Wiley
My escape from the lab: scientific publishing
Dr Matteo Cavalleri, Publisher, Materials Science & Physics, WILEY
@physicsteo
23 September 2020, #LovePostdocs 2020
linkedin.com/teowaits
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Who I am
M.S. in Chemistry (1999)
PhD in Chemical Physics (2005)
PostDoc 2005-2008
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Who I am (Typical)
M.S. in Chemistry (1999)
PhD in Chemical Physics (2005)
PostDoc 2005-2008
Most editors are PhD-trained scientists…
often with PostDoc experience.
Own research experience is invaluable!
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Publishing is a career for PhDs
Peer-Review Editor (2008-2010), Berlin
Associate Editor (2010-2012), NYC
Editor-in-Chief (2012-2020), NYC
Executive Editor (2017-2020) & Publisher (Present)
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Where I work
HOBOKEN, NJ
• Founded in 1807 in NYC
• Headquarter in Hoboken, NJ
• Publicly listed in NYSE
• ~5000 staff worldwide
• ~1700 journals
• ~9000 books
…in partnership with 1085 organizations
(865 scholarly societies, + institutes,
universities, goverments,…)
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Where I work
HOBOKEN, NJ
• Founded in 1807 in NYC
• Headquarter in Hoboken, NJ
• Publicly listed in NYSE
• ~5000 staff worldwide
• ~1700 journals
• ~9000 books
…in partnership with 1085 organizations
(865 scholarly societies, + institutes,
universities, goverments,…)
View from the office (not my office)
#WorkFromHome #FlattenTheCurve
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What I did all day*
@WileyCTChem
http://q-chem.org
• Founded in 1967, in-house editorial office since 2011
• Expanded scope, new look, online only
• Rapid peer-review, fast publication processes
*Work days are pretty reasonable, actually
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The editorial office
EXTERNAL EDITORS
IN-HOUSE EDITORS
…all ACS, T&F, OUP, most Elsevier,
most Springer-Nature, Elsevier, Wiley
journals…
…+ some APS, RSC, IOP titles, Cell
Press, EMBO, Science, PLOS, The
Lancet…
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The editorial office
EXTERNAL EDITORS
IN-HOUSE EDITORS
Work full time on journal – can
dedicate more time and resources
on new developments
General view
PhDs, PostDocs wanted!
Have own research group
Expert in specific field
Vacancies not posted, not for
early-stage career researchers
BOTH: peer-review, decision making, dealing with appeals, commissioning,
conference participation and lab visits, writing news stories, contributing to
“input” marketing …
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Journal Editor: One day in the life
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Journal Editor: One day in the life
OUTREACH
DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT OF A JOURNAL
• Read manuscript submitted to the journal
• Identify and assign manuscript to reviewers (or sub-Editors)
• Make editorial decisions
• Solicit manuscripts and special issues
• Deal and resolve (hopefully!) ethical issues regarding submissions/published papers
• Collaborate with editorial, production, marketing team
• Work closely with authors, reviewers, other editors
• Beta testing new publishing technologies
• Help authors to disseminate their work further
• Attend international conferences
• Workshops, lab/institution visits
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In-house editors: Life as a pro
…AND WHAT WE ARE NOT…
• Active in research (not even part-time!)
• Lone wolves & hermits
WHAT WE ARE…
• Full-time employees of a publisher
• Former researchers (Ph.D, often PostDoc experience)
• Working in small editorial team (1~20 ppl), supported by editorial board
• Work (mostly, especially initially) from the publisher’s offices*
• Holding different titles (EiC, associate,..) depending on experience & responsibility
• Responsible of peer-review process and editorial decisions
• Responsible of content commissioning
• The face of the publisher in the community, voice of the researches in the publisher
*pre-COVID, at least
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What I do all day now Executive Editor & Publisher (Present)
International in-house editorial team of 7, based in East Coast of US
Lead US in-house editorial team (co-founded in 2010)
Publisher of the Materials Science & Physics team
Portfolio includes OA & subscription titles
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Publisher: One day in the life
LAUNCH/ACQUISITION OF NEW PRODUCTS
• New journals
• Journal relaunches
• Awards, conferences, workshops
• Webinars, online courses
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF JOURNALS
• Hire and train new editors
• Roll new publishing initiatives and processes
• Planning, budgeting, and reporting (Editors don’t deal with finance!)
• Develop common strategies and goals for portfolio/groups of journals
• Bring the perspective of the researchers to the company
• Collaborate closely with editors, marketers, other colleagues
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Other roles: Not just peer-review
MANAGING EDITOR/JOURNAL PUBLISHING EDITOR
• Scientific background (sometimes, but not always)
• Support academic EiC, liaison with production and marketing team
• Can be involved in making desk rejections
DEVELOPMENTAL/ACQUISITION EDITOR
• Scientific backgrounds (often)
• Commission articles and special issues
• Responsible of acquisition/launch/improvement of scholarly products
• Common role in book publishing
COPY EDITOR
• Scientific background (often at MS/BS level, not PhD)
• Responsible of proof-reading manuscripts
• Only present in ”apex” titles, major brands
What’s hot & what’s not
…AND WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT
• Journal/process development can be slow and frustrating
• Angry authors are difficult to deal with
• Fraud/Ethical violations are not uncommon and very exasperating!
• Sometimes I miss coding, hacking hardware (being a “lab-rat”)
• Career progression after Editor-in-Chief not easy
WHAT I LOVE…
• It’s a career at the “center of science”
• Entrusted the knowledge of entire disciplines
• Bird-eye view over science, see best results 1st!
• Contact with the scientific community
• Add & participate at the scientific debate and progress
• Plenty of (international) travel*
• Real possibility of professional growth
*pre-COVID, at least
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What is a good editor made of?
… BUT YOU WON’T LOVE IT IF YOU …
• love being in the lab and do research
• enjoy being the world expert in a specific subject
• don’t like changing topics several time a day
• hated writing your thesis
IT MAY BE THE JOB FOR YOU IF YOU …
• are passionate for science communication
• recognize the importance of publishing in the scientific process
• are curious about a broad range of topics & disciplines
• know the art of diplomacy and have people skills
• have analytical, and decision-making skills
• are creative, with an eye for detail (and the “next big thing”)
ENGLISH IS THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE
• Publishing not restricted to native speakers anymore
• BUT, you need to be fluent in communicating science with it
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Let’s Get a Job!
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Wiley is wonderful. Really, but other places are available….
and more…
In-house editors wanted:
Other roles:
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Wiley is wonderful. Really, but other places are available….
and more…but also:
In-house editors wanted:
Other roles:
• On LinkedIn
• With Specialized headhunters (Jack Farrell, Lynne Palmers, Bert Davies,…)
• On scientific jobs websites (NatureJobs, ScienceCareers,…)
• At scientific conferences (visit the expo, reach out at publishers booths)
• At career fairs/events
• Network!
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How to get a publishing job
• Don’t be too modest, but be concise (Cover Letter should fit on 1 page, CV on 2)
• Mention where you heard about the vacancy & refer to job ID
• CV and cover letter should be error free!
• Convey why you are interested in a career in publishing
• One CV does not fit all jobs
• Do your homework
*pre-COVID, at least
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How to get a publishing job
• Don’t be too modest, but be concise (Cover Letter should fit on 1 page, CV on 2)
• Mention where you heard about the vacancy & refer to job ID
• CV and cover letter should be error free!
• Convey why you are interested in a career in publishing
• One CV does not fit all jobs
• Do your homework
Emphasize any relevant experience: Articles
published, poster presentation awards, reviewer
experience, participation in journal club,
scientific communication efforts (blog, general
public talks,..), organization of events/symposia,
leadership positions….
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How to get a publishing job
• Don’t be too modest, but be concise (Cover Letter should fit on 1 page, CV on 2)
• Mention where you heard about the vacancy & refer to job ID
• CV and cover letter should be error free!
• Convey why you are interested in a career in publishing
• One CV does not fit all jobs
• Do your homework
Get insight information via your contacts, study
the company, understand the trends in the
industry (open access, alternative peer-review,
etc…)
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The interview: 2 min take
• There WILL be a test (writing test, editing/reviewing test,
commissioning exercise…)
• Ask questions (See if this is something for you)
• Do not volunteer information that might complicate your
hiring ( visa requirements,…)
• Let us know you have done your homework
• Send a thank you email to everybody involved in the
interview process
• Have recommendation letters ready to go!
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Dr. Matteo Cavalleri @physicsteo linkedin.com/teowaits
[email protected]
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EDITORIAL: Responsible for acquiring and publishing content. Target best in class editors and authors; subject matter expertise and
trend tracking.
FINANCE: Ensures that budgets and project appraisals are realistic, that the business is
operating with strong controls and that performance is effectively monitored.
PRODUCTION: Building the product. Previously outsourced, now increasingly automated and becoming Global.
DIGITAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Responsible for the development and implementation of new tools, technology and
services.
MARKETING: Create awareness and audience for product,
increasingly digital and social
SALES: For journals traditionally subscription based to large institutions, but authors and individuals also
important.
RIGHTS AND LICENSING: Business of repurposing content, fair use
agreements
OPERATIONS: Impacts customers and employees. Fulfillment, customer service,
HR, facilities
Main components of a publishing organization