Research Intelligence is seeking a Book Feature Editor

BERA has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic academic editor who will co-manage the book feature in Research Intelligence, alongside Gihan Ismail (University of Bath). The Book Feature Editors work with BERA’s Publications Manager and select appropriate books for the feature and commission content for publication in the magazine.

BERA particularly encourages early career researchers to apply for this position, as it provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about academic publishing and gain editorial experience.

About Research Intelligence

Research Intelligence is BERA’s quarterly magazine. It carries announcements, news and articles and features on a variety of topics related to educational research. Recent themes have included:

• International comparative education
• Teacher education for a research-informed and politically engaged profession
• Democracy and Education

The magazine is free for BERA members and paid subscriptions are also available.

About the book feature 

BERA introduced the book feature to Research Intelligence in 2024. There are four book features each year, one in each issue of the magazine, and one of which features the BERA Book of the Year. The book feature fills a single page and presents a newly published book relating to educational research. It includes a short critical perspective on the book and an interview with its author(s) or editor(s). Books may be put forward by academic publishers or selected independently by the Book Feature Editors. The critical perspective and interview questions will be written by a scholar, practitioner or policymaker with expertise relevant to the chosen book.

The opportunity

We are looking for an educational researcher, ideally an early career researcher, with some experience of contributing to academic publications. Applicants will need to have a keen understanding of the educational research landscape in the UK and a sense of the current themes and topics that would be of interest to readers of Research Intelligence. They will need to be confident to collaborate with a range of colleagues, including scholars at all levels, and academic publishers.

The Book Feature Editors are expected to:

• Commit to managing the content of four book features a year. Each editor will take the lead on two of these features, with the support of their co-editor.
• Work with their co-editor and BERA’s Publications Manager to select relevant books for the features, liaising with academic publishers as needed.
• Identify, approach and secure a scholar, practitioner or policymaker with expertise relevant to the chosen book to write the critical perspective and interview questions.
• Review the text for each book feature, ensuring content is suitable, high quality and accurate.
• Liaise with the book writer(s) or editor(s) to obtain their interview question responses.
• Provide feedback to the writers of the feature and support them with any necessary revisions.
• Correspond with feature writers, book authors and publishers as required through the editorial process.
• Adhere to strict issue schedules and deadlines as advised by BERA’s Publications Manager.

As part of our wider commitment to greater equality and diversity at all levels of the organisation, we especially welcome applications from candidates from minoritized backgrounds.

This opportunity is open to applicants based outside of the UK, and we anticipate that the work will be done remotely. As such, BERA is unable to offer reimbursement for any international travel for the editor to attend in-person meetings related to the magazine.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV (maximum 3 pages) and a brief statement (maximum 500 words) explaining why you are interested in this role and what you would bring to it.

Applications close at midnight on Monday 12 May 2025.

Applicants must be BERA members at the time of application or commit to becoming a member if appointed and remaining a member throughout their time as Book Feature Editor.

If you would like to discuss the role further before submitting an application, please contact Gihan Ismail, Book Feature Editor (gnmi20@bath.ac.uk), or Claire Castle, Publications Manager (publications@bera.ac.uk).