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10.28.2021 | SSP News & Releases

SSP Launches Third Annual Professional Skills Survey

Now in its third year, SSP’s Professional Skills Survey seeks to gather industry data to further career development resources.

October 28, 2021– The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) invites scholarly communications professionals from across the field to share their professional skill sets with us by participating in the third wave of our Professional Skills Survey

Launched in 2019, the Professional Skills Survey informs SSP’s Professional Skills Map, a first of its kind, interactive career development tool built from self-reported industry data. At any career stage, users can discover roles across scholarly publishing and make comparisons about the necessary elements for success.

The SSP Professional Skills Map aims to guide scholarly publishing professionals (across industries and career levels) in recognizing their strengths, and their interpersonal and technical skills. Users can then map those skills onto roles across the industry, empowering them to explore potential career paths they may not have previously considered. Built from self-reported industry data, the map presents the most frequently reported personal characteristics and interpersonal and technical skills that are thought to be (a) essential to success and (b) emerging needs for development.

Survey respondents are asked to share their organizational affiliation, the business area for their current role, title, and years in the industry. Additionally, respondents can identify multiple personal characteristics and skills affiliated with their current position and future career development. 

The 2020 survey received responses from 265 publishing professionals across a range of organization types and roles; read more about the results on The Scholarly Kitchen. This year, we are seeking to increase participation broadly from underrepresented groups, especially from less-represented areas including Libraries and Consulting, and roles outside Editorial including Marketing and Product/Business Development.

Respondents have a chance to win one of four free 2022 webinar registration spots! Survey responses are due December 30, 2021. All answers will be anonymized and analyzed in conjunction with aggregated data.


About the Society for Scholarly Publishing The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), founded in 1978, is a nonprofit organization formed to promote and advance communication among all sectors of the scholarly publication community through networking, information dissemination, and facilitation of new developments in the field. SSP members represent all aspects of scholarly publishing—including publishers, printers, e-products developers, technical service providers, librarians, and editors. SSP members come from a wide range of large and small commercial and nonprofit organizations. They meet at SSP’s annual meetings, educational seminars, and regional events to hear the latest trends from respected colleagues and discuss common and mutual (and sometimes divergent) goals and viewpoints.

Contact Melanie Dolechek, Executive Director | info@sspnet.org | 303-422-3914

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