Ashley Warren – The G Word

MPS in Publishing Program at George Washington University Launches New Journal

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022Ethics in Publishing, Journal of Ethics in Publishing1 Comment

Announcing the inaugural issue of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing

WASHINGTON D.C.— The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Publishing program, George Washington University, is pleased to announce the inaugural issue of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing. This new online journal is managed by students in the MPS in Publishing program, and led by Editor-in-Chief Randy Townsend, Director of Publishing Operations, PLOS, and an editorial board of publishing leaders.

Cover of the Volume 1, Issue 1, of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing. Image shows the GW Tempietto on the campus of the George Washington University.

EIC Townsend, the editorial board, and MPS students and faculty have established a vision emphasizing equity and quality for theGW Journal of Ethics in Publishing, with an exceptional peer review process involving leading publishing, library, and scholarly communication professionals, scholars, and researchers. This new scholarly journal explores efforts to enable and implement equitable, inclusive, and accessible publishing. The editorial board includes:

Gabrielle Bethancourt, Assistant Editor, Wiley
Lois Jones, Peer Review Director, American Psychological Association
Josephine E. Sciortino, Managing Editor, Canadian Science Publishing
Julie Vo, Editorial Manager, JAMA Pediatrics
Aimar Galarza, GW Editorial Board Student Representative

Core to its mission, the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing (GWJEP) seeks to provide a platform for students and other industry professionals to discuss often-ignored realities of the publishing industry. GWJEP welcomes scholarly articles, case studies, and GW Ethics in Publishing Conference presentations from scholars, students, and publishing professionals on topics including diversity and inclusion, accessibility, peer review, open access, sustainability, publishing metrics, equity, and other issues of publishing ethics. The Journal of Ethics in Publishing’s first issue is set to advance ethical conversations within the industry and challenge traditional “business as usual” approaches to safeguarding content, representing contributions from both students and professionals.

GWJEP provides MPS in Publishing students an opportunity for hands-on experience managing a professional-level journal, provides a forum for students to publish their Ethics in Publishing capstone projects, and involves the wider community of publishing, library, media, and scholarly communication professionals and scholars as board members, peer reviewers, authors, and readers. This student-managed publication is an open-access resource, free for anyone to access online, and is free from submission fees or article processing charges, providing opportunities for publication from underrepresented voices.

Four student-led committees include Editorial (led by Aimar Galarza, and previously by Giuliana Macaluso); Marketing (led by Donna Prideaux, and previously by Emily Hatcher); E-Publishing (led by Julie McClenahan, and previously by Jeremy Ottley); and Strategy and Sustainability (led by Madi Neuner, and previously by Ashley Warren). Graduate student Ashley Warren serves as Managing Editor.

MPS in Publishing Director and Associate Professor John W. Warren conceived of the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing and serves as publisher. GWJEP is published on the Manifold Scholarship platform, developed by the University of Minnesota Press, the CUNY Graduate Center’s Digital Scholarship Lab, and Cast Iron Coding, with a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is a sponsor of the journal.

To read GWJEP’s inaugural issue, and to submit articles for consideration, please visit: https://gwpress.manifoldapp.org/projects/journal-of-ethics-in-publishing.

About the GW Master of Professional Studies in Publishing program:

The Master of Professional Studies in Publishing program, College of Professional Studies, at George Washington University, is the leading graduate-degree program for current and aspiring publishing professionals. Current publishing professionals sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge through high-level coursework, while other students include post-bachelor and post-graduate students who have earned their degrees in other disciplines but desire careers in publishing. Coursework emphasizes “real-world” learning, participation, and group work utilizing creative and analytical approaches. Skills and topics include acquisitions, editing, copyright and permissions, business and management, marketing, design, production, and digital technology. Created in 2006, with the addition of a flexible, online program in 2012, more than 450 alumni work as leaders in the field in all publishing sectors and specialties. The program’s curriculum is taught by internationally-recognized leaders in publishing, who help to prepare students for managerial and leadership positions across all segments and specialties in the publishing industry.

For media inquiries about the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing, please contact Donna Prideaux, Media Lead, GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing at gwpress@email.gwu.edu.

For more information, and media inquiries, about the MPS in Publishing program, please contact John W. Warren, Director and Associate Professor, at jww@gwu.edu.

GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing: Meet the Student Committees

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021Ethics in Publishing, Journal of Ethics in Publishing, Kudos, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

The Journal of Ethics in Publishing is excited to introduce the four student-led committees working to help launch the journal. Each of these four committees deal with different aspects of the journal: Editorial, Marketing, E-Publishing, and Strategy and Sustainability. We recently asked the four committee leads to describe what their committees are charged with, what they’ve accomplished thus far, and what role they will play as the journal continues to evolve and work towards publication.

Giuliana Macaluso

Editorial Committee

Lead: Giuliana Macaluso

Editorial Committee members: Christine Benson, Aimar Galarza, Kaitlyn Longstaff, Mariko Hewer, Olivia Haase, Ashley Elizalde

Editorial Board Liaison: Josephine Sciortino

The Editorial Committee of the Journal of Ethics in Publishing has been charged with stewarding the fair, unbiased double-masked peer review of journal submissions; identifying opportunities to recognize referee contributions; and developing guidelines to maintain journal integrity.

The committee has been hard at work establishing processes to optimize its operations. With the ethical imperative of the journal ever on our minds, the committee’s regular meetings involve discussion around best practices for peer review. We’ve also engaged in research and leveraged professional networks to identify peer reviewers whose expertise and values align with the mission of the journal. In preparation for the first issue of the journal, our inaugural articles have been identified and sent to peer reviewers to solicit feedback—and we’ve already received a reviewer report!

I look forward to seeing the Editorial Committee’s role in the journal continue to solidify and evolve as we move toward the journal’s launch—and over the coming years. This is an integral and enthusiastic committee that affords members experience that will be useful in any publishing profession. And we’re always looking for new members! If you’re interested in learning more about the editorial side of journal publishing, I highly encourage you to join!

Marketing Committee

Lead: Emily Hatcher

Marketing committee members: Sarah Godlin, Corrine Gosling, Abby Norton, Caitlin Monday, Haley Mullins, Nicole McConnell, and Donna Prideaux.

The Journal of Ethics in Publishing’s first marketing committee has been tasked with strategizing, designing, and implementing marketing strategies for the journal. Throughout the past couple of months, the committee has met weekly to brainstorm ideas, discuss content strategy, and begin to establish the journal’s identity as a whole. So far, we’ve created a customer persona, social media strategies, and a content calendar, and we’re continuing to work on setting up social media accounts and starting a weekly email newsletter.

This group is extremely passionate and energetic and I’m so excited to see how the committee will continue to celebrate and amplify the journal.

E-Publishing Committee

Lead: Jeremy Ottley

E-Publishing committee members: Taryn Boss, Melody Johnson, Lismarie Cuevas, Tyana Anglin, Stephanie Luna

The E-Publishing Committee for the GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing has been charged to develop and maintain the online journal presence, ensuring discoverability, appropriate indexing, and successful implementation of industry standards. So far, we’ve been developing a taxonomy for our content to support an indexing strategy, a set of author guidelines to better prepare manuscripts for the platform, as well as a Corrections and Errata policy. Lately, we’ve begun to discuss how to present special collections and how to enhance the user experience.

I look forward to continuing to build a strong digital foundation for George Washington University’s newest born-digital publication.

Strategy and Sustainability Committee

Lead: Ashley Warren

Strategy and Sustainability committee members: Ambriah Underwood, Julie McClenahan, Elizabeth Von Mann, Madison Neuner, Maeve Hayden, and Sydnie Koetje-Simin

Board Liaison: Lois Jones

The GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing’s Strategy and Sustainability Committee has been charged with being the Journal’s moral compass, guiding it through industry disruption while establishing and protecting a legacy of excellence and a tradition of quality. We strive to ensure the Journal serves its readers and the publishing industry for many years to come, while never compromising its values or integrity.

Currently, the Strategy and Sustainability team is working to develop the initial processes that will provide the Journal with critical assets for the future. In sub-committees, members are developing student volunteer recruitment and retainment methods; evaluating the competition and searching for potential hurdles; considering long-term peer reviewer relationships; creating data matrices; and actively working to find grants and other funding opportunities.

Our committee looks forward to working together, and with future student volunteers, to help the Journal of Ethics in Publishing find perennial success.

The four committee leads work closely with our Editorial Board Student Representative, Gabrielle Bethancourt-Hughes, to help drive initiatives and establish a solid foundation for the journal.

While there have been many accomplishments, there is still so much work to be done! If any of the above committees interest you, we will be accepting new members in the fall; we will send out a request for volunteers when the time comes. This is a great opportunity to gain real-world experience, work more closely with your peers, and help to publish important content.

Gabrielle Bethancourt Appointed to GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing Editorial Board

February 8, 2021February 8, 2021Ethics in Publishing, Journal of Ethics in Publishing, Uncategorized1 Comment

The GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing proudly announces Gabrielle Bethancourt to the Editorial Board as the student representative to the board’s founding membership.

Gabrielle Bethancourt - photo — Gabrielle Bethancourt

Gabrielle is a second-year student in the MPS in Publishing program at GW. She holds a Certificate in Editing from the University of Chicago, and taught high school English for five years before assuming her current role as a technical writer/editor. Gabrielle obtained her BA in English from Tulane University and served as an Editor for the Tulane Literary Review. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and one-year-old daughter.

“It is an honor to be selected as the student representative on the editorial board,” says Bethancourt. “My time in GW’s MPS in Publishing program has already supplied me with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the publishing world, but this is a unique opportunity to advance industry standards in ethics. It is also a great privilege to work with such accomplished professionals in the field. I look forward to serving my student community as a representative and the publishing community at large with this new journal.”

Gabrielle joins board members Josephine E. Sciortino, Lois Jones and Julie Vo, who were announced earlier this month as inaugural members of the editorial board by Editor-in-Chief Randy Townsend.

“To successfully launch this journal, strong editorial leadership is critical, and it’s imperative to have student representation on the editorial board, working alongside publishing experts,” says John W. Warren, Director and Associate Professor of the MPS in Publishing program, College of Professional Studies. “Gabrielle’s contributions were important, as well as those of her peers, to the launching of this journal, and her accomplishments in the program make her a natural fit for joining the board. My vision for the journal has always been to provide opportunities for our students to learn the ends and outs of journal management, while contributing to the research and literature of ethics in publishing. Student support and enthusiasm for the journal has been remarkable.”

In addition to Gabrielle’s editorship, the journal is also launching student-run committees to target 4 key objectives.

Editorial, led by Giuliana Macaluso, will steward the fair, unbiased double-masked peer review of journal submissions, identify opportunities to recognize referee contributions, and develop guidelines to maintain journal integrity.

ePublishing, led by Jeremy Ottley, will develop and maintain the online journal presence, ensuring discoverability, appropriate indexing, and successful implementation of industry standards.

Marketing & Promotion, led by Emily Hatcher, will cultivate a strategy to raise visibility of the published content, helping further ethical discussions presented by authors, and ensuring the journal brand consistently reflects values of integrity, equity, transparency, and scholarship.

Strategy & Sustainability, led by Ashley Warren, will be the moral compass guiding the journal through industry disruption while establishing and protecting a legacy of excellence and a tradition of quality.

“With Gabrielle joining the editorial team and the formation of these four committees, we are honoring our commitment to offer real-world experience and leadership opportunities to the publishing students, strengthening and adapting skills to the development of the journal,” says Townsend. “These committees will help establish the journal’s personality and characteristics. I am inspired by the enthusiasm surrounding the journal and looking forward to publishing great content.”

The Journal of Ethics in Publishing, managed by students in the GW Publishing program, welcomes articles, case studies, and conference presentations from scholars, students, and publishing professionals on topics including, but not limited to, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, peer review, open access, sustainability, publishing metrics, equity, and other aspects and issues of ethics in publishing. If you are interested in submitting to the journal, please see the Call for Papers for more information.