Looking for a way to give back through science education, all while furthering your professional development as a scientist?
JEI was established by graduate students at Harvard University to reinvest in the next generation of researchers, both teaching skills in professional academic writing and lowering barriers to publication of student research. Since then, JEI has spread to over 30 research universities worldwide, with a volunteer staff of 180 PhD candidates and serving between 300-500 secondary students each year.
We think JEI is unique because we remain managed entirely by volunteer graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the sciences. And we’re always looking for motivated and passionate graduate students to serve as new editors, peer reviewers, and management staff.
If you're a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow interested in helping develop the next generation of scientists, please consider applying for one of the positions below. Contact us with inquiries at [email protected].
Learn how scientific publishing works first-hand by joining our editorial staff
Support young scientists in their first ever publication - JEI typically receives 500 manuscripts per year and publishes over 200.
Learn Editorial Manager, the platform many scientific publishers use to organize manuscript submissions
Develop and advance your leadership skills with the flexibility to design projects and initiatives you are passionate about
Join a community of 300 like-minded graduate students, PhD students, Post-Docs, and career professionals who are passionate about outreach and scientific communication
Associate Editors
Responsible for the Scientific Review phase of the Editorial process.
Recruit peer reviewers from the JEI staff according to expertise, and compile the results from review into a single document.
Write the Editor’s Letter, which indicates changes that need to be addressed by student authors before publication with JEI.
Evaluate the peer reviewers that provided feedback.
Associate Editors are expected to review at least 3 manuscripts per year, and each review must be completed within 6-8 weeks.
Reviews should be positive and encouraging to student authors, understanding that many authors have limited access to experimental spaces or are inexperienced with science writing. Reviews and letters to be easy to understand so that students can learn and grow as scientists and communicators.
Most importantly, we want all parties to have fun in a supportive space!
Copy Editors
Assess the grammar, style, and formatting of a manuscript before publication, ensuring that all required sections are present, that the writing is clear and coherent, and that citations are correctly styled.
Write a Copy Editor's letter, explaining the recommended changes to tone and style.
Edit at least 6 manuscripts per year, and each review must be completed within one week.
Editing should be restrained, and should aim to preserve the student's voice as much as possible while altering tenses and structures to be grammatically correct.
Suggestions can be made for improving clarity, and words of encouragement are always welcome!
Proofing Editors
Ensure that the final layout of the manuscript is readable and professional.
Upload the finished article to JEI website with finalized figure placements and page styles as a PDF.
Expected to edit at least 6 manuscripts per year, and each review must be completed within one week.
Utilize InDesign for all major formatting. Experience is preferred but not required.
Our student authors often say that the most exciting and rewarding part of the publication process is seeing their finished article proof for the first time. For young authors, this is when their article becomes ‘real’ thanks to the hard work of the Proofing Editors!
Peer Reviewers
Provide scientific feedback to student authors relating to proper framing of the experimental question, use of a testable hypothesis, reasonable and controlled experiments, appropriate data analysis, and logical data interpretation.
Reviewers are expected to complete their review within 2 weeks.
Our student authors often cite detailed comments they receive from Reviewers as the most valuable and educational experience they have with JEI. Reviewers are the core of JEI's operations, and are essential for teaching the authors more about the process of science!
