The International Writing Centers Association seeks new editorial leadership for the Writing Center Journal (WCJ), the field’s flagship publication. As such, the Publications Committee invites applications for an editorial team that includes a senior Writing Center Studies scholar and represents different perspectives, experiences, and skill sets that will allow applicants to maintain the quality and timely publication of WCJ for the next three (3) to five (5) years. The team may also consider including an editorial advisor, such as a past editor who could offer ongoing guidance.
Editorial Responsibilities
Among their many roles, the editorial team will be responsible to:
Manage all submission, reviewer, and publication processes.
Coordinate with Purdue University Press, who provides copy editing, web hosting/distribution, and archiving of the WCJ repository via e-pubs.
Represent the journal at IWCA events.
Encourage growth of our author and guest editor bases by sponsoring conference sessions and webinars and facilitating mentoring events.
Submit an “Annual Report” to IWCA leadership and send a representative to its Board Meetings.
Screening Criteria
Candidates will be screened according to the following criteria:
Required
Active participation in the field of writing center studies. We are looking for writing center people who want to help shape the field’s scholarship.
Membership in IWCA.
Deep understanding of writing center scholarship and of rhetoric and composition studies.
Strong record of scholarly publications within the field of writing center studies and experience with WCJ itself.
Significant editorial experience with peer-reviewed journals, which may include managing the financial and logistical aspects of journal production, serving as manuscript reviewers, and/or participating in the production of an academic journal.
Institutional support to sponsor WCJ and its editors. While the association supports some editor travel via a MOU and we have a contract with Purdue to cover things like copy editing, we need to ensure that the editors, especially early career professors, serve at institutions that recognize their editing as an important labor intensive role that should be supported. We do appreciate that such support can come in a diversity of ways (course off-loads, cost offsets, administrative support, etc.).
Ability to serve for a three (3) to five (5) year term. While the editorial team must commit to a 3-year term, we encourage teams to include temporary assistant editors or interns, particularly writing center professionals from underrepresented institutions and/or graduate students.
Preferred
● Record of publication within WCJ.
● Prior service to IWCA and/or leadership within its Affiliates.
Application Components
To apply, candidates should present the Publication Committee with:
A written statement laying out the team’s editorial vision for WCJ and describing how each team member will contribute. To give you a sense of the breadth of responsibilities, we shared a brief statement about how the current editorial team has distributed its load:
We anticipate the wide variety of editorial responsibilities associated with the journal. Our goal is to be as collaborative as possible in negotiating those responsibilities; however, we realize the benefits of having a “point person” for each key task. Below are some of the key tasks we anticipate and the likely “point person” for each.
Online Pipeline and Web Presence: Purdue Crew
Back Issue Requests and Subscription Inquiries: Purdue Crew
Preliminary Manuscript Review and Correspondence with Authors: Collaborative (with at least two of the three editors reading each query and submission). We will establish a rotation for the person “in charge” of each manuscript.
On-going mentoring experience, writing time (Rotating)
Scheduling and Correspondence with Peer Reviewers: Romeo
Coordination of Online Mentoring and Workshopping: Anna
Outreach to Conferences and Events: Romeo
WCJ Publicity and Informational Materials: Anna and graduate students
A letter from an appropriate representative of each candidate’s home institution, which outlines the kinds of support that will be provided to sponsor WCJ.
Current CVs of each team member.
Response to a sample manuscript ,which the committee will provide to candidates shortly after the application has been received.
Applications (items 1-3) should be emailed to wynn no later than Friday, December 6, 2024. Evaluation will be based upon the complete application materials (items 1-4).
We anticipate notifying candidates of our decision by Friday, January 17, 2025. The selected team should be prepared to start shadowing the current editors by the end of January 2025.
Questions regarding the search may be directed to Sherry Wynn Perdue, Ph.D., at wynn.
Sherry Wynn Perdue, Ph.D. (she, her, hers)
Director, Oakland University Writing Center
President, International Writing Centers Association
212 Kresge Library
100 Library Drive
Rochester, MI 48309
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I acknowledge the Traditional Owners, past and present, of the land on which I work. Our main campus is on the Land of the Anishinaabe, known as the Three Fires Confederacy, comprised of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.