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Home / Opportunities / Textile Society of America: Editor, special issue of the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice

Textile Society of America: Editor, special issue of the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice

Deadline: Tuesday November 05, 2024

In 2018 the Textile Society of America (TSA) entered a partnership with the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice through which outstanding papers delivered at the TSA Symposium are published in a special issue of the Journal, approximately eight months following the Symposium. The special issue features contributions by emerging researchers and supports the work of historically underrepresented researchers. Articles published in Journal undergo peer review and editorial revisions. Typically, five or six articles are published in the special issue. The Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice is published by Taylor and Francis.

This is a contract position with a $3,000 (USD) honorarium. The anticipated time commitment for the contract is between 50-60 hours. The editor reports to the TSA executive director. The symposium chair and members of the planning committee are available in an advisory capacity. This is a remote position. 

Position overview

The editor is responsible for a special issue of the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, to be published in 2025 in partnership with TSA; identifies potential papers for publication based on rankings for abstracts accepted into the Symposium; attends the presentation of the papers at the Symposium; creates a short-list of up to ten papers; invites authors to submit manuscripts to the journal; recruits peer-reviewers; reads manuscripts, makes suggestions to authors, and provides mentorship; writes a short editorial introduction to the special issue; and liaises with authors and the Journal. 

Tasks and responsibilities

The special issue editor:

  • Based on rankings made during the Symposium review process, identifies approximately 15-20 highly-ranked abstracts that might be included in the special issue (all abstracts accepted to the Symposium underwent peer-review); an initial list of such abstracts is provided by TSA
  • Attends the presentations of the papers, or views the recordings on the Symposium platform, Whova (during and within 2-3 weeks after the end of the Symposium)
  • Creates a short-list of up to ten papers for consideration for the special issue
  • Contacts the paper presenters and invites them to submit an article to the Journal for consideration
    • provides authors with the Journal’s guidelines
    • responds to author questions about the process
    • advises and mentors authors on their articles ahead of submission
  • Learns the Editorial Manager (EM) platform used by the Journal. Authors and peer-reviewers use the EM platform to upload articles, review, and comment
  • Oversees the peer-review process
    • identifies TSA members who can serve as reviewers. Reviewers should have appropriate subject-area knowledge; each paper has two reviewers
      • reviewer responsibilities include providing detailed and specific editorial commentary on the articles and completing the review metrics determined by the publisher; reviewers use forms provided in EM system to comment on articles 
    • contacts potential peer reviewers
    • submits reviewer names to Taylor and Francis
    • distributes articles to reviewers using the EM system
    • supports reviewers with using Editorial Manager
    • communicates with authors about reviewers’ decisions (rejection or preliminary acceptance)
  • Works with authors of articles accepted for publication
    • requests revisions as specified by peer reviewers
    • reads the articles  and provides editorial suggestions to authors
    • works with authors if questions arise regarding revisions
    • ensures that authors respond to reviewer revisions 
    • reads final articles before authors submit them to the publisher
  • Writes a brief editorial introduction to the issue (the introduction does not undergo peer-review)
  • Receives layouts from the publisher, and distributes them to authors for final revision
  • Reviews layouts and makes any final (minor) editorial corrections

Qualifications

  • Experience in academic publishing and familiarity with all stages of the process is desired
  • Experience editing a journal issue (preferably peer-reviewed) and/or experience with working effectively with independent peer reviewers
  • One published article in a peer-reviewed journal is desired
  • Relevant editorial experience 
  • Relevant academic writing experience
  • Ability to read, summarize, and make decisions based on independent reviewer reports
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Familiarity with the Mission and vision of the Textile Society of America; participation in a TSA Symposium is desired
  • Knowledge of textiles including textile art, histories, and cultures; an understanding of current scholarship and topics of contemporary interest
  • Experience using an online peer review management system or the ability to learn Editorial Manager
  • Experience working with Google documents, PDF documents, and Word documents
  • Ability to ensure all submitted articles are considered in a prompt, consistent, and professional manner
  • Empathy, generosity, and the ability to mentor emerging authors
  • Ability to adhere to deadlines

Application process

Priority deadline for consideration:  November 5, 2024

Please submit:

  1. a cover letter outlining your interest in the position, relevant experience, familiarity with textiles (including relevant knowledge, research, publications, etc.), and TSA’s Mission and Symposia
  2. your CV 
  3. a brief statement on how the special issue can contribute to TSA’s Mission

Please email the above to <symposium@textilesocietyofamerica.org> with the subject line “TSA special issue editor”

Questions about the position can be sent to <symposium@textilesocietyofamerica.org>

More information about the Textile Society of America, our Mission, and history can be found here: https://textilesocietyofamerica.org/about-us

TSA’s past special issues can be accessed in their entirety here: