BERA is seeking an enthusiastic academic editor to join the editorial team of its highly regarded blog. The editor will work with the existing team of Gerry Czerniawski (lead editor), Alison Fox, Rowena Passy, Barbara Skinner and Kathryn Spicksley to support the blog and contribute to its ongoing success.

About the blog

The BERA Blog was established in 2015 to provide research-informed content on key educational issues in an accessible manner. The aim is to produce and promote articles that attract policymakers, parents, teachers, educational leaders, members of school communities, politicians, and anyone who is interested in education today. The blog is edited by a small team combining academic representatives chosen by BERA’s Publications Committee and the BERA office.

Since its launch, the blog has received over 750,000 unique page views (UPVs) and in the last three years its annual UPVs have increased to more than 170,000. It reaches a large and growing audience both in the UK and beyond, across over 200 countries and territories.

The opportunity 

We are looking for an educational researcher with strong editorial skills and a track record of contributing to academic publications, both as an author and as an editor. The applicant will need to have sufficient academic standing and relevant expertise to review and comment on blog submissions written by scholars at all levels, as well as practitioners, policymakers and educational leaders. 

The editor will be expected to support the blog in the following ways: 

• Review and comment on blog posts submitted to the BERA Blog, considering the quality, suitability, accuracy and clarity of content. (The editor will be asked to review approximately three blog posts per week.) 
• Recommend blog posts for publication to the lead editor. 
• Where required, liaise with and support authors to revise their blog posts in line with editorial feedback. 
• Review and comment on proposals for special issues of the blog and BERA Bites series. 
• Promote the BERA Blog through their networks, encouraging relevant audiences to read the blog and to submit blog posts. 
• Suggest topics for blog posts and special issues. 
• Approach potential authors as appropriate. 
• Attend periodic operational and strategic meetings, both in-person (in the UK) and virtually.

As part of our wider commitment to greater equality and diversity at all levels of the organisation, we especially welcome applications from candidates with a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. 

This opportunity is open to applicants based outside of the UK, but BERA is unable to offer reimbursement for any international travel that may be required for the editor to attend in-person meetings related to the blog. 

To apply, please click ‘Apply Now’ at the top of this page. You will need to provide a CV (maximum 3 pages) and a brief account (maximum 500 words) detailing your relevant experience and explaining what you would bring to the editorial team.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 11 September 2023.

Ongoing BERA membership is required of all BERA Blog editors. Applicants must be BERA members at the time of application or commit to becoming members if appointed. 

If you would like to discuss the role further prior to application, please contact Hannah Marston, BERA Publications Manager, on blog@bera.ac.uk.