Manuscript Operations Specialist II (Hybrid)

American Medical Association; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive salary

Job summary

American Medical Association in Chicago is seeking a Manuscript Operations Specialist II for a hybrid role in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The role collaborates with freelance editors to review, edit, and ensure manuscripts conform to AMA style and publication standards.

The position requires at least a bachelor’s degree and 3 years of copyediting experience in medical or scientific publishing, with strong communication skills and the ability to manage deadlines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in English, journalism, communications, biological or physical sciences, or mathematics.
• Minimum 3 years of related experience as a copyeditor for a medical, scientific, or technical publication.
• Must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to interact with freelance copyeditors, copyreaders, authors, and staff to meet editorial and publication deadlines; prior experience preferred.
• Familiarity with AMA Manual of Style, electronic editing software, web-based content management systems, and an email-intensive environment is strongly preferred, and experience using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate, prioritize, review other’s work, and remains flexible in a fast-paced, detail- and deadline-oriented unit.
• Must be able to work independently and to withstand pressures involved in meeting publication deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Review scientific manuscripts edited by freelance manuscript editors and evaluate the proficiency of each copyeditor and copyreader.
• Ensure manuscripts comply with standards for published scientific research.
• Assist freelance manuscript editors in improving the quality of reporting and ensuring clarity, precision, readability, technical and structural accuracy, and integrity of content.
• Maintain strict attention to AMA style, editorial policies, and publication deadlines, including new or changed guidance for editors.
• Follow up on queries and problems noted by copyreaders, proofreaders, and managing editors.
• Move content through editing and production cleanly and quickly and within deadlines to prepare for publication, updating the content management system at each stage.
• Alert managing editors to all major editorial problems, including ones that could lead to a change in publication date.
• Investigate errors in published articles and ensure that the error is corrected.
• Edits technical medical articles, abstracts, and features (including tables, equations, graphs, and citations) using an XML-based electronic publishing system to improve the quality of reporting and ensure clarity, accuracy, precision, readability, technical and scientific accuracy, and integrity of content while maintaining strict conformity to AMA style, editorial policies, and deadlines. Addresses author questions and resolves conflicts between author requests and editorial policies and technical production capability; understands editorial policies and communicates them correctly to authors.
• May include other responsibilities as assigned

Skills

Communication

Negotiation

Editorial coordination

Deadline oriented

AMA style

XML editing

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

XML publishing system

CMS

Job description

Manuscript Operations Specialist II (Hybrid)

Chicago, IL

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), published continuously since 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal. JAMA is a member of the JAMA Network family of journals, which includes 11 specialty journals and JAMA Network Open. The JAMA Network provides access to the research, reviews, and opinions shaping the future of medicine.

At AMA, our mission to improve the health of the nation starts with our people. We foster an inclusive, people-first culture where every employee is empowered to perform at their best. Together, we advance meaningful change in health care and the communities we serve.

We encourage and support professional development for our employees, and we are dedicated to social responsibility. We invite you to learn more about us and we look forward to getting to know you.

We have an opportunity at our corporate offices in Chicago for a Manuscript Operations Specialist II (Hybrid) on our Scientific Publication team. This is a hybrid position reporting into our Chicago, IL office, requiring 3 days a week in the office.

This role will review, critique, and process scientific articles edited by freelance manuscript editors.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Review scientific manuscripts edited by freelance manuscript editors and evaluate the proficiency of each copyeditor and copyreader.
• Ensure manuscripts comply with standards for published scientific research.
• Assist freelance manuscript editors in improving the quality of reporting and ensuring clarity, precision, readability, technical and structural accuracy, and integrity of content.
• Maintain strict attention to AMA style, editorial policies, and publication deadlines, including new or changed guidance for editors.
• Follow up on queries and problems noted by copyreaders, proofreaders, and managing editors.
• Move content through editing and production cleanly and quickly and within deadlines to prepare for publication, updating the content management system at each stage.
• Alert managing editors to all major editorial problems, including ones that could lead to a change in publication date.
• Investigate errors in published articles and ensure that the error is corrected.
• Edits technical medical articles, abstracts, and features (including tables, equations, graphs, and citations) using an XML-based electronic publishing system to improve the quality of reporting and ensure clarity, accuracy, precision, readability, technical and scientific accuracy, and integrity of content while maintaining strict conformity to AMA style, editorial policies, and deadlines. Addresses author questions and resolves conflicts between author requests and editorial policies and technical production capability; understands editorial policies and communicates them correctly to authors.

May include other responsibilities as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in English, journalism, communications, biological or physical sciences, or mathematics.
• Minimum 3 years of related experience as a copyeditor for a medical, scientific, or technical publication.
• Must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to interact with freelance copyeditors, copyreaders, authors, and staff to meet editorial and publication deadlines; prior experience preferred.
• Familiarity with AMA Manual of Style, electronic editing software, web-based content management systems, and an email-intensive environment is strongly preferred, and experience using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate, prioritize, review other’s work, and remains flexible in a fast-paced, detail- and deadline-oriented unit.
• Must be able to work independently and to withstand pressures involved in meeting publication deadlines.

The American Medical Association is located at 330 N. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 and is convenient to all public transportation in Chicago.

This role is an exempt position, and the salary range for this position is $74,160-$98,318. This is the lowest to highest salary we believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to business consideration and geographical location, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience. Employees are also eligible to participate in an incentive plan. To learn more about the American Medical Association’s benefits offerings, please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity in our workforce.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.As an EOE/AA employer, the American Medical Association will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran or disability status.

THE AMA IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE NATION