The Society for Scholarly Publishing seeks to better understand the challenges and needs of early career individuals in the scholarly communication field. Early career professionals (with ten years or less of experience in the industry) are invited to participate in this study by completing a brief survey about their needs and preferences.
The survey was developed by SSP’s Early Career Task Force and Professional Development Committee. Early career professionals do not need to be a member of SSP to participate in the survey. The goals of the study are to better understand the current needs of those just starting out in the industry, to survey the resources that are beneficial in understanding the field, as well as to develop a plan of how SSP can better prepare early career members for fulfilling careers.
“In the day-to-day workplace of an early career professional in scholarly communication, the broader development and education of these individuals can often be overlooked,” said Matt Cooper, Co-Chair of the Early Career Task Force. “The survey allows for those just starting out in the field to voice their work and training experiences, and to share with the community the resources they seek out and require further, in order to grow professionally.”
Participants will be asked to provide information about their education and work experiences, career objectives and interests, challenges faced, training and development preferences, and professional development resources they find to be the most helpful. Interested professionals can participate by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SSP_PR.
“One of SSP’s strategic goals is to enhance engagement of early career professionals by encouraging and enabling membership, attendance, and participation,” said SSP Executive Director, Melanie Dolechek. “Before we can effectively develop programs to better support this important demographic and the future leaders of scholarly communications, we must first understand the unique challenges they face and what resources will help them achieve their objectives.”
Results of the survey will be summarized and presented at the 2016 SSP Annual Meeting in Vancouver and will be used as a resource for new initiatives for the SSP Board and committees.
The questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and the identity of all participants will remain confidential. The survey will remain open until March 1st. Participants will be entered in to a drawing to receive a $50 Amazon gift card!
