Plant Science Bulletin Editor-in-Chief Position Description

Application Deadline: April 5, 2024

 

PSB Spring Cover

The Plant Science Bulletin serves as the membership newsletter of the Botanical Society of America (BSA), and is an important means of facilitating communication and collaboration among BSA members and between the membership and the broader botanical community. The PSB Editor-in-Chief oversees solicitation of articles and news for the PSB, which is published three times per year. Duties of the Editor include both aspirational responsibility (working with the BSA Editorial Team and Publications Committee to shape a strategic vision for the PSB) and operational responsibilities (soliciting contributions, coordinating reviews, working with Society staff to produce copy, and recruiting authors to write book reviews).


We seek an individual who:

  • Has vision, dedication, and a desire to lead a Society publication;
  • Possesses a strong sense of integrity and adheres to professional and ethical standards;
  • Has a broad familiarity with different botanical specializations and especially botanical education;
  • Is willing to serve as an ambassador for the PSB and the Society;
  • Has excellent communication skills;
  • Has solid editing skills and attentiveness to detail;
  • Has a strong commitment to the PSB and BSA members;
  • Is a member of the Botanical Society of America;
  • Demonstrates an interest in and commitment to working with members of the BSA community and supporting the goals of the Society’s Strategic Plan.

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief include:

  • Engage with and solicit BSA colleagues to provide content for each issue, including:
    • Work with authors to develop ideas for content;
    • Review incoming articles and proposals for appropriateness for PSB;
    • Oversee the peer review process when appropriate and deliver decisions to authors in a timely manner.
  • Work to expand the author pools to include a diversity of voices and perspectives.
  • Handle books for review, including:
    • Receive books for review from publishers and request appropriate books both from publisher press releases and at the request of BSA members;
    • Log incoming books into the BSA “Books Received for Review” site;
    • Assign books for review and mail books to reviewers or have them sent directly from the publisher;
    • Maintain a list of books out for review and correspond with reviewers until the review is received;
    • Contact publishers whose books were reviewed in each issue.
  • Write a brief “Letter from the Editor” for each issue.
  • Solicit “in memoriam” tributes from appropriate people upon the publicized death of a BSA member.
  • Review page proofs of each issue and provide any changes to the Managing Editor.
  • Serve on the BSA Advisory Council and the Publications Committee and attend those meetings either in person or remotely.

The Editor-in-Chief is assisted by a professional staff, including a Managing Editor, the BSA Director of Publications, and an in-house page designer and production team, and works in collaboration with the BSA’s Executive Director, the BSA Director of Publications, the BSA Director-at- Large for Publications, the BSA Publications Committee, and the BSA Executive Committee.

PSB is published by the Botanical Society of America. For more information on the PSB, visit https://botany.org/home/publications/plant-science-bulletin.html

Appointment, compensation, and term:
The Editor-in-Chief of the Plant Science Bulletin is appointed by the BSA Executive Committee for a 5-year term (January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2029). The Editor-in-Chief will receive an annual honorarium, plus registration and some support for attending the annual Botany meeting.

Applications are due Friday, April 5, 2024. If you would like to nominate someone, please email psbapplications@botany.org by Friday, March 15, 2024 with your nominee’s name and email address, so that we can contact the nominee and offer sufficient time to submit an application by the deadline.

Applications consist of the following two components:

  1. A CV, emailed to psbapplications@botany.org
  2. Completion of this form, where there are prompts to answer the following questions:
    1. Please provide details of your previous editorial experience.
    2. What has been your past involvement or engagement with the Botanical Society of America?
    3. Please describe why you are interested in this position.
    4. What is your vision for the PSB over the next 3-5 years?
    5. What particular strengths would you bring to this position?
    6. The Society’s Strategic Plan includes commitments to promoting human diversity, equity, and inclusion. How would you contribute to these commitments in your role as Editor-in-Chief?

If you have questions or comments, please contact psbapplications@botany.org.

PSB Editor-in-Chief Search Committee: Emily Sessa (Chair), Eugenio Larios, Nora Mitchell, Andrew Schnabel, Mackenzie Taylor, Amy McPherson, Richard Hund.