Organizational roles and responsibilities
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Activities of those on the management committee may involve a combination of the following (although you can choose your focus):
Contributing to the decision-making process regarding research focus, reviewer assignment, and prize distribution.
Collaborating with other committee members on the establishment of rules and guidelines, such as determining the metrics for research evaluation and defining the mode of assessment publication.
Helping plan The Unjournal’s future path.
Helping monitor and prioritize research for The Unjournal to evaluate (i.e., acting as a ; see further discussion below). Acting as an for research in your area.
Time commitment: A minimum of 15–20 hours per year.
Compensation: We have funding for a $57.50 per hour honorarium for the first 20 hours, with possible compensation . will be further compensated (at roughly $300–$450 per paper).
Who we are looking for: All applicants are welcome. We are especially interested in those involved in global priorities research (and related fields), policy research and practice, open science and meta-science, bibliometrics and scholarly publishing, and any other academic research. We want individuals with a solid interest in The Unjournal project and its goals, and the ability to meet the minimal time commitment. Applying is extremely quick, and those not chosen will be considered for other roles and work going forward.
Beyond direct roles within The Unjournal, we're building a larger, more passive advisory board to be part of our network, to offer occasional feedback and guidance. There is essentially no minimum time commitment for advisory board members—only opportunities to engage. We sketch some of the expectations in the fold below.
Goals: Support open evaluation and impactful, credible research, helping The Unjournal keep on top of the latest, most relevant, influential, and globally-consequential work. Help raise awareness of The Unjournal, fostering a transition away from traditional journal peer review towards a more transparent, efficient, and rigorous approach.
Focus on a particular area of research, policy, or impactful outcome, in collaboration with other members of our area-focused teams.
Keep track of new or under-considered research with potential for impact and explain and assess the extent to which The Unjournal can add value by commissioning its evaluation. Provide a brief explanation of why each paper matters and how it aligns with The Unjournal’s approach.
Scope: Perhaps three papers per academic term; FS are encouraged to suggest more. This comes with compensation and incentives
Write and share "second opinion" assessments of this research, considering the importance and relevance for our evaluation. Vote on a short list of papers in your area to determine whether we should commission these for evaluation. Attend (very occassional) 'field group meetings' to discuss this.
Evaluation management (FS)
Field Specialists may serve as 'evaluation managers' (with additional compensation). Evaluation managers help us identify and commission evaluators for work we have prioritized, help manage this evaluation process, and write a summary report on the evaluations
Understand our mission and be ready to explain it to colleagues and (optionally) on social media.
Public Leadership: It publicly signals your commitment to open science principles, innovation, and research impact.
Professional Credibility & Recognition: URAs are chosen through a selective process, and will be publicly acknowledged. URAs gain valuable experience, strengthen their CV, and position themselves for potential future opportunities with The Unjournal (e.g., Field Specialist or management roles).
Networking & Community: Build contacts with others in your field and with related interests. Stay on top of cutting-edge research, discuss and understand its value and connection to the field and to policy/impact.
Influencing the Agenda: URAs help shape what research The Unjournal evaluates and promotes, furthering our mission of global impact, and advocating for your own priorities.
Who we are looking for: For the FS roles, we are seeking active researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders with a strong publication record and/or involvement in the research and/or research-linked policy and prioritization processes. For the AB, also people with connections to academic, governmental, or relevant non-profit institutions, and/or involvement in open science, publication, and research evaluation processes. People who can offer relevant advice, experience, guidance, or help communicate our goals, processes, and progress.
Application criteria: Applicants will selected based on (1) their ability to assess, discuss, and communicate the global impact of research, (2) their understanding of The Unjournal approach, (3) their research skills, interests, and experience.
Low Time Commitment: This role is designed to fit into a busy academic or research schedule. You’ll stay involved at a comfortable level without overextending your commitments.
Expectations for URAs
Recommend 2–3 papers each academic term that you think have the potential to make a substantial impact. Provide a brief explanation of why each paper matters and how it aligns with The Unjournal’s approach. Earn compensation for your recommendations.
Provide Second Opinions & Prioritization: Complete three “second opinion” assessments each term, offering a concise evaluation of a paper’s relevance and importance. Contribute to broader discussions about research prioritization.
Vote & Engage: Participate in monthly voting on a short list of papers. Stay semi-active on Slack and Coda (with no strict requirement to check in regularly, beyond voting).
Represent The Unjournal: Understand our mission and be ready to explain it to colleagues and on social media. Attend at least one Unjournal meeting (one hour) per year to stay connected.
Optional: Consult on evaluation management Occasionally advise on evaluator suggestions for papers in your field (additional compensation may apply).
Help track and curate this list of prioritized research, considering and discussing specific areas and issues that merit evaluation. We maintain a public database of research of potential interest .
We will compensate you for the time you spend on this process (details tbd), particularly to the extent that the time you spend does not contribute to your other work or research. (See .)
Compensation: Incentive pay for recommending and evaluating papers. Be compensated ($) for research surveying and scoping you may are already be doing. See compensation details .
See the page.
Time commitment: There is no specific time obligation—only opportunities to engage. We may also consult you occasionally on your areas of expertise. Perhaps 1–4 hours a month is a reasonable starting expectation for people already involved in doing or using research, plus potential additional paid assignments. Our document also provides some guidance on the nature of work and the time involved.
Compensation: We aim to fairly compensate people for time spent on work done to support The Unjournal, and to provide incentives for suggesting and helping to prioritize research for evaluation. See the page. will be compensated at roughly $300–$450 per project.
Interested? (about 3–5 min, using the same form for all roles).
Compensation This role comes with , but URAs are eligible for incentive compensation for suggesting papers, for doing high-value assessment for prioritization, and more (see ).
for this and other roles.
Self-contained public release:
If you are interested in discussing any of the above in person, please email us () to arrange a conversation.
We invite you to (the same as that linked above) to leave your contact information and outline which parts of the project interest you.
Note: These descriptions are under continual refinement; see our for more details.