Peer Review Associate - Sage Open

About the Role:

Are you passionate about academic publishing and meticulous with details? We’re looking for a Peer Review Associate (PRA) to join our Sage Open team and help ensure a smooth and high-quality peer review experience for authors and reviewers across the globe.

As a PRA, you’ll manage the end-to-end peer review process using Scholar One (online submission system) You'll work closely with journal editors and internal teams to keep the process running efficiently while delivering excellent services.

About Our Team:

We are a collaborative and dynamic team that supports the peer review process for Sage Open, one of the largest open-access journals in the social and behavioral sciences. We value clear communication, teamwork, and attention to detail as we work together to maintain high editorial standards and support our global community of reviewers, editors and authors.

What Is Your Team’s Key Role in Business?

Our team plays a critical role in upholding the integrity and efficiency of the peer review process, a foundational step in academic publishing. By managing manuscript workflows, shepherding the manuscripts through the entire peer review process and engaging with stakeholders at every stage, we help ensure that high-quality, peer-reviewed research reaches the academic community quickly and reliably.

What Other Departments Do You Closely Work With?

We work closely with a range of key departments, including:

-Production: To ensure efficient and streamlined production processes and quality control once a paper gets accepted.

-Global Peer Review teams: We have team members across three time zones.

-Vendors: Coordinating with external partners for some parts of the editorial checks where applicable.

-External Stakeholders: Article Editors, Authors, and Reviewers worldwide.

This cross-functional collaboration ensures a smooth transition of manuscripts from submission through to publication.

Scope of your new role/ What You’ll Be Doing:

• Managing and maintaining peer review workflows for individual articles
• Corresponding regularly with the Managing Editor and Supervisors
• Handling up to 100 manuscripts at any given time and around 400 submissions per year
• Assigning and coordinating with reviewers, Editorial Board members, Section Editors and Article Editors
• Ensuring complete and timely manuscript processing through peer review
• Responding professionally to queries from authors, reviewers, and editors
• Troubleshooting technical and process-related issues on Scholar One
• Maintaining high editorial and operational standards

Essential Skills and Experience:

• At least 1 year of experience in academic publishing
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in MS Office
• A proactive, organized, and detail-oriented approach
• Ability to manage multiple tasks under minimal supervision
• A collaborative team player who can support colleagues when needed
• Ability to adapt to and thrive in a constantly changing work environment.

Key Accountabilities:
1.Manage and maintain the process of individual articles in Sage Open.
2.Maintain positive working relationships and top-quality communication with journal editors, authors, reviewers, and Sage staff throughout the world.
3.Respond to any email inquiries from journal editors, authors, reviewers, and other Sage staff within 48 hours of receiving the email (excluding weekends and holidays), and respond in a clear, articulated, and organized manner.
4.Perform work with moderate supervision from the Sage Open Peer Review Supervisor as well as supervisors in Sage India/US.
5.Maintain editorial knowledge and proficiency.

Peer Review Responsibilities
1.Check submitted manuscripts in through Sage Track by ensuring that they conform to the submission criteria and are ready for the peer review process.
2.You will be expected to handle about 150 papers at a given point in time and an average of 390submissions per year, which will be transitioned to you in a phased manner, following the successful completion of your training.
3.Select, Invite & Assign Reviewers: Expected to send out invitations on at least 10 - 12 papers daily.
4.Identify, invite, and assign reviewers & Article Editors for each individual manuscript submission.
5.Assist the Article Editor in inviting, assigning, and assisting reviewers who need to complete their reviews through Sage Track.
6.Follow up with editors, reviewers and authors who have not completed their tasks by the deadline defined in Sage Track.
7.Ensure that authors of accepted manuscripts complete and submit the electronic contributor form through Sage Track.
8.Ensure that authors of accepted manuscript complete and submit the electronic payment through Sage track.
9.Check accepted manuscripts to ensure that all the necessary components are present and ready for the Sage Production team prior to export. This includes, but is not limited to, checking manuscripts to ensure that author contact information is up to date, all files are in an editable electronic format, permissions for copyrighted material are collected, and references conform to the appropriate style.
10.Export accepted manuscripts from Sage Track to the Sage Production Editor no later than the article deadlines, as defined by the Sage Production Editor.
11.Respond to queries from article editors, authors, reviewers, and Sage staff.
12.Maintain the Sage Track inbox as requests come in that pertain to your specific article(s).
13.Evaluate the peer-review reports received and make recommendations/decisions on manuscripts based on peer-review reports and editorial review.
14.Troubleshoot to ensure that SGO Track site is functioning properly.

A cover letter is important to us, this offers the hiring manager valuable insights into how your skill set aligns with the role, what unique contributions you can bring to the team and why you are interested in this position. Therefore, when applying for this role online, please upload your cover letter and CV as one document.

Applications without a cover letter may regrettably not be reviewed.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Sage we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that is representative of all sections of society and to sustaining a culture that celebrates difference, encourages authenticity, and creates a deep sense of belonging. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, disability, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief as creating value through diversity is what makes us strong.