Assistant Editor

BMC; Maharashtra; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Springer Nature is seeking an Assistant Editor to oversee manuscript checks, editor assignment, and reviewer coordination. The role involves ensuring ethical standards, monitoring the journal’s editorial health, and maintaining smooth communications with authors, reviewers, and editors.

A Master’s degree and 2+ years in scientific publishing are desirable. Strong understanding of publishing workflows and ability to manage the manuscript pipeline from submission to decision are essential for

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Medicine/Life sciences/Physics/Chemistry/HSS.
• 2+ years of experience with 1 year in Scientific Publishing.
• Good understanding of Publishing process and Peer review systems.

Responsibilities

• Quality checks and editorial assessments to determine suitability for peer review and editor assignment.
• Manage manuscript pipeline from submission to final decision, ensuring adherence to turnaround times.
• Invite editors or assign manuscripts to handling editors based on subject expertise and workload.
• Support editors and reviewers, maintaining clear professional communication among authors and editors.
• Track peer reviews and follow up to ensure timely feedback and decisions.
• Review decisions for consistency with journal policies and editorial standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Email etiquette

STEM knowledge

Analytical skills

Customer service

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent

Job description

About Springer Nature

Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit about.springernature.com and follow @SpringerNature.

About Springer Nature

Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit about.springernature.com and follow @SpringerNature.

At Springer Nature, we recognize that great talent develops through many different paths. We encourage applications from individuals with strong transferable skills, provided they are supported by relevant experience that shows how those skills have been successfully applied in practice. Our hiring approach balances skills, experience, and potential to ensure each role is fulfilled with both short-term effectiveness andlong-termgrowth in mind.

About The Brand

The BMC Academic Journals are Springer Nature's portfolio of fully Open Access, peer-reviewed journals publishing high-quality research across a broad range of scientific disciplines. Committed to editorial excellence, rigorous peer review, and research integrity, the portfolio upholds high editorial standards to publish impactful, scientifically robust research and enable its rapid dissemination to the global research community.

Purpose of the Role

Assistant Editors play an important role in the manuscript ‘submission to Decisions’ process, overseeing tasks such as conducting suitability checks, finding and assigning EBMs, Peer Reviewers and managing communication with editors, reviewers, and authors. AEs are also responsible for cultivating professional relationships with peer reviewers and editors to ensure effective communication and engagement. They play a key role in facilitating decision‑making, resolving author queries and ensuring manuscripts progress smoothly through the publishing pipeline. Furthermore, they monitor the overall health of the journal by reviewing its performance, identifying challenges and proposing solutions. In essence, they act as catalysts in the peer review process, ensuring high‑quality manuscripts are delivered to EBMs and peer review is conducted efficiently and within set timelines.

Responsibilities

• Quality Checks and Suitability Assessment
• Perform thorough manuscript assessment and editorial checks on submitted manuscripts to ensure they meet the journal's guidelines and standards, determining suitability for peer review and editor assignment.
• Ensure that the submitted manuscript aligns with the scope and focus of the journal to which it has been submitted.
• Review manuscripts to verify they are not sourced from paper mills, demonstrating resourcefulness in identifying potential publication ethics concerns and taking appropriate action.
• Ensure that duplicate manuscripts do not pass through the review process.
• Identify and follow the correct process for handling appealed manuscripts by coordinating with internal editors or Editorial Board Members (EBMs), applying sound decision quality and policy interpretation.
• Ensure that all ethical standards, including human, animal, and plant ethics, research integrity, and plagiarism checks, are thoroughly complied with in accordance with journal policies.
• Demonstrate strong editorial skills and a thorough understanding of publishing workflows and systems to ensure efficient manuscript processing and adherence to journal policies.
• Manuscript Pipeline Management
• Oversee and manage the journal's manuscript pipeline from submission to the final decision, ensuring smooth and timely processing of all submissions through effective use of publishing workflows and systems.
• Ensure that all stages of manuscript processing adhere to the standard turnaround time (TAT), taking an action-oriented approach to address delays and maintain workflow efficiency.
• Actively monitor the progress of manuscripts throughout the review process, taking proactive and action-oriented measures to ensure timely completion and final decisions.
• Editor Assignment
• Invite Editors or assign manuscripts to the appropriate handling editor based on subject expertise, workload, and informed decision quality.
• Ensure that EBMs are engaged and taking action within established timelines, proactively following up and demonstrating an action-oriented approach when delays occur.
• Editor Support and Collaboration
• Provide ongoing support to editors throughout the peer review process, creating strong working relationships through effective collaboration to facilitate smooth operations.
• Provide ongoing support to editors throughout the peer review process, demonstrating strong interpersonal awareness while building effective working relationships to facilitate smooth operations.
• Collaborate closely with editorial staff to improve processes and implement new initiatives for continuous enhancement of the review process.
• Finding Reviewers and Peer Review Support
• Identify and engage suitable reviewers for manuscripts whenever required, demonstrating resourcefulness in sourcing relevant expertise.
• Track the progress of peer reviews, ensuring that feedback is collected on time and any necessary follow‑ups are handled promptly through an action-oriented approach.
• Email Correspondence Management
• Facilitate clear, accurate, and professional communication between authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors, and other stakeholders by demonstrating strong writing skills and interpersonal awareness, ensuring smooth interactions and keeping all parties informed throughout the publication process.
• Final Decision Assessment
• Ensure reviews submitted are complete, comprehensive, and aligned with journal guidelines through careful manuscript assessment.
• Ensure the decisions made by editors align with journal policies, demonstrating sound decision quality and ensuring decisions are based on all reviews submitted.
• Collaborate with editors to ensure that reviewer comments are addressed appropriately and that revisions are made according to feedback.
• Review and assess the decision recommendations made by handling editors and communicate the final decision (acceptance, revision, rejection) to authors in a timely and professional manner, exercising strong editorial judgment and decision quality.
• Mentorship and Team Support
• Provide mentorship to new team members, guiding them through editorial processes and supporting their growth within the team through effective collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Demonstrate adaptability by actively participating in team initiatives and pilots, while providing valuable feedback to enhance processes and outcomes.
• Process Improvement
• Contribute ideas and suggestions to drive process optimization, improving editorial workflows, reducing turnaround time (TAT), and enhancing the management of manuscripts at various stages of the editorial process.

Key Relationships

• Authors, EBMs and Peer Reviewers
• Journal Editorial staff
• External and internal partners

Experience, Skills & Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience with 1 year in Scientific Publishing
• Good understanding of Publishing process and Peer review systems

Skills

• Good Communication Skills (written and verbal English)
• Email etiquettes
• Subject matter expertise (STEM)– Medicine/Life/Physical Science
• Strong analytical and logical reasoning ability
• Customer service and business communication experience
• Experience in Manuscript handling/peer review management will be an added advantage

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in – Medicine/Life sciences/Physics/Chemistry/HSS

At Springer Nature, our mission is to be part of progress – and that begins with inclusion: of people, perspectives, and ideas. We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish. If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion

For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatureCareers/

Job Posting End Date:

5-09-2026