See below for available volunteer staff positions.
Eligibility: Graduate students, Post-doctoral Fellows, and Medical Students currently associated with a Canadian University or Research Institute, or who were members of HSI in the past. Staff members do not need to have expertise in the journal topic.
Benefits of Participation: Being a staff member of the HSI journal provides you with a unique opportunity to experience all aspects of the scientific peer-review process. This includes the review of submitted articles, developing written content for the journal, and even opportunities to be involved in marketing, sponsorship and communications. All positions offer the chance to network with trainees across Canada from diverse backgrounds. Many staff members work closely with research institutes, scientific organizations, journals, and student groups offering a fantastic chance to network and learn. We provide an experience that will stand out on your CV!
Application Process: Interested individuals should send a cover letter indicating (up to 2) positions of interest and a CV to healthscienceinquiry@gmail.com. Applicants are reviewed by the Editors in Chief and offers are communicated by e-mail. Senior Management positions are preferentially given to individuals with previous experience working for HSI but new applicants will still be considered.
Deadline for Applications: November 1st, 2020
AVAILABLE VOLUNTEER STAFF POSITIONS 2020-2021
Executive Editors (2 positions)
** NOTE: Positions only available to persons who have previously worked with HSI **
The Executive Editor is responsible for providing support to the Editor-in-Chief in managing editorial workflow and administrative tasks for the journal. Broadly, these duties include:
- Collaborate and lead section editors and writers to develop content for the journal
- Copyediting journal and online material
- Write copy as need
- Maintaining regular correspondence with section editors and writers to ensure each stage of the publication process adheres to journal deadlines
- Engage in outreach and sponsorship efforts where appropriate
Two Executive Editors will each oversee an areas of journal business: Main Submissions or Content Development
Main Submissions: Executive Editor will be responsible for receiving and organizing main article submissions. They will provide Senior Editors and Reviewers with the appropriate information and documents required for the peer-review process and assign submissions accordingly.
Content Development: Executive Editor will oversee the News Reports, Spotlight on Careers, and Ask and Expert sections of HIS. They will provide section editors with appropriate information and documents to guide the brainstorming, interviewing, and writing process.
Executive Editors must have:
- Strong organization skills
- Initiative to independently manage and motivate a team of ~40 staff
- Professional communication skills
Time Commitment: ~3-5 hours/week x 8 months (typically October - May)
MAIN SUBMISSIONS DEPARTMENT
Senior Editors
Senior Editors will be responsible for managing an assigned list of manuscripts throughout the peer-review process. Senior Editors will work closely with reviewers and authors to prepare articles for publication, copy-edit manuscripts, and make decisions regarding acceptance of submissions.
During the review process, Senior Editors are expected to routinely communicate with Reviewers and Executive Editors and adhere to journal deadlines. Senior Editors may submit their own pieces for publication, and are strongly encouraged to contribute to the HIS online blog.
Time Commitment: ~3-5 hours/week x 4 months (typically December - March)
Reviewers
Reviewers will be responsible for critically evaluating and commenting on submissions received by the journal using an established assessment form. The goal is to provide constructive feedback to authors to aid in publication. Reviewers report to Senior Editors, who will provide guidance on the review process, assign submissions and liaise with authors. Reviewers may submit their own pieces for publication. HSI welcomes reviewers with diverse areas of expertise. Reviewers are encouraged to contribute to HSI meetings and the HSI blog.
Time Commitment: ~5 hours/week x 5 weeks (typically in February - March).
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
News Editor
The News Editor with the help of the executive editors are responsible for developing and pitching potential story ideas to reporters and writers. They will be expected to run online meetings with their reporters and writers to brainstorm story ideas, provide guidance on writing and conducting interviews, and ensuring staff are adhering to deadlines. Apart from soliciting content, they will also be expected to copyedit material for publication in the journal or online blog, and write copy as necessary.
Time Commitment: ~4 hours/week x 6 months (typically in October - March).
News Reporters /Online Writers
Reporters and writers will produce pieces for publication either in the journal or for the online blog. Writers are expected to communicate with Executive Editors, the News Editor or Online Editor to develop ideas for stories/articles. The types of writing you may take on can vary. They may include: news stories covering exciting Canadian research, opinion pieces on relevant topics, long or short-form features, or Q&As/interviews/profiles on Canadian researchers. Depending on the story, writers may be expected to conduct brief phone, in-person, or e-mail interviews. No prior reporting or interview experience necessary.
Time Commitment: News reporters and online writers are expected to submit 1-2 pieces for publication. Deadlines occur throughout the year.
Writing Associates: Spotlight on Careers
The writing associate will work on creating content for the Spotlight on Careers section of HSI. The writing associate is expected to conduct interviews to profile individuals with both conventional and non-conventional career trajectories related to the journal theme. The writing associate will identify and provide information and career-related web-resources for graduate students. The writing associate will report to the Executive editor of content development. The writing associate is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 3 months (typically October - January)
Writing Associates: Ask an Expert
The writing associate will work on creating content for the Ask an Expert section of HSI. In collaboration with the Executive Editor of content development, the writing associate is expected to identify issues and topics relevant to journal’s yearly theme, and interview experts on the topic. The writing associate will report to the Executive editor of content development. The writing associate is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 3 months (typically October - January)
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Outreach Associate
The outreach associate will be responsible for ensuring that all notices and announcements made by the journal are properly distributed to all Canadian universities of interest as well as provide updates to partner organizations. They will work with the Executive Editors and Editor-in-chief to update the HSI contact list, contact judges, distribute the call for submissions, and handle the contact sign-up sheet. Some staff communication notices may also be required. The outreach associate will report to the Editor-in-chief and is expected to contribute to HSI meetings and engage in outreach efforts where appropriate.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 5 months (typically October - March).
Sponsorship Associate
The sponsorship associate will be responsible for overseeing the journal’s sponsorship process. This includes revising existing sponsorship packages, distributing them to potential sponsors, and communicating with organizations that express interest in collaborating with HSI. In addition, the sponsorship associate will work with Editors-in-Chief to secure journal partnerships. The sponsorship associate will provide updates to the Editors-in-Chief and is expected to contribute to HSI meetings and engage in outreach efforts where appropriate.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 3 months (typically October - January). Light workload for the rest of the year.
Layout and Design Associates
The layout and design associates will be involved with all aspects of designing the Call for Submissions, sponsorship materials, and the final electronic publication of the journal. Manuscripts and articles will be made available to the layout associates as they become finalized. The layout associates will work closely with the Editor-in-chief and Executive Editors to plan and implement the layout of the journal and develop visuals to accompany articles and text. Experience with InDesign or Photoshop is an asset but not necessary.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/ week x 4 months (typically October, May - June)