Call for Editors
The Editorial Board and current Editorial Team of Literacy in Composition Studies (LiCS) seek proposals from prospective editorial teams and/or from individuals to steward this open-access, online, peer-reviewed journal. The LiCS Editorial Team--currently 5 members, including several founding members who will be rotating off over the next few years--seeks to transition new editors into collaborative leadership roles. The current Editorial Team also actively seeks to diversify journal leadership and editorial practices.
Since the founding of the journal in 2011, with publication beginning in 2013, LiCS has been committed to advancing scholarship in literacy studies and the related fields of writing studies, education, and professional and community based writing. A commitment to antiracist publication practices must be a grounding philosophy for any successful applicants. We are eager to see applicants build on and/or innovate the journal’s current practices, which we will share with interested applicants.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until positions are filled; however, we encourage applicants to submit by the next deadline of December 31st 2020, with terms beginning in spring or fall 2021.
Scope (and benefits) of Work
LiCS is unique to many journals in that decision-making is, and has always been, collaborative and non-hierarchical. For the majority of its history, the Editorial Team has consisted of 5 editors who share responsibilities and work as a team to solicit, nurture, and publish leading scholarship in the field. We believe that this collaborative structure not only has been useful in sharing workload (see resources section below), but also has encouraged more intentional publication practices and more intellectual, enjoyable work in publishing.
This call asks for both individual applications and for applications from teams of 3-5 individuals. The Editorial Board will use its discretion to assemble candidates together, both individuals and teams, to carry on this core journal structure. Although new practices and work routines will be at the discretion of the new team once the transition is complete, we hope the benefits and rewards of collaborative publishing will continue to remain a defining feature and strength of LiCS. The new Editorial Team will not only have the existing editors to mentor them into their roles during the transition phase(s), but will also have the ongoing support of an esteemed and dedicated Editorial Board.
Qualifications
Since one of the primary goals of bringing on new editors is to diversify the Editorial Team—and by extension, the scholarship published—we encourage applicants to consider representing a range of perspectives, locations, and intellectual and methodological traditions.
Required Qualifications
Team Applications:
Across the team, members should demonstrate:
expertise and a collective record of research and scholarship in literacy studies, broadly defined, as well as some expertise in Composition, Rhetoric, and/or Writing Studies.
a history of participating in anti-racist work, publishing anti-racist scholarship, and/or building alliances.
a record of collaborative work (either in publication, teaching, administration, or some other venue).
In line with the journal’s ethos, teams should express a commitment to
open-access and transparent publishing practices.
seeking out and nurturing new voices through academic publishing, as well as mentoring/demystifying publishing practices for junior members of the field.
publishing a range of methodological approaches.
Collectively, teams are encouraged to consider institution type (including community colleges), student population (HSI, HBCU, etc.), research training and methodologies (including institutions of training), scholarship emphases, rank and/or type of appointment, geographical location, race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and other factors that reflect a range of literacy traditions and orientations. Teams should make explicit why they have chosen this configuration.
Individual Applications:
Applicants should demonstrate
expertise and a record of research and scholarship in literacy studies, broadly defined, as well as some team expertise in Composition, Rhetoric, and/or Writing Studies.
a history of participating in anti-racist work, publishing anti-racist scholarship, and/or building alliances.
a record of collaborative work (either in publication, teaching, administration, or some other venue).
In line with the journal’s ethos, applications should express a commitment to
open-access and transparent publishing practices.
seeking out and nurturing new voices through academic publishing, as well as mentoring/demystifying publishing practices for junior members of the field.
publishing a range of methodological approaches.
Preferred Qualifications:
Editorial experience is useful, but not required if the above criteria are strongly met, given the transition period of editorial leadership.
Copy-editing, layout, and webmaster skillsets are useful but not required, as long as there is interest in developing such expertise.
Resources
We encourage candidates to consider building teams from across diverse institutional types and locations. Many journals require new editors to bring resources—essentially time or money—to their roles, and as a result many journals are run by those teaching at R1 institutions (i.e., those that have access to such resources). By contrast, through its collaborative model, LiCS enables a team of editors to compile the minimum resources needed to do this work across several institutions. Notably, none of the current Editorial Team teaches at R1 institutions, and we have historically made use of a few basic resources. For example, none of the current editors has received release time for running the journal. Instead, our two major resources have come from two different institutions: one graduate assistant with 10 hours a week of paid time has been provided by the College of Charleston, and a small budget of $5,000 has been provided by High Point University. Occasionally, other editors have been able to contribute small additional funds for special projects. Applicants are encouraged to seek similar or equivalent support from their institutions; the editors and Editorial Board can provide applicants with any information they might need to put together proposals for their institutions.
Selection Process
Selection will be made based on the criteria above, through a deliberative and collaborative process. The selection committee will consist of two members of the current Editorial Team and at least two members of the Editorial Board. After reviewing and discussing proposals, a group conversation between the committee and applicants may be requested to learn more about applicants. The Committee anticipates completing the selection process and notifying applicants with decisions between late August and early September.
Once an incoming Editorial Team has been selected, they will partner with the outgoing Editorial Team to construct a transition plan of 1-2 years that strives to meet all needs of the incoming team to lead with confidence. The transition plan will be largely guided by input from the incoming team about their needs and interests.
Submission Materials
To nominate your team or yourself, please submit the following materials to licsjournal@gmail.com by December 31, 2020.
A 5-page proposal that outlines your interest in editing LiCS, your experience with the journal and/or academic publishing, and the vision/ideas that you or your team would bring to publishing practices generally, and LiCS specifically. Please address and engage the qualifications list above.
CVs for you or all members of the team
Potential resources you and/or members of your team are seeking or have procured from your home institutions to support your work on LiCS.
Mentorship
To support candidates in drafting and revising proposals, a member of the Editorial Board--who will not be involved in the selection process--will be available to serve as reader/mentor. Any applicants who would like to seek assistance from the mentor, please contact Annette Vee: annettevee@pitt.edu.
