Journal Editors for Compare Journal

The British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) seeks to appoint two editors for Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. Expressions of interest are invited from suitable candidates.

BAICE

BAICE is an association which promotes research, teaching, policy and development in all aspects of international and comparative education. BAICE is the British affiliate of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) but membership is open to all interested in international and comparative education, regardless of nationality or institutional affiliation. BAICE publishes the journal Compare in association with Taylor and Francis.

Compare

BAICE Journal cover imageCompare is one of the world’s leading journals in international and comparative education. It is an established peer-reviewed journal with the impact factor of 1.607 (2019) and publishes work on the role of education in development and the interactions of the local, the national and the global debates about education systems and practices. It seeks analyses of educational discourse, policy and practice across disciplines, and their implications for teaching, learning and governance. It is the official journal of BAICE and has witnessed a rapid growth in the number of submissions in recent years.

The Editorial Board of Compare is currently seeking to appoint two editors to join Prof Sheila Trahar (Co-Editor Forum). The two new editors will take over from Prof Jan Germen Janmaat (CoEditor Special Issues) and Prof Tristan McCowan (Co-Editor Public Relations) whose terms of office end on September 30th, 2021.

Each appointment is for an initial term of three years, which can be extended for a further term by mutual agreement. Both editors will have general responsibilities for editing and overseeing the process of peer reviewing. In addition, it is likely that one editor will have the responsibility for special issues, which involves liaising with guest editors, guiding the approval process of special issue proposals and organising the reviewing of special issue contributions. The other editor will most likely take over the public relations role and be responsible for the promotion of Compare and its scholarly publications through various means, for organising the annual recruitment of the Compare Fellow, overseeing the writers workshop programme and maintaining links with and safeguarding the interests of the journal vis-à-vis the publisher Taylor and Francis.

The new editors will work closely with the fellow editor, with the Chair of the Editorial Board (Dr Tejendra Pherali) and the Editorial Board and receive administrative support from the editorial assistant. They are expected to attend three Board meetings per year and also to contribute to the BAICE Executive as an ex-officio member. An honorarium of GBP 3,000 is paid annually for the Editorship. The workload of an editor is about 4 to 8 hours a week.

Aside from the more specific responsibilities mentioned above, the editor’s responsibilities include:

  • Developing a vision for the journal and engage in strategic planning together with the other editors and editorial board.
  • On a rotating basis, taking the lead in reading/screening papers and communicating with authors as to whether their paper will be included in the peer review process or is rejected because it does not meet initial criteria.
  • Management of peer review process (with part-time administrative support from editorial assistant). Approach and appoint reviewers for papers screened.
  • Identifying additional/new reviewers in certain areas and assessing appropriateness and quality of reviewers’ responses to authors.
  • Contributing to the writing of the editorial reports for the Editorial Board and BAICE Committee meetings. Attending all BAICE executive committee and editorial board meetings (three per year).
  • Liaising with the Book Reviews Editor, Dr Amy North (UCL Institute of Education) about reviews for each issue (particularly Special Issues).
  • Journal promotion at conferences and presentations at journal editor panels (shared responsibility with other Co-Editors).
  • Working with fellow editors, BAICE Chair and editorial assistant to identify potentially high impact articles and produce podcasts with the authors for wider dissemination of the knowledge.
  • Ongoing critical review of editorial procedures, guidelines for authors and reviewers, the description of Compare on the website and cover (includes liaison with Routledge/Taylor and Francis) – shared responsibility with other Co-Editors.
  • Maintaining the College of Reviewers and liaising with members of the International Advisory Board and the Editorial Board.

Final decisions about the sharing of workloads will be done in conjunction with the other co-editor once the appointment has been made.

Members of the editorial board are expected to be members of BAICE. Compare publishes high quality research covering a wide range of issues and geographical areas which are of international significance within international and comparative education. All editors, therefore, have a significant role to play in the journal’s continuing success, and in maintaining and further enhancing its profile internationally.

If interested, please send your CV together with a two-page statement outlining your area of expertise (including previous editorial experience) and your envisaged contribution to the Journal. Please note that the editors should be based in a UK higher educational institution. We are looking for candidates with an excellent publication track record in the field of comparative and international education, with a history of involvement in academic publishing (through previous editorial roles or memberships of editorial boards), with a collegial and egalitarian mindset and with a commitment to respond promptly to emerging issues. Your application should be sent to: supportofficer@baice.ac.uk.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview. 

If you would like further information about the role and Compare’s editorial process before applying please contact Prof Jan Germen Janmaat, Special Issues Co-Editor (g.janmaat@ucl.ac.uk), Prof Tristan McCowan, Public Relations Co-Editor (t.mccowan@ucl.ac.uk) or Prof Sheila Trahar, Forum Co-Editor (s.trahar@bristol.ac.uk).

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 4pm UK time, 30 April 2021