Giuliana Macaluso – The G Word

Alumni Profile: Giuliana Macaluso, MPS 2022

May 31, 2022June 2, 2022Alumni Profile, Kudos, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Giuliana Macaluso is an outstanding graduate of the MPS in Publishing program, College of Professional Studies, George Washington University, and recipient of the 2022 CPS Graduate Distinguished Scholar Award. In this Alumni Profile, we hear from Giuliana about the impact of the MPS in Publishing program on her career.

For me, the MPS in Publishing program was an exercise in understanding the phrase “There’s no time like the present.” As I considered applying for this program, I was concerned it “wasn’t the right time”—we were in the middle of the strictest period of lockdown, I was working full time, I had several personal responsibilities, etc. However, once I took the first step and applied for the program, I immediately felt more confident that there was never going to be an ideal time to pursue a graduate degree; I simply needed to take the plunge. Now, with the program completed, I am so glad and proud that I set aside my hesitations and my hope for “the perfect time”; this program has been a fantastic experience, and I recommend it highly regardless of career stage or level of experience.

Giuliana Macaluso, MPS

What is the most rewarding aspect of the MPS in Publishing program?

The most rewarding aspect of the MPS in Publishing program is the chance to network with both experienced and early-career publishing professionals. Many courses in the program include interviews and guest lectures by respected publishing professionals whose advice is instrumental in planning for and executing next steps in one’s career. In addition, the program offers opportunities to make valuable professional connections with classmates with a range of experiences and perspectives that enrich classroom interactions. As a graduating student, I look back fondly on the friendships I have made with my classmates during the two years of the program, and I look forward to seeing how my fellow cohort members make an impact on the publishing industry in the future.

What is the most challenging aspect of the MPS in Publishing program?

The most challenging aspect of the MPS in Publishing program is choosing between the array of electives. This program offers a range of electives in editorial, business, technology, and more, and deciding which electives would be the most beneficial for one’s future career is difficult! George Washington University’s MPS in Publishing program offers advising services to help each student choose courses that best meet their professional goals, and I highly recommend taking advantage of these opportunities. I am pleased with my choices and feel that both the core classes and the electives I selected will be major assets as I progress in my career.

What are some of the reasons you decided to pursue the MPS in Publishing degree? Why did you choose GW specifically?

I decided to pursue the MPS in Publishing program because I have always been interested in practical applications of language and communication, and I am especially interested in scholarly publishing. This program covers each of these aspects—and more. The very high caliber of the teaching faculty in this program is a major asset to the learning process, and each professor is an expert in their field.

The MPS in Publishing program at GW is also one of the only publishing graduate programs in the country, offering a unique, practical experience for aspiring and veteran publishing professionals alike. GW also offers the MPS online, which afforded me the flexibility I needed to complete the program while working full time.

What advice would you give to new or prospective students to the MPS in Publishing program?

This is a program that recognizes effort, and although it is designed to be flexible, students who gain the most from this program are those who put the most effort into their assignments and projects. I highly recommend engaging fully with the course material, including supplemental resources, lectures, and readings. You get out of the program what you put into it.

I’d also advise incoming students to meet with a GW student success coach early in the program to determine how to organize their schedule for the duration of the program. It’s important to decide early on when you hope to graduate so that you can plan your course schedule accordingly, and the GW advisory staff are a major resource for ensuring you are maximizing your time and keeping your target graduation date in mind from the get-go.

Who has made the biggest impact on you during your time at GW?

John Warren, the director of the MPS in Publishing program, has made the biggest impact on me during my time at GW. John consistently offers his individualized career advice and guidance to each student in the program and is consistently available for one-on-one meetings. John has a wealth of experience in a variety of publishing outlets and uses his experience to tailor his advice for each student’s aspirations. John has made it clear to graduating students that he will continue to be a mentor as we progress in our professional careers, and I value this continued willingness to support alumni.

To incoming students, I highly recommend meeting with John regularly as well as making opportunities to meet with your other professors, especially those whose career paths align with your interests and goals. The publishing industry is highly network driven, and your professors want to get to know you—don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and schedule a time to chat!

How are you using what you learned in your publishing courses in your day-to-day work?

The MPS in Publishing program has taught me invaluable skills in time management, which I apply daily in my professional career. Balancing a full-time career with part-time pursuit of a graduate degree is challenging, but my capacity for prioritizing and perseverance has been strengthened as a result.

What have you found to be the value of the MPS in Publishing degree, and how are you using what you learned, as a rising publishing professional?

The MPS in Publishing degree taught me the value of a professional network. As I advanced through the program, I made every effort to meet individually with professors to learn more about their career paths. Because there are dozens of students in each cohort, it’s extremely beneficial to take (or make!) opportunities to meet with professors to gain advice to apply to your future. In addition, your fellow classmates also present a networking opportunity—get to know them!

Giuliana Macaluso, MPS, Receives the CPS Graduate Distinguished Scholar Award, CPS Commencement 2022

Giuliana Macaluso on LinkedIn.

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.