BERA’s Publications Committee is seeking an individual or team (of up to three people) to guest edit issue 159 of Research Intelligence on the theme of the future of academic publishing.

Research Intelligence is BERA’s quarterly magazine, available to all members in print and digital formats. It carries announcements and news, as well as articles and features on a variety of topics related to education research. The magazine operates a guest editor system, whereby for each individual issue a different editor or team of editors commissions a set of articles that address a particular theme.

For issue 159, BERA’s Publications Committee has selected the theme of the future of academic publishing. This theme is broad in scope and may encompass a range of topics pertinent to education researchers, including research assessment; peer review; diversity, equity and inclusion; open access; publishing opportunities for early career researchers; and research outputs beyond traditional article publications. It is for the guest editor(s) to define the precise scope of the issue within this theme and the focus of the individual articles to be featured.

The role of guest editor involves commissioning a set of articles that address the theme of the issue, editing the articles, and writing an editorial to introduce and contextualise the issue and its theme. For more information, please refer to the proposal form, which can be downloaded at the link below.

Applicants must be available to work to the following issue schedule.

Early January 2024: Themed articles to be commissioned
6 March 2024: Deadline for themed articles to be submitted to BERA for copyediting
20 March 2024: Deadline for authors to check copyedits and resolve any queries from the copyeditor
23 April 2024: First typeset proofs out for review
30 April 2024: Deadline for first proof feedback/corrections
20 May 2024: Issue to print
Publication: c.30 May 2024

To apply, please complete the attached proposal form and send it to publications@bera.ac.uk by 3 November 2023. The proposal form requires a short abstract detailing how you intend to define the scope of the issue within the theme of the future of academic publishing. You will also need to provide a proposed list of article topics to be featured in the special issue, with potential authors if possible. (Note that it is not a requirement for you to have approached the potential authors in advance of submitting your proposal form.)

Proposals received in response to this call will be considered by BERA’s Publications Committee and a decision will be made about which proposal to take forward. Applicants will be notified in December.