Section Editor

Position Description

Overview

Section Editors are subject matter experts who have experience writing and editing manuscripts meeting rigorous standards and may have served as peer reviewers for journals. Section Editors are responsible for identifying topics for articles and special reports to enhance APA members’ clinical skills and knowledge relating to professional issues and as well as to keep them informed of new research and trends. The names of Section Editors may be published in print PN editions.


Once a topic is confirmed by the Editor in Chief of Psychiatric News (PN), Section Editors may prepare draft articles or invite others to do so following the guidelines below. Section Editors are expected to set deadlines for the proposed articles in their section and ensure that invited authors meet them.

Occasionally, the Editor in Chief or Executive Editor may ask Section Editors to review and provide feedback on articles submitted by APA members to help determine whether they should be accepted for publication.


Candidates for a Section Editor position should submit their curriculum vitae, a letter of interest describing their vision for the section, and three proposed drafts of articles or detailed article outlines to the Editor in Chief. The letter should include applicants’ vision for PN’s clinical/research content and qualifications to realize this vision.


Please send application materials to editor@psych.org.


If you have any questions, please email Adrian Preda, M.D., at apreda@psych.org.

Responsibilities

Section Editors should aim to provide a minimum of 6 articles a year which may include special reports on the relevant topic(s); articles can be invited or written by the Section Editor. Publication of all articles shall be determined based on the standard practices of PN, including being contingent upon completion by authors of all documents and agreements as may be required by APA. Section Editor does not have authority to commit or promise publication of any article (whether invited or otherwise). All publication decisions shall be made by APA in its discretion.

Each draft article or special report can vary in length between 700 to 2500 words, as determined in consultation with the Editor in Chief, and should include the following:

  • High-resolution photo of author (500 KB or larger)


  • Other photos, images, tables, charts as appropriate


  • A very brief sentence biographical statement of author


  • References as appropriate

The Section Editor is responsible for the following:

  • Reviewing article proposals and deciding which should proceed to drafting.


  • Reviewing submitted articles, fact checking, editing, and adding hyperlinks as necessary.


  • Forwarding articles proposed for publication to the Editor in Chief and Executive Editor for decision by APA regarding acceptance for publication and editing to meet PN’s quality standards.


  • Reviewing final version of article by relevant deadline.

Article Requirements

  • Use clear language understandable not only by psychiatrists but also patients and the public; do not write in a style more appropriate for journals. One of our goals is to expand the audience of PN by providing content of interest to patients and the public.


  • Ensure scientific validity with evidence-based, accurate, and up-to-date content with the latest medical research and standards.


  • Ensure objectivity/lack of bias in content, free of commercial influence with a balanced view of the topic without promoting specific products or services.


  • If applicable, for CME-eligible articles, ensure articles are well structured, with clear learning objectives, appropriate references (5-15), include assessments/quizzes to reflect on the material, and otherwise meet accreditation standards.
  • Check articles for accuracy, including accuracy of material/quotes from references.


  • Provide references; include article URLs.


  • Submit articles as Word documents; PN staff is responsible for article formatting.


  • If submitting multiple articles, email each one at a time for easier tracking.


  • Include photos, images, tables, charts, etc. as appropriate. If submitting materials from a third party, obtain and submit written reprint permission and proper credit line with the article.


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