The FASEB Journal Appoints New Early Career Researcher Editorial Board

Thursday, January 11, 2024

The FASEB Journal is excited to announce the inaugural FASEB Journal Early Career Researcher Editorial Board. The opportunity to review manuscripts early on in one's career is important for the research community as a whole, as well as for education on the editorial process. The Early Career Researcher (ECR) Editorial Board Members (EBMs) will participate in the peer review process by critiquing submissions, independently or in a co-review process with an experienced EBM or an established researcher mentor. ECRs bring important value to The FASEB Journal; they are dedicated practicing researchers who are capable of completing very thorough peer reviews that ask critical questions and support authors in improving the communication of and reproducibility of their research findings. They also bring a unique and diverse perspective to a journal, and that cannot be understated. We will produce and provide a variety of resources for and with ECRs across the biological and biomedical spectrum, including educational resources and learning modules, and will have multiple opportunities for the ECR EBMs to interact with the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors (AEs) on a routine basis. We will provide networking opportunities and training to support their development as reviewers, authors, and scholars. Whenever possible, we will extend our efforts beyond the board to the broad ECR community globally. We will be asking this group what we can do to make the journal better for the future. We are delighted to welcome the inaugural board and look forward to working together.

The FASEB Journal is also pleased to share that we are revising the peer review workflow, to provide timely comments to the authors and ensure a robust review process. Historically, the journal AEs assigned submissions to EBMs, who then recommended reviewers to the AEs. This additional step added to the processing time and did not leverage the AEs or the EBMs in what we believe are their best roles—those of content experts. Starting January 2024, the AEs will assign manuscripts to reviewers directly, although they may continue to consult with EBMs when additional expertise is needed. The reviewers are expected to include a diverse group including an ECR (from the newly formed board or beyond), an EBM, and a third independent content expert in the field. We anticipate this new process will reduce the time to decision and will provide an updated review experience that improves the quality and reach of the research we publish.

The FASEB Journal is excited to continue providing robust, timely reviews of your best science, and we are committed to partnering with all researchers to publish your best work.

Original article found here.