Call for applications: Editor-in-Chief mentee

The South African Journal of Science (SAJS) is offering an exciting opportunity for a South African scientist who is passionate about leading scholarly research publishing but who does not yet have the requisite experience.

The SAJS, which recently celebrated 120 years of publishing, is the leading interdisciplinary science journal on the African continent, and is owned and published by the Academy of Science of South Africa. The journal is diamond open access, and widely cited in Africa and throughout the world, covering topics of interdisciplinary interest across all academic disciplines, including social sciences and the humanities alongside the exact, natural and health sciences and engineering.

The SAJS has a robust internal working structure, with full-time employees led by the Managing Editor, and reporting to the Director of the Scholarly Publishing Programme of the Academy. The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) position, which is part-time, is traditionally filled by an academic with a strong research and publication record, and a commitment to developing scholarly publishing in South Africa and on the continent of Africa. The current incumbent is Professor Leslie Swartz, of the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University. The Editor-in-Chief leads a team of ten discipline-specific Associate Editors and the Associate Editor mentees and is responsible for, inter alia, the overall editorial content of the journal and its strategic direction and development.

Purpose of the EiC mentee position

The purpose of this approximately 18-month EiC mentee position is to provide an opportunity to a South African scientist from any discipline to shadow the work of the current EiC, to learn about the duties of the EiC, to gain practice in executing these duties under supervision, and to gain enough experience to be able to assume a leadership editorial role with a scholarly journal.

The process of inducting and training the mentee will be largely through work shadowing of the EiC and one-on-one supervision from the EiC, with support from the rest of the in-house editorial team.

Duties will include (all engagement may be online):

  1. Attending an induction session introducing the journal, run by the Managing Editor.
  2. Attending training on OJS and the journal workflow, run by the Online Publishing Systems Administrator.
  3. Initially, through online communication, observing in real time the handling of submissions to the journal by the EiC, with decisions made and responses where necessary to authors.
  4. As time goes on, making initial decisions on submissions, to be actioned and signed off by the EiC, leading to having delegated authority to make decisions on clear matters, for example, on submissions which fall outside the scope of the journal. Other decisions are still subject to EiC ratification.
  5. Liaising with associate editors and their mentees about referral of manuscripts for their further editorial handling and decision-making.
  6. Attending and participating in all meetings of the journal, including monthly in-house editorial meetings, monthly journal support meetings (taking an increasingly active role in guiding emerging researchers.
  7. Taking an increasingly active role in designing and participating as a facilitator and presenter in trainings offered by the journal on scientific writing and peer review.
  8. Participating in decision-making and planning for special issues, discussion series, and other new developments that may arise at the journal.
  9. Accompanying the EiC (with permission of the chairs) to all meetings the EiC attends in an ex officio capacity, and thus interacting, amongst others, with editors of other South African journals.
  10. Playing a role in the support programme for associate editor mentees.
  11. Assisting the EiC in writing communications such as end of year messages.
  12. Other duties and activities that arise from time to time in the work of the journal.
  13. Providing feedback on the EiC mentee experience, with any suggestions for change and improvement.
  14. Providing input on the direction and vision of the journal, through keeping up with academic trends especially in South Africa, and trends in academic publishing.

Requirements for the position

  1. In keeping with the journal’s and the Academy’s commitment to increasing and diversifying access to and participation in science and academic publishing in South Africa, it is a requirement that the mentee be part of one or more of the Designated Groups in terms of South African Employment Equity legislation, according to which designated groups are black people (African, Coloured, and Indian), women of all races, and people with disabilities.
  2. Permanent residence in South Africa and affiliation to a higher education or research institution
  3. A doctoral degree, or equivalent
  4. Experience in authoring publications in accredited academic journals
  5. Experience as a reviewer for submissions to accredited journals
  6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
  7. Proof of training in research methods appropriate to the applicant’s discipline, ideally with familiarity with both quantitative and qualitative methods
  8. Strong interest in all aspects of academic publishing and its development in an African context
  9. Sufficient time to be able to devote approximately 20% of academic time to journal activities; good time management skills
  10. Excellent interpersonal and people management skills
  11. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  12. Consistency in meeting tight deadlines

Recommendations

  1. Some experience in editing roles for other journals
  2. Ability to communicate at academic level in South African official languages other than English
  3. Interest in researching and developing academic publishing as a research focus
  4. Familiarity with the higher education and research landscape in South Africa

In summary, this is an excellent opportunity for a South African scholar to be exposed to, and gain experience in, all aspects of the cycle of academic journal publication in South Africa within a global knowledge context. There is no remuneration for the position but any expenses, such as travel to the editorial office, if necessary, will be covered.

To apply, please provide a letter of motivation, your CV and three references via email to sajs@assaf.org.za by 13 June 2025.

We reserve the right to not make an appointment. Correspondence will be entered into only with shortlisted candidates.