Graduate Research Assistant - Support Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
This position supports the daily operations of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, the leading interdisciplinary journal of women’s and gender studies, including its online initiative, the Feminist Public Intellectuals Project. Signs publishes four issues annually, in addition to several installments of the Feminist Public Intellectual Project. Supporting this publishing schedule requires varied research and administrative work at all stages, focused on identifying appropriate feminist scholars to write and review for Signs, as well as shepherding scholars’ work through the peer review process. By the end of the assistantship, the position-holder will have gained a deeper understanding of the academic publishing process, greater familiarity with the issues on the cutting edge of feminist scholarship, and honed interdisciplinary research skills.
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Location:
Boston, on campus
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Remote Work:
No
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Semester:
Summer 2025
Application
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Project Title
Support Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
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Faculty / Project Lead
Suzanna Walters
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Project Description
Graduate assistants work with the Signs Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, and Managing Editor on manuscript acquisition and production and on research related to journal operations. The graduate assistant will work with the Managing Editor on critical tasks related to production deadlines and acquisitions and with the Deputy Editor on responsibilities related to research projects and online initiatives. This position will also involve assistance in managing Signs’ social media accounts in order to promote the journal and its online initiatives. Research responsibilities include identifying potential peer reviewers for articles submitted for publication, potential topics for the Feminist Public Intellectuals Project, potential writers to address those topics, and potential target audiences for publicizing various initiatives. Administrative duties will include tracking manuscripts through peer review to ensure a timely process, corresponding with authors and reviewers, and maintaining databases of scholars and contact information.
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Qualifications Necessary
The position requires excellent research skills, communication skills, organizational abilities, and a fair amount of tact and diplomacy in dealing with authors and reviewers. Knowledge of the field of women's and gender studies is particularly important given the research requirements. Preference will therefore be given to candidates with graduate training in feminist scholarship. Familiarity with the nonacademic feminist media landscape is also a plus. Candidates who demonstrate an understanding of the anonymous peer review system used in scholarly publications, and who show familiarity with the principles of editorial production, will be preferred. Office experience, particularly experience handling a range of administrative tasks, is strongly preferred, as is familiarity with social media marketing. All Signs graduate research assistants must demonstrate a capacity for meticulous attention to detail, the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and the capacity to work flexibly.
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Hours per Week
20 Hour Position