March 2020 - Network Effect

For a long time, I was put off by the term “networking,” thinking it was a corporate-speak word that reduced every personal encounter to a transaction. To the younger me, the people who networked were schmoozers, comparing their bone-colored business cards while thinking about what they can personally gain from each interaction. I realize now, however, that networking really is a fitting metaphor: in the best cases and with the right community, professional networking can be about building a collection of contacts for freely exchanging information.

The Council of Science Editors is the type of community where networking works well, with members incredibly open and willing to answer questions, share insights, and help each other. This can be seen on the CSE Listserv, the pages of Science Editor, and possibly most clearly, at the CSE Annual Meeting each May.

In fact, the theme of this year’s meeting, May 2-5 in Portland, Oregon, is “Advancing Science by Exchanging Knowledge.” In their preview article, program co-chairs, Emilie Gunn and Peter Olson outline the opportunities at the meeting to “commune with, collaborate with, and learn from our esteemed peers in the exciting world of scientific publishing.”

As always, there will be plenty of occasions to network, from Roundtable Breakfasts to Dinner Conversations. In my experience, CSE attendees are always interested in discussing the ins and outs of their workflow, divulging recent initiatives they’ve undertaken, and sometimes, commiserating over shared disappointments.

Even if you are not able to attend the meeting in person for whatever reason, there are still plenty of ways to network and participate, such as following the meeting on social media and adding to the online conversation. Another option for catching up on missed sessions are the Annual Meeting Reports subsequently published in Science Editor. Our dedicated team of reporters provides recaps of almost every session, along with info about moderators and speakers. If you have questions or want to discuss the topic further, I encourage you to reach out to the speakers or moderators to start a conversation.

The CSE website includes a Searchable Membership Directory in the Members Only section that can be used to find emails for most speakers and moderators. (Please check the meeting home page for CSE’s official statement about the COVID-19 outbreak.)

Of course, even if it isn’t your primary focus, there is a professional gain that comes from all this networking. When you connect with someone, you become a node between their organization and yours, a connection that can be called upon as needed. Let’s say a situation arises at your work that sounds familiar, so you raise your hand: “I met someone at CSE who was dealing with this same thing a few months ago. Let me reach out and see how they handled it.” Insights shared; crisis averted; everyone happy. Thanks, CSE!

-Jonathan Schultz
Editor-in-Chief, Science Editor

Reminder: Early Bird Registration rates are still available for the 2020 CSE Annual Meeting, so don’t delay. May 2-5 in Portland, Oregon. 32 sessions. 5 Short Courses. So much more…

Resources of the Month

We’re excited to announce the start of two new regular columns in Science Editor. In “Style Bites,” Stacy Christiansen and the AMA Manual of Style committee will provide updates and insights on usage and style, starting with the history of they as a gender-neutral pronoun. Then in “Getting Social in Scholarly Publishing,” Jennifer Regala kicks off her column on social media and its use in scholarly publishing by covering all you need to know about starting a professional social media account.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Call for Meeting Reporters

Are you looking to get the most out of the CSE Annual Meeting, while contributing to CSE and Science Editor at the same time? Then consider serving as an Annual Meeting Session reporter.

Reports on the CSE Annual Meeting sessions are very important to the readers of Science Editor, especially those who cannot attend the meeting or a concurrent session. Serving as an Annual Meeting Reporter is a great way for first-time attendees or newer members to become involved in CSE, an opportunity to meet speakers and moderators covering topics of interest, and a chance to have an article published in Science Editor.

If you are interested in serving as a meeting reporter, please email us at scienceeditor@councilscienceeditors.org by April 6, 2020.

Meeting Reports from CSE 2019

We had an excellent group of Meeting Reporters for last year’s CSE Annual Meeting covering almost every session. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed by providing the full list of meeting reports below; these are also available via our Annual Meeting Reports Special Collection. I hope these reports are helpful and incite excitement about what’s to come at CSE 2020.

2019 CSE Annual Meeting: A Recap

By Mary K Billingsley & Shari Leventhal

Keynote Address: Project Management: Chickens, Goats, and Kids

By Peter J Olson

Data-Driven Best Practices in the Editorial Office

By Christina Nelson

Providing the Right Resources for Reviewers

By Rachel Winfield

Shared Open Source Infrastructure in Workflow

By Lettie Conrad

Two Sides of the Same Coin: What Does Production Need from Editorial and What Does Editorial Need From Production?

By Becky Rivard