If you are new to scholarly publishing (and even if you aren’t), you won’t want to miss this exciting discussion at SSP’s upcoming Annual Meeting.
Moderated by Emma Brink (Wiley), “The Future of Scholarly Communication According to the Professionals Who Will Shape It” (concurrent session 1F) will include perspectives from panelists Ashley Ketelhut (American Society of Clinical Oncology), Emilia Guevara (American Anthropological Association), Nick Dials (Harvard University), Katy Meert (Elsevier), and Pat Weitzel (National Institutes of Health).
To give you an idea of what’s to come, Communications Committee member Elizabeth Ralls talked with early career professional Ashley Ketelhut about the upcoming panel and her experience so far in scholarly publishing. Ketelhut is an editorial coordinator at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where she works with authors, editors, and reviewers through the peer-review process of two oncology journals. She holds a master’s in publishing from George Washington University.
Can you give us a quick summary of this session in your own words? Why should people attend?
The session consists of early career professionals who will discuss where they are now, how they got there, and how they see their future in the publishing industry. What I love about this session is the diversity of the panelists. There isn’t just one way to start your career in scholarly publishing, and even though we are all “early career professionals,” I believe we will all have different experiences and advice to share. We’ll also be giving our take on the industry’s future, and I am interested to hear what everyone has to say. I think those who are new to the field, or those looking to try a different avenue in scholarly publishing, will gain a lot from this panel’s discussion.
As an early career professional yourself, what has been most valuable to you in your career growth? Has SSP played a role in your development?
I believe education is really important and I think the knowledge I’ve gained has been very valuable to my career growth. I also think the networking opportunities I received through my programs were beneficial.
SSP definitely played a role in my professional development! I received the Travel Grant to attend SSP’s annual conference last year and I am also a part of the marketing committee. With SSP, I’ve met so many great people throughout the community, it helps me stay in touch with news and changes in the industry, and I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities presented to me because of my involvement in SSP.
What do you think are the biggest challenges (and opportunities) on the horizon for those just starting in publishing?
One of the biggest challenges (or opportunities—depending on how you look at it) for those starting in publishing is how rapidly technology (platforms, cell phones, tablets, etc.) is changing and how it affects the industry. It requires you to keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things. And even though there are new technologies available, it doesn’t always mean they’re going to work. I think we’ll definitely see more hybrid publishing models because of this.
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