Slovo Spotlight: Interview with our General Editors
Posted by Slovo on 2023-10-16
In the lead up to applications opening for the next Slovo Editorial Team, we are running a series of interviews with the current team about the ins and outs of their role and their experience working at Slovo.
Following our interview with Managing Editor, Maria Obrębska, we spoke to the General Editors Nathan Alan-Lee, Lindsay Robinot-Jones, and Joshua Robinson about the peer-review process and their experience in the role!
Why did you apply to be a general editor at Slovo?
NA-L: I applied to Slovo so that I could get a better idea of how the publishing industry works and how academic journals are run. From the outside the whole process can come off as arcane, and quite confusing, but from the inside you can see it is all rather straightforward. The other reason I decided to work with Slovo was to get a better sense of the academic field which I am joining. Working with diverse authors, and scouting out good peer-reviewers has provided a wider aspect on the field, and an opening to a broader academic community.
LR-J: I wanted to work with Slovo because I thought it would be a great opportunity to develop a professional network and to disseminate important works in our field.
JR: Having read and cited Slovo articles during my BA, the opportunity to work with the publication immediately caught my eye and I put in an application. I wanted to learn how academic journal publications work, and about the nuances of the academic journal editing process which differs somewhat from journalistic editorial work.
What have you learnt during your tenure?
LR-J: I’ve learned that professors and content experts are more available to you than you realize. Through the peer-review selection process, I have been able to contact incredible academics who’ve made big impacts in our fields.
JR: Learning how to quickly source and approach relevant academic researchers and working with a dynamic and diverse team of editors at the journal has been fulfilling and incredibly valuable experience.
Has this role made you curious about publishing your own work?
JR: Having an understanding of the inner workings of academic publishing has given me confidence and motivation to submit my own articles about my field to future editions of Slovo, as well as other journals. I am currently working on a review which I hope to submit for the next edition.
Did you have prior experience as an editor? Do you need prior experience?
JR: I write freelance for a CEE-focused paper and have worked with journalistic editors, but the academic editorial process was different in a number of interesting ways. I have found learning the process thoroughly engaging all the way.
NA-L: Prior to joining Slovo I had only worked with editors as a writer. Becoming an editor myself really gave me a better idea of the kinds of things that editors look for, the processes that are involved, and what constitutes good writing and good research.
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for the role?
NA-L: Have patience, be flexible and be persistent. The General Editor position requires juggling multiple papers, peer-reviewers and authors at once and it can be difficult to keep everything in line. It helps a lot if your communications are clear to avoid additional questioning that can muddle the process, but at the same time if one of the people you work with needs help it is important to be quick and precise.
JR: If you are curious, apply – working with Slovo opens up a wealth of experiences and a chance to develop a wide range of skills that reinforce your academic work.
Applications are open now until 23:59 on the 16th November. Apply through this link. We can't wait to read your applications!