Volunteers

Student volunteers at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels run the Journal in close cooperation with the staff at the NMBU Writing Centre. The Review Board, comprised of students specializing in different academic fields, evaluates submissions and recommends high-quality papers for publication in upcoming volumes. On the basis of the Review Board’s recommendations, members of the Editorial Board select papers and work directly with authors to polish their texts before they go to print.

Review Board

The Journal aims to engage reviewers from all study programs at the university. Review Board members from different academic backgrounds help to critically assess the academic content of a paper as well as the quality of writing. To streamline the review process, the Journal has developed detailed peer review guidelines and a video series on how to evaluate submitted papers. Reviewers gain experience in assessing papers based on academic content, logical and complete arguments, clarity, structure, cohesion, citations, as well as figures and tables. Volunteering in this capacity improves critical analysis skills and provides a valuable addition to any CV.

The Review Board also helps to publicise the Journal, spreading information around campus and advertising the call for papers. Submissions are typically open during the autumn semester, when reviewers go through papers on an on-going basis. Where possible, the Editorial Board assigns papers within reviewers’ fields of study, but sometimes Review Board members are asked to evaluate material from a related discipline. Reviewers can decide how many papers they want to assess based on their availability and, of course, how many submissions match their academic background. Reviewers who are highly engaged in Journal activities and provide insightful commentary on submissions may have the opportunity to join the Editorial Board later in the year.

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board selects the final papers and works with authors to improve their papers prior to publication. It also handles the Journal’s general administration, with tasks including publicising the call for papers, receiving applications for and putting together a Review Board, organising a workshop for reviewers, designing the layout of the Journal, and organising the launch ceremony, among others. Basic administrative work takes place during the autumn semester, but the main workload of the Editorial Board is usually in the spring semester. In February and March, editors work closely the authors to edit and proofread the articles.

The Editorial Board requires more time commitment than the Review Board and usually has weekly meetings throughout the academic year. Positions in the Editorial Board are suited to candidates with prior experience in editing, proofreading, and professional writing. Editorial Board members can expect to refine their skills in providing constructive feedback, logically structuring evidence and ideas, improving transitions, and solidifying arguments within texts.  In the past, the Journal has benefitted from diverse Editorial Boards comprised of students who specialise in working with English- and/or Norwegian-language texts. We strongly encourage more Norwegians to apply for these positions in the future because the Journal has received increasing numbers of Norwegian-language papers.

Apply

Being part of the Journal provides an opportunity to gain valuable experience in academic writing, peer reviewing, and publishing. Review and Editorial Board positions foster growth in one’s own academic writing skills and are great addition to any CV. If you are interested in participating as a reviewer or editor for the next volume of the Journal, please submit your CV, a writing sample, and a brief statement of interest to studentjournal@nmbu.no.

Applications for positions on the Review and Editorial Boards can be sent to studentjournal@nmbu.no and are reviewed in September each year.