Editor Search:
City & Community
Individual and team applications are invited for the position of editor of City & Community, the journal of the ASA Community and Urban Sociology Section (CUSS). The official term for the new editor (or co-editors) will begin in January 2010, but the new editorial office and team will start work in August 2009. The editor’s term is for a minimum of three years, until December 2012, with a possible reappointment of up to an additional three years. City & Community brings together major work and research in urban and community sociology. It is published four times per year.
Editor’s Role:
City & Community receives more than 60 submissions per year. The editor is expected to secure timely and appropriate reviews and make final decision on manuscripts, informing both the author(s) and reviewers of the final disposition. The editor is also responsible for maintaining the high standards of ASA journals, ensuring that issues are filled within the annual page allotments, and preventing a long backlog of articles for either review or publication. The editor must show openness to communicating with scholars about diverse ideas and eagerness to continue building the journal’s reputation. Candidates must be members of both the ASA and the Community and Urban Sociology Section, and hold a tenured position or equivalent in an academic or a non-academic setting. Applications from members of underrepresented groups are encouraged.
In accordance with ASA’s mission to publish high quality scholarship, the following criteria are considered in selecting editors:
- Established record of scholarship.
- Evidence of understanding the mission of the journal and its operation, indicated by experience with the journal across any of a wide variety of activities (submission, reviewing, editorial board experience).
- Assessment of the present state of the journal, its strengths and challenges, and a vision for the journal’s future.
- Openness to different methods, theories, and approaches to sociology.
- Record of responsible service to scholarly publishing
- Evidence of organizational skill and intellectual leadership.
The time demands associated with these responsibilities vary, but in general, require one full day per week. The actual costs associated with editing the journal are covered by the publisher, a dedicated portion of section dues, and the editor’s university. Applicants will provide a letter from the administration of their institution assuring a suitable level of financial and in-kind support for the editor, a managing editor (usually a PhD student), and the editorial office.
Four-Stage Selection Process:
(1) Applications will be reviewed by the Editorial Search Committee of CUSS’s Committee on Publications in June and July 2008. That committee will submit a ranked list of candidates to CUSS’s Committee on Publications in August 2008. (2) The section’s Publications Committee will submit their selections to ASA’s Publications Committee by December 2008, and (3) ASA’s Publications Committee will review the selections before forwarding their ranked list of candidates to ASA Council in January 2009. (4) The Council appoints the editor, who is then contacted by the ASA Secretary.
Applications:
The application packet should include:
I. Vision Statement: Set forth your goals and plans for the content of the journal. This may include an assessment of the current strengths, weaknesses, or gaps that you plan to address and how you will carry out your plan.
II. Editor/Co-Editor or Deputy Editor(s) Background Information: The name, affiliation, and other important information about the potential editor and, if applicable, co-editors and/or deputy editor(s) is required. Describe the qualifications and experience of each person that supports their inclusion. Do not include names of individuals that you would like/plan to include on the larger editorial board. Contacting potential editorial board members can be a time-consuming task that should be done only after an editor is selected.
III. Institutional Support: It is important for candidates to examine the feasibility of serving as editor in light of the resources provided by the publisher, the section, and the home university. At this point, a preliminary letter of support from a dean or other appropriate institutional official is requested. Specific negotiations will of course take place after a new editor is selected. For further information, contact Sharon Zukin, Zukin@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
IV. Submission: The application packet (I, II, III) should be no more than five (5) pages (excluding CVs), and must be received by June 1, 2008. Applications may be emailed to Sharon Zukin, Chair, Editorial Search Committee, Zukin@brooklyn.cuny.edu, or sent by surface mail to:
Sharon Zukin, Chair,
Editorial Search Committee
Department of Sociology
Brooklyn College, CUNY
2900 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11210 
