Editorial Assistant, The Journal of Rheumatology
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what did you study? Where are you currently based?
I’m originally from the United Kingdom, but, for the most part, I grew up in Canada. I studied biology and mathematics at Queen’s University, where I gradually realized that one of my greatest strengths lay in written communication. I knew I wanted to combine my background in science with my passion for the written word, so I went on to study publishing at Centennial College with the goal of working in educational or scholarly publishing. Prior to working in scholarly publishing, I completed an internship with Rubicon Publishing, an educational publisher. After graduating from my publishing program, I landed a position as Editorial Assistant for The Journal of Rheumatology in Toronto, which is also my current position.
Describe your current role and organization. What are your main responsibilities? What type of organization do you work for?
I currently work as an Editorial Assistant for The Journal of Rheumatology, a peer-reviewed medical journal in the rheumatology field. One of the aspects of my role I enjoy the most is the wide range of tasks I’m responsible for. These responsibilities include copyediting manuscripts, addressing author queries, and proofreading, among other production-related tasks.
Share your journey in scholarly publishing. What was your first role in this field, and how did you land it? What path led you to your current position? What unexpected challenges have you faced?
My current role is my first role within scholarly publishing. Completing an internship in a closely related field (educational publishing) and having an educational background combining publishing and science helped me land my current position. One of the biggest challenges in transitioning from educational to scholarly publishing was adapting to the target audience and readership level (i.e., children in education vs. medical professionals).
In your experience, what skills or qualities are essential for success in scholarly communications?
For my particular role, skills such as being well organized and knowing how to prioritize tasks have been essential, given the constant deadlines and considering the wide range of my responsibilities. Having good communication skills has also been important in terms of working effectively with colleagues and corresponding with authors.
What motivates you in your work? What keeps you passionate about your role in scholarly publishing?
Knowing that I’m helping to make research articles more readable and easily accessible to the rheumatology community helps keep me motivated. The fact that the scholarly publishing industry is constantly evolving makes it an exciting field to work in and means that there are always new trends and developments to keep an eye on.
How do you balance your professional and personal life? Any fun facts or hobbies outside of scholarly communications?
Because my work means I spend most of my time indoors, I try to balance this by spending a lot of my personal time outside in nature. I’m fortunate to live in the trail capital of Canada, so I enjoy going for walks/bike rides in my local area. I recently discovered I enjoy surfing, so I end up spending a lot of time researching places I can visit for my next surf trip.
