Editor Pat Heslop-Harrison
AoB Plants is seeking new academic Chief Editor. AoB Plants has established itself quickly as an on-line, open-access Journal for publication of high quality papers on all aspects of plant sciences. As a sister to the subscription-based Annals of Botany, and to AoBBlog.com, it has been publishing increasing numbers of papers, and is gaining citations and profile rapidly. AoB Plants is published by Oxford University Press on the excellent on-line Highwire platform. The Chief Editor advertisement is here.
The new academic Chief Editor will be involved with moving the Journal forward, following the retirement of the founding editor Professor Mike Jackson. AoB Plants, like the journal Annals of Botany, and AoBBlog.com, is owned by the not-for-profit/charitable company with the objective of the dissemination of botanical knowledge, so the Editor will have the challenge to ensure that, as at Annals of Botany and AoBBlog.com, the Journal extends its reach and influence.
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Applications are invited for the post of Chief Editor of the journal AoB PLANTS
AOB Plants is an online-only, internationally peer-reviewed, open-access journal committed to the rapid publication of high quality papers on all aspects of plant science. It is a sister publication to Annals of Botany, a conventional print and online journal and now the world’s oldest general title in plant science. The Chief Editorship of AoB Plants falls vacant in 2012 with the retirement of the founding Chief Editor, Dr Mike Jackson. The Journal is owned by the not-for-profit charitable Annals of Botany Company and is published under contract by Oxford University Press.
General terms and honorarium
• The new Chief Editor of AoB Plants will be a plant scientist of high international standing who also has proven editorial experience.
• The Chief Editor may be located anywhere in the world, as all of the journal’s operations are conducted electronically.
• The initial term of the post is five years from 1 July 2012; this term can be extended by mutual agreement between the Chief Editor and the Company.
• A part-time Managing Editor will also be appointed to assist the Chief Editor in the day-to day running of the journal. The successful candidate will participate fully in the design of this post.
• A part-time Editorial Assistant currently assists the Chief Editor and forms a point of contact with the publisher.
• The retiring Chief Editor will be available for advice as required over a mutually-agreed transitional period,
• The Chief Editorship involves a commitment of 5% -10% of full-time and attracts a commensurate honorarium.
• Remuneration terms are negotiable with the Company and may comprise personal payment, institutional payment, or a salary buy-out.
• All necessary travel expenses, and agreed capital/recurrent office expenses, are also paid.
Key areas of responsibility The Chief Editor
• will provide to the plant science community a high-quality scientific journal for the very rapid reporting of its most advanced research work;
• will have complete editorial responsibility for the journal and will maintain and improve the journal’s scientific quality and number of submissions;
• will implement and apply editorial policies of the journal as identified by the parent Annals of Botany Company and will maintain a high level of quality in the editing process with respect to scientific content, grammatical and stylistic precision, and the application of ethical and scientific standards of objectivity,
• will solicit papers suitable for the journal;
• will sustain and adapt the existing board of subject editors, who arrange for the refereeing of papers assigned to them by the Chief Editor and who subsequently recommend decisions on publication;
• will act as ambassador and spokesperson for the journal, promoting it at relevant meetings and workshops;
• will manage submissions through the eJournalPress manuscript handling system, as used by
Nature, and will sustain all necessary procedures in relation to this system.
• will liaise closely with the Owners of AoB PLANTS, with the Publisher and with the Chief Editors of Annals of Botany and AoB Blog.
Nature and frequency of meetings
• The Chief Editor reports formally on the journal’s activities to the Annual General Meeting of the parent Annals of Botany Company, which is held each summer, either in London or in Oxford. In 2012 this meeting will be held on 4 July in London.
• The successful candidate will be expected to attend relevant international plant science meetings to promote the journal and to encourage high-quality submissions. Occasional meetings with officers of the parent company or with Oxford University Press may be required.
Application Procedure
Informal pre-application enquiries are welcomed. A complete application will include:
• a covering letter containing your full contact details
• a two-page curriculum vitae outlining your qualifications, scientific activity and editorial experience;
• a statement of your vision for the journal covering such topics as:
• The reasons for your interest in the post of Chief Editor;
• The principal qualities you would bring to this position;
• How you would manage the duties of Chief Editor in the context of other demands on your time and how you would conduct the journal’s business on a day-to-day basis;
• Your view of the future development of AoB PLANTS in the context of the highly competitive world of online publishing.
Please email the entire application as a single PDF document to the Secretary and Treasurer of the Annals of Botany Company, Prof Roderick Hunt: r.hunt@exeter.ac.uk no later than 1 March 2012.
All applications will be acknowledged by email.
The Company will short-list candidates by the end of March 2012, and all candidates will be notified.
Interviews will be held in the UK in April or May 2012. Please indicate any periods of non-availability in your covering letter. Travel and accommodation expenses will be paid.
It is expected that a final decision will be reached by early June 2012 at the latest.
Sources of information
http://aobpla.oxfordjournals.org/
Annals of Botany http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/
AoBBlog https://botany.one/
Oxford University Press http://www.oxfordjournals.org/subject/life_sciences/
Annals of Botany Companyhttp://www.oxfordjournals.org/ourjournals/annbot/annalsofbotanycompany.html
AoBPLANTS
