Portland Press Early Career Researcher Editorial Board Mentorship Scheme

Aims of the Scheme

This scheme aims to provide early career researchers (ECRs) with an introduction to the roles and responsibilities of being an Editorial Board member in academic publishing and offer support in learning about journal leadership. 

This is more than ‘acting as a reviewer’ on a paper, and would include:

• Assessing the suitability of a paper for consideration in the journal (i.e., should a paper be sent for peer review)
• Identifying potential reviewers for specific papers
• Assessing reviewer comments when submitting and making a decision on a paper
• Assessing any potential ethical/policy questions that might arise with a paper

In addition to the more day-to-day aspects of being on an Editorial Board, the ECR would also be mentored by the Associate Editors in how to act as an ambassador for the journal. 

This could be:

• Suggesting topics/authors for review articles
• Encouraging peers/colleagues to submit to the journal
• Promoting the journal at conferences/events 

Associate Editors from the Biochemical Journal, Biochemical Society Transactions and Clinical Science have been paired with ECRs in their area of expertise who answered a call for applicants from the Biochemical Society. The mentor/mentee pairs are listed below: 

2021/2022 Cohort