When/how to join editorial board?

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ExpertHoopJumper

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For multiple reasons, joining an editorial board within my specialty seems like a good idea and something I might enjoy. However, as I'm a (very) early-career faculty, I'm wondering when should I think about doing so? And how does one go about this? Is it invite-only following serving as an ad-hoc reviewer or could I take a proactive approach and seek it out?

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Generally these are invite-only. I wouldn't go seeking it out as junior faculty, but if you review a lot for a journal I think its reasonable to inquire. I'm tempted to do so right now for a journal I've been consistently doing 10-15 reviews/year for (and they send me some pretty painful ones at that...).

Another consideration that may or may not work for you is that a number of journals in my field now have "Editorial Fellowships" specifically aimed at junior faculty. You basically serve as action editor on things under mentorship, then joint the editorial board when you are done. This sort of thing seems like a good idea and should probably be more widespread across all of science.
 
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Generally these are invite-only. I wouldn't go seeking it out as junior faculty, but if you review a lot for a journal I think its reasonable to inquire. I'm tempted to do so right now for a journal I've been consistently doing 10-15 reviews/year for (and they send me some pretty painful ones at that...).

Another consideration that may or may not work for you is that a number of journals in my field now have "Editorial Fellowships" specifically aimed at junior faculty. You basically serve as action editor on things under mentorship, then joint the editorial board when you are done. This sort of thing seems like a good idea and should probably be more widespread across all of science.
Agreed. In my experience, you usually establish yourself by reviewing for and publishing in a journal consistently over a few years and then are asked.
 
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yeh, I was asked to join the two I'm part of. that said, I would be making inquiries by your third year in TT. If you arent reviewing for them ask to be used as an ad hoc right now. I doubt they'll turn it down. Being on an ed board gives a demonstration of your knowledge for tenure, another feather.
 
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Review consistently for journals in your field, be on time w/ reviews, do a good job and don't be a jerk and they'll likely ask you eventually. On the back end know that some journals ask editors to rate the quality of reviews and many, if not all, keep track of review metrics (time taken, number of reminders sent, number of reviews refused). It's also much easier to get invited if you establish yourself as an expert in a subfield through your own published work. Also, if you review a lot for the same journal you can ask to serve on the editorial board. I know several people who have had success doing this and it's now what I recommend to our junior faculty.

In my experience, this is one of those things that after you get invited to your first editorial board, others follow pretty swiftly. Some of this is also based on who you know. As your cohort moves up in ranks, it's likely that you'll have friends and colleagues serving in AE capacities begging you to review and recommending you for these things! Keep in mind being on an editorial board can be a bit of a pain. But, it's good for promotion and tenure so my final bit of advice is to let others in your department/research world know you are looking for these opportunities -- Now when I am asked to serve on an editorial board I typically pass and suggest a respected (most of the time junior) colleague. But, I only do this if I know they are interested because I am not trying to give people extra work and I personally hate when people volunteer me for things without asking.
 
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