Check this space regularly for periodic Calls for Submissions from the editors of Science Editor. Suggestions for submissions and new topics or areas of interest are always welcome at scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org
For a description of article types of interest, please see our Information for Authors page.
Article submissions should be ~700 – 2200 words, and figures, tables, and references are strongly encouraged. Presubmission inquiries and proposals are welcome, and editors are glad to work with you in shaping your manuscript. Once accepted, articles are published Early Online and scheduled for a specific issue. Please address all submissions and questions to scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org.
The Future of Scientific Editing and Publishing – Call for Submissions
Next year is 2025, a quarter of the way through the 21st century. When we reach the half century mark in 2050, what will be the topics of the day, and what will be a relic of the past? What would likely surprise, or depress, us that we’re still discussing? To tackle these questions and more, the Science Editor Editorial Board is creating a special issue on The Future of Scientific Editing and Publishing for publication in March 2025.
To include as many voices as possible, we would like to invite you, the members of CSE and readers of this newsletter, to contribute to the issue. Here are some options:
The Future of [blank] Essay: If you have thoughts on where aspects of scientific editing and publishing are heading that you want to share in an essay, let us know. Some questions to consider include: where do you see this topic in 2050 compared with where it stands today? What new challenges do you anticipate will arise in the next 25 years? What are you most hopeful about? What would you be most disappointed to note has not changed in 2050? What possible development do you think most people are not anticipating? Of course, these are just suggestions, and we’re excited to see what’s on your mind.
Case Studies from the Future: Are you working on a project or initiative that you think represents a forward-thinking advancement or potential new way of doing things that you’d like to share with the community? If so, share your project or initiative with us as a case study. We’d love to hear what you’re working on.
For both, please send your ideas and any questions to scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org to help ensure it’s within the scope and to avoid overlap. Please also see our Author Instructions for additional information. The deadline for articles is January 31, 2025.
We also want to give you an opportunity to share your ideas about the future that don’t quite fit into a full article with the following prompt: Looking Forward: What is your specific prediction for 2050? Send us your ideas and insights; the more specific, the better.
And finally, thinking about the future inevitably brings up thoughts of the past and what has changed over the last 25 years. We’d like to hear about your experiences with the prompt: Looking Back: What has changed the most since 2000? There are some obvious answers here, but we’d love to hear about the unusual, unique, and unexpected changes that have occurred.
For both, submissions should be no more than 250 words and submitted by January 31, 2025, via email at scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org. We’ll compile submissions into an article for the special issue. If necessary based on space, preference will be given to CSE Members.
We look forward to hearing from you about what the future may hold.
Origin/Transition Stories
Building on our successful Origin Stories series, the Editors are excited to announce a new feature called Transition Stories to tie into a special issue for March 2024 on Transitions/Transformations in Scientific Editing and Publishing. Have you switched from one area of your field to another? Moved internationally for work? Started freelancing? Recently retired or stepped down from a role, like Editor-in-Chief? If so, we want to know how it went, what you learned, or wish you knew beforehand. If you have a compelling story to tell and insights to share, please email your Transition Story to scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org. If you know someone who may have an interesting story, CSE member or not, please share this with them and encourage them to submit.
Stories should be filled with as many details as you’re comfortable sharing and fall between 200-500 words. Editors will review all submissions and may provide feedback and edits as needed. For inclusion in the March 2024 special Issue, please submit your Transition Story by February 15, 2024; however, we may consider this for an ongoing feature if we receive enough submissions and we will accept submissions past that deadline.
Open Call: Origin Stories: From the Science Editor interview series and talking with colleagues, it’s clear that there is no one path to a career or role in scientific editing and publishing. For some, it’s a deliberate choice and for others, it’s serendipity that led us to where we are, and we think you may have some interesting stories to share of the twists and turns along the way. Whether you are a full-time editing/publishing professional or a academic editor, if you have a compelling story to tell, please email your Origin Story to scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org. If you know someone who may have an interesting story, CSE member or not, please share this with them and encourage them to submit.
Stories should be filled with as many details as you’re comfortable sharing and fall between 200-500 words. Editors will review all submissions and may provide feedback and edits as needed.