications that describe novel observations and brief research reports, reviews of new books about birds and related subjects, as well as announcements regarding the business of the WOS. Each annual volume currently consists of approximately 800 pages, making the WJO one of the highest-volume journals in the field of ornithology. The geographic coverage of the WJO is global, and all areas of ornithological investigation are within its purview, including the study of living and extinct birds, their natural history, behavior, ecology, distribution, physiology, classification, and conservation. Contributions are published in English, with abstracts translated into one other language. The WJO is distributed to WOS members and institutional subscribers, and through a royalty-sharing agreement with BioOne. Authors have the option of making their articles freely available through Open Access.

Position description

• The Co-Editors-in-Chief serve as the scientific authorities of the journal, maintaining its ethical and academic standards regarding originality, repeatability, confidentiality, impartiality, and overall contribution to the field of ornithology.
• The Co-Editors-in-Chief define and adjust the scope and content of the journal to ensure it reflects the breadth of interests of the ornithological community and the evolving standards of ornithology.
• The Co-Editors-in-Chief lead, recruit, and manage a small team of Associate Editors plus one Book Review Editor. They assign submitted manuscripts to AEs or oversee the review process for manuscripts not assigned to an AE, and make the ultimate decision to publish or reject all manuscripts (in consultation with AEs for assigned manuscripts). They oversee the transparent documentation of the decision-making process in our PeerTrack peer-review pipeline.
• Each Co-Editor-in-Chief assesses every other new submission, dividing the incoming manuscripts in half, and performing an initial technical check of scope, content, and formatting. Desk rejections (without review) comprise approximately 20% of new submissions. Manuscripts accepted for review are either assigned to AE (n = 5–6 per year per AE) or handled by the Co-Editor-in-Chief (20–25 per year per Co-EiC), who then invites reviewers, follows up with reviewers, grants reasonable deadline extensions, and issues an initial decision (provisionally accepted, minor revision, major revision, reject with an invitation to resubmit, or reject). Rate of acceptance after initial peer review is 55–60%. They send out revisions for additional review as necessary. Manuscripts accepted for publication are handed off to the Managing Editor for copy editing, page layout, and additional correspondence with authors.
• Additionally, the Co-Editors-in-Chief prepare and submit an annual Report of the Editor to the WOS Council, oversee the judging and awarding of two annual publication prizes (for best Major Article and best Book Review), and attend (remotely) WOS budget and council meetings, and Publications Committee meetings. They receive financial support for in-person attendance of annual meetings of the WOS membership.
• Time commitment: 12–15 h/week. An honorarium of $15,000.00 is paid annually, in four installments at the completion of each quarterly issue of each volume.

Qualifications

• Ornithologist with a track record of academic publishing and peer review
• Previous editorial work
• Broad understanding of the field of ornithology
• Collaborative mindset, good teamwork and communication skills

To apply for the position, please submit a cover letter and resume or CV To Jeremy Kirchman (jeremy.kirchman@nysed.gov), Chair of the WOS Publications Committee, by March 1, 2024. In your cover letter, please describe your relevant editorial experience and how your current work situation will accommodate the duties of Co-Editor-in-Chief. Feel free to also share any thoughts you have regarding goals for the WJO that you may pursue as part of our editorial team. Reach out to WOS President Daniel Klem (danielklem@muhlenberg.edu) or WJO Co-Editor-in-Chief Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza (ruelas.uv@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns about the position. The Wilson Ornithological Society is an international, non-profit scientific society committed to providing support and mentorship to all professional and amateur ornithologists through the sponsorship of research, scholarly publication, teaching, and conservation.