Royal Society Publishing Early Career Researcher Advisory Panel

Are you interested in shaping the future of scientific communication?

We have a new and exciting initiative at Royal Society Publishing - our Early Career Researcher (ECR) Advisory Panel. This will be a group of researchers that operate independently of individual journals, getting involved in publishing projects and offering a voice to their community through direct dialogue with us.

If you’re interested in influencing how science is communicated, reported, and the evolution of the scientific ecosystem, then becoming a panel member could be for you.

What will the role involve?

This panel will consist of 11-15 members from a diverse scientific and geographic background. The panel will come together in 4 virtual meetings a year for discussion. Panel members will also collaborate remotely with each other and the publishing office to: 

• influence Royal Society Publishing policies and support for all researchers, particularly ECRs
• contribute to a blog series on important topics to your community 
• get involved in projects, coordinated by the publishing office, that will have real world implications for all researchers publishing with us

You will have the opportunity to meet other ECRs, editorial board members who steer our journals, and people working across science in a variety of roles. This Panel will be a highly collaborative initiative with the publishing team, and members will have the opportunity to shape its activities and future.

The application process

Applications open on 15 November 2024 and will close on 14 March 2025. You can access the application form here.

In order to become a member of the panel, you must: 

• have completed no more than 6 years of full-time research since completing your PhD at the time of submitting your application
• currently working within science in a research role

Panel members will be selected from applications by a panel of academic editors from across the sciences.

Please note that successful applicants will be asked to agree to the terms and conditions of the role (PDF). 

Time away from research and career breaks would not contribute to the timeframe indicated above, and part-time contracts will be considered prorated. 

Looking for support in developing your career?

Check out our ECR hub, our central location for support materials from across the Royal Society tailored for you. Learn how to choose a journal, understand peer review, and increase the impact of your work.

Why work with us?

“Publishing with Royal Society Open Science was fantastic! All of our inquiries were responded by various journal staff within 24 hours, and the information I got was extremely useful and delivered respectfully. I very much appreciate the flexibility the editors gave me during research travel, and the assistance they provided when working with the online submission system. Thank you to the journal staff!”, Justin M. Bernstein

“We had a positive experience publishing in Proceedings B, where the editor and reviewers provided constructive and insightful comments that helped to considerably improve our paper. Also, we are happy to contribute to the field of ecology through this highly respected scientific journal”, Dr. María A. Maglianesi and Professor Catherine H. Graham

“Personally, publishing in Philosophical Transactions B was a great experience—smooth and quick. The instructions were clear, the journal staff was supportive, and the reviewers’ comments were very helpful in improving the quality of our paper”, Mohammadamin Saraei

To find our more about us, check out the history and processes for our journals and our publishing values.