Assistant Editor

We believe in bold ideas, diverse perspectives, and the drive to transform knowledge into impact. Here, your curiosity fuels progress, your voice shapes innovation, and your ambition helps redefine what’s possible within science and learning. We are a culture that obsesses over impact, challenges, and drives what’s next to power infinite possibilities for our customers, colleagues and society at large. About the Role: Assistant Editors are research subject matter experts – individuals with research experience in a particular field of study who are dedicated handlers of manuscripts, shepherding a submission through all of the peer-review and post-acceptance processes, where subject expertise are required or highly advantageous (including but not limited to manuscript triage and first/final decisions, reviewer selection, evaluation of a response to reviewer remarks or rebuttal letter, evaluation of referee reports, evaluation of images or assessment of scope alignment, etc.) ahead of export to production. Assistant Editors are entry level with limited prior experience as a handling editor—they almost certainly have experience as an author, reviewer, and potentially as a guest editor or junior member of an editorial board, but are unlikely to have experience handling manuscripts through peer review. Undertake screening and peer review activities for manuscripts in their relevant/broad subject area: - Undertake subject-matter-expert (SME)-driven screening for manuscripts at the appropriate point in the workflow in the course of holistic manuscript handling; - Raise integrity concern as a result of SME screen/check via appropriate channels; - Evaluate new submissions for their suitability for the journal, taking an immediate decision with the appropriate decision rationale, in line with the journal’s policy/scope; - For suitable manuscripts, select and invite reviewers; - Assess reviewer report(s) and make decision to Accept/Reject/Revise/Refer manuscript (new/transferred/revised submission); - Assess revised manuscripts for the extent and quality of the changes made, and determine whether a final decision can be taken or whether further external review is needed; - In the course of manuscript assessment (before or after external review), when a reject decision is being rendered, identify appropriate journal(s) from within the portfolio as target titles for transfer; - When a rebuttal is submitted, review the arguments and take appropriate action in a timely manner; Commission articles aligned with the aspirations set by Publishing Development - Send invitations to relevant potential authors for special content (invited reviews, special issues, etc.); - Send reminders to authors who agreed to submit invited content; Performance Improvement - Review reporting to identify trends or opportunities for improvement in the performance of the peer review; - Engage with senior colleagues and line manager to understand areas of personal performance…