What is your current job title within Parasitology and what does it involve? Where are you based in the world?

I’m the Publisher at Cambridge University Press for Parasitology. My role primarily involves working with Russ Stothard and supporting editorial team on journal strategic development activities, to ensure that Parasitology is positioned effectively in the field, and is in the best position to provide for the community.

I’m based in Cambridge, UK.

When did you first become interested in working for a journal? Did a particular teacher or mentor direct your career path?

I first became interested in working for a journal during my Publishing MA at UCL – we had an interesting module about journal publishing, which really opened my eyes to this area of publishing that I hadn’t considered previously.

What journals do you currently look after and how does Parasitology compare?

I look after a mixture of journals across a range of subject areas. Parasitology is the longest-standing, with its first issue being published back in 1908. It is great working with the Parasitology Editors, Social Media Editors and Board who are very active, care about the journal and are invested in its success.

We run a number of initiatives for early career researchers such as webinars/seminars giving guidance on ‘How to get Published’ and offer an annual Early Career Research Prize to the best paper published in the journal each year.

Parasitology transitioned to a fully open access publication model from 1^st January 2023, which means that it is now available to read by everyone, everywhere. We have also ensured that the journal is available to everyone to publish in regardless of funding:

• We’ve partnered with over 2,700 institutions across the globe (transformative agreements), and authors from these institutions can publish free of charge. Check the tracker here to see if you’re eligible
• We also have developing country waiver policies – we grant 100% waivers to papers whose corresponding authors are based in Research4Life ’Group A’ countries, and 50% waivers to those who are based in ‘Group B’ countries.
• We also have a discretionary waiver policy whereby if an author doesn’t have funding, and doesn’t fit into the transformative agreements or developing waiver policies, all they need to do is to request a waiver by completing this form and provide a signed letter from their institution confirming no funding available.

Has working on Parasitology changed your views of the life sciences?

It has definitely opened my eyes to the world of parasitology, which I knew little about before. It has been fascinating to learn about the different parasites, and the wider impact they have on our lives. And also amazing how pretty many of them are!

What is the best part of your current job?

Working with academics across a range of subject areas. I love seeing how enthusiastic researchers are about their subjects, and learning about each different community.

What sorts of skills do you use in your current role?

I use organizational and time management skills, analytical skills, and communication skills.

Do you have any advice for those submitting to Parasitology?

Before submitting, I would recommended reading other papers in the journal and familiarizing yourself with the journal’s scope, to ensure your manuscript fits in with what the journal is looking for. And please make sure you format your manuscript to the journal’s requirements, otherwise it is likely to be returned to you for reformatting which will slow the publication process down.

What advice would you give to those considering a career in academic publishing? 

If you can, try to learn as much as you can about the academic publishing industry before applying – whether this is through work experience, attending publishing networking events or doing online research. As the journals publishing field is constantly changing, it is important to make sure you keep up to date with what is happening, particularly around open access.