How much writing do editors do?
Corie Lok
Wednesday, 17 October 2007 18:04 UTC
(This was posted as a reply in another thread by an anonymous user. I’m reposting it here to keep things organized. CL)
Are journal editors sometimes asked to provide written content?
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Replies
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On Nature, yes they are. We employ editors for different jobs on the journal (there are about 50 editors altogether). Each one has a job description, so his or her primary task will be to (say) assess manuscripts submitted for publication; commission and edit content from scientists(such as News and Views articles or Reviews); or be a News reporter or editor (writing and editing articles by science journalists).
In the former case, most of the job involves assessing manuscripts, including managing the peer-review process. But these editors also go to conferences and are expected to write up a report when they return. Sometimes these are published in the form of News and Views meeting reports. But also, these editors often contribute articles to different parts of the journal, even though they are not directly employed to write, and do this writing in their “spare” time.
In other cases, editors are specifically hired to write. Nature hires editors to write scientific news and summaries of research papers. It is extremely hard to get one of these jobs, however, as they are incredibly competitive, even by Nature standards.
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