Staff volunteer applications for the 2022-2023 year are NOW OPEN!
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.
Benefits of Participation: Being a staff member of Health Science Inquiry 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 editorial board and offers are communicated by email. Senior Management positions are preferentially given to individuals with previous experience working for Health Science Inquiry but new applicants will still be considered.
Deadline for Applications: October 24th, 2022
AVAILABLE POSITIONS 2022-2023:
Executive Editors
Positions only available to previous HSI staff members.
Executive Editors are 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 two areas of journal content: 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 Peer Reviewers with the appropriate information and documents required for the peer-review process and assign submissions accordingly.
- Content Development: Executive Editors will oversee the News Reports, Spotlight on Careers, and Ask and Expert sections of HSI. 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
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
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 and are encouraged to submit their own pieces for publication.
Time Commitment: ~3-5 hours/week x 4 months (typically January – April)
Peer 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 may and are encouraged to submit their own pieces for publication.
Time Commitment: ~3 hours/week x 3 months (typically February – April)
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Writing Associate: News Reporter
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
News Reporters will produce pieces for publication for the journal. Writers are expected to communicate with the Executive Editors to develop ideas for stories/articles. The types of writing you may take on can vary and can include news stories covering exciting Canadian research and opinion pieces on relevant topics. 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. The writing associate will report to the Executive Editor of Content Development and is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 6 months (typically November – April)
Writing Associate: Feature
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
The Feature writing associate will create content for the Features section of HSI. The writing associate is expected to select a topic related to the journal theme and write an article exploring a significant topic in an insightful, researched, and in-depth manner. The writing associate will report to the Executive Editor of Content Development and is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 6 months (typically November – April)
Writing Associate: Spotlight on Careers
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
The Spotlight on Careers writing associate will create 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 and is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 6 months (typically November – April)
Writing Associate: Profiles
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
The Profiles writing associate will create content for the Profiles section of HSI. In collaboration with the Executive Editor of Content Development, the writing associate is expected to identify researchers or professionals in careers or training relevant to journal’s yearly theme and write an article profiling the academic/professional as well as the personal life and background of the interviewee. The writing associate will report to the Executive Editor of Content Development and is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 6 months (typically November – April)
Writing Associate: Ask an Expert
Writing sample of approx. 500 words required with application.
The Ask and Expert writing associate will solicit 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 select an expert on the topic to invite to write a contributing article. The writing associate will report to the Executive Editor of Content Development and is expected to participate in HSI meetings and contribute to outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 6 months (typically November – April)
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
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, communicating with organizations that express interest in collaborating with HSI, and other fundraising activities. In addition, the sponsorship associate will work with Editors-in-Chief to secure journal partnerships. The Sponsorship Associate will report to the Editor-in-Chief and is expected to attend monthly Executive Team meetings and engage in outreach efforts where appropriate.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 4 months (typically October – January)
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. They will work with the Executive Team and Content Solicitation Specialists to disseminate the Call for Submissions, secure faculty judges, and engage with partner organizations. The Outreach Associate will be responsible for maintaining HSI’s social media pages and posting brief updates to the website and ensuring all online information is up-to-date. Some staff communication notices may also be required. The outreach associate will report to the Editor-in-Chief and is expected to attend monthly Executive Team meetings and lead outreach efforts.
Time Commitment: ~10 hours/month x 5 months (typically October - March).
Content Solicitation Specialist
The Content Solicitation Specialist will work closely with the Outreach Associate to solicit main submissions from graduate students across Canada. This will involve regular communication with relevant university departments, graduate student societies, and other relevant groups. The Content Solicitation Specialist will also be expected to develop novel ways to reach graduate students to encourage and increase research article submissions. The Content Solicitation Specialist will report to the Editor-in-Chief and is expected to attend monthly Executive Team meetings and engage in outreach efforts where appropriate.
Time Commitment: ~2 hours/week x 6 months (typically October – March)
Layout and Design Editor
The Layout and Design Editors will be responsible for designing outreach and sponsorship materials, as well as all aspects of the final electronic publication of the journal. Journal content will be made available to the Editors as they become finalized throughout the year. The Layout and Design Editors will work closely with the Editors-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 required. Layout and Design Editors should be detail-oriented and have an eye for design. Layout and Design Editors are expected to attend monthly Executive Team meetings and engage in outreach efforts where appropriate.
Time Commitment: ~1-2 hours/week x 6 months (typically October– March); ~8 hours/week x6 months (typically March – August)
Copyeditor
Copyeditors will be responsible for reviewing final versions of all main submissions and internal content for grammar, spelling, and syntax. Copyeditors will also work with the Editor-in-Chief and Layout and Design Editors to copyedit the final version of the journal prior to publication.
Time Commitment: ~4 hours/week x 6 months (typically March – August)