Seismica is recruiting - May 2024
Seismica is the first Diamond Open Access Journal for seismology, earthquake science, and related disciplines. Launched in July 2022, the journal was created by a community of volunteers from all over the world. Seismica strives to be accessible, transparent, respectful, credible, and progressive.
Following a higher-than-expected rate of submissions, we are recruiting new members to join the Seismica Editorial Board for a 3-year commitment, beginning in 2024. We seek people who share Seismica’s key values and will commit to working towards a globally representative, researcher-run journal that actively supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in seismology and earthquake science. As a not-for-profit independent journal, all positions at Seismica are volunteer roles.
We invite anyone interested to apply by 7 June 2024 to join the Seismica initiative by filling out this application form. Spread the word!
Interested candidates should feel free to contact randolph.williams[at]seismica.org with any questions.
Handling Editors (5-6 members)
We seek Handling Editors with expertise in Structural/Imaging Seismology; Computational Geophysics and/or Machine Learning; Paleoseismology and/or Tsunamis; Social Science and Societal Aspects of Earthquakes; Outreach, Communication and Education. Expertise may be demonstrated by a history of publication, review, editing, or practice in these disciplines or a combination thereof. Past editing experience would be an advantage, but it is not a requirement.
Responsibilities: When a manuscript is submitted to Seismica, the Production Editor checks the initial submission and then sends a request to a Handling Editor who recruits reviewers, manages the review and revision processes, liaises with the authors, and makes a decision on whether to accept the manuscript. Handling Editors manage an average of 3-5 papers per year, and attend or watch monthly Seismica Board meetings to give input and stay updated on journal policies, best practices, and mentoring programs. The time commitment is 0.5-1 hr per week to stay up to date with Seismica business, plus 3-5 hours per manuscript handled. Handling Editors manage their own workload and have a choice to accept or decline each request from the Production Editor depending on immediate availability, disciplinary expertise, and to avoid conflict of interest.
Media & Branding Team (1 member)
We seek a new team member to contribute to Web Content Creation & Management, Videography, Social Media Outreach, Seismica Merchandising, and Strategic Planning & Management. We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who has experience creating science-focused multimedia content, and the ability to communicate complex ideas in an engaging and accessible way to a range of audiences.
Responsibilities: The Media & Branding Team is responsible for promoting the journal, its publications, and the Seismica initiative to the global community. With input from the Editorial Board, the M&B Team develops key messages about Seismica’s values, products, and benefits with the goal of engaging others in conversation about open science and opportunities for contributing to Seismica. We work with other Seismica teams to ensure brand consistency across all media and communication platforms. The team meets weekly for 1 hour to plan and coordinate activities, which are currently focused on five areas: promoting Upcoming Publications and News, engaging Seismica Ambassadors, Social Media Communications, supporting Meetings & Conferences, and Creative Content & Messaging. Team members will manage projects and activities within their assigned focus area, with input from stakeholders. We anticipate members will devote an average of 2 hours per week.
Standards and Copy-Editing Team (2-4 members)
We seek new team members to join our team of copy/layout editors. We are looking for individuals who are experienced or at least familiar with LaTeX and Python, are comfortable checking and correcting spelling and grammar in English, and pay close attention to detail in their work.
Responsibilities: The Standards & Copy-Editing team copy-edits, typesets, and curates metadata for all the articles published in Seismica. We work together to set standards and expectations for copy-editing and journal style, and to develop our in-house library of typesetting tools and article templates. Individual team members are assigned to articles as they are accepted for publication, and work with handling editors and with authors to produce technically and grammatically correct galleys in both PDF and JATS XML formats. The time commitment varies, but team members typically handle a few articles a year (one every 1-2 months), spending around 2-8 hours per article distributed over the course of 1-3 weeks depending on article complexity. Working on the S&CE team provides opportunities to build some technical skills, read high-quality literature (very carefully!), and learn all about scholarly publishing from behind the scenes. We balance the workload among our team, and team members may decline article assignments when they don’t have time to spare.
