Senior Editor, Publication Ethics (Remote, 12‑Month FTC)

Public Library of Science; Virginia; Remote; USD 75,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k with employer match

Health, dental and vision insurance (P

Paid vacation, holidays and sick leave

Parental leave

Birthday and winter holidays days off

Disability insurance (short/long term)

Paid volunteering days

Fully remote work environment with our

Private medical insurance (UK)

Life assurance (UK)

Income protection (UK)

Pension with up to 10% employer match

25 days holidays (UK)

Job summary

The Public Library of Science (PLOS) is seeking a Senior Editor, Publication Ethics. This fully remote role supports multiple journals, investigating ethics cases, guiding editors, and shaping policy. The role requires strong communication and a commitment to open science and integrity across global teams.

You’ll contribute to cross‑functional initiatives, train staff, and uphold professional standards in all communications, across time zones and regions including the US and UK.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in a scientific discipline.
• Experience in an editorial or publication ethics role in science, technical, and medical (STM) publishing.
• First-hand experience resolving publication ethics cases in STM publishing.
• A demonstrated aptitude for critically evaluating scientific articles or publication ethics issues.
• (Preferred) Post-graduate research experience in a scientific, clinical, or social sciences discipline.

Responsibilities

• Resolve publication ethics cases efficiently and in line with PLOS standards and COPE guidance; provide timely support for others’ publication ethics case work; address escalations and queries about publication ethics issues; prevent reputational damage to PLOS journals as feasible.
• Contribute as requested to tasks, cases, documentation, and other processes needed to support the team’s casework and other objectives.
• Contribute to team-level and/or cross-functional initiatives and projects that address ethics and integrity issues at PLOS. (e.g., development of workflows or policy updates; development, trials, and/or implementation of approaches to improve detection, prevention, and/or resolution of publication ethics cases)
• Support journal staff editors in resolving publication ethics issues that arise during manuscript handling, peer review, or post-publication.
• Communicate rapidly and effectively about ethics cases with involved/affected stakeholders, including the journal’s editorial leads, Editorial Board members, authors, members of other PLOS teams, and any other parties involved in publication ethics case work.
• Contribute to internal discussions about publication ethics, research integrity, and related issues in team-level and interdepartmental/cross-team forums.
• Maintain an awareness of cross-industry issues and initiatives and attend COPE Forums that fall within your working hours.
• Help with recruitment and onboarding for vacant team positions and help to train staff on other PLOS teams in publication ethics case management and standards. Provide training and feedback for other Publication Ethics team members as needed.
• Uphold high standards of professionalism in all internal and external communications about publication ethics issues.

Skills

Excellent communication

Highly organized

Remote collaboration

Open access and research integrity

Publication ethics knowledge

COPE standards

Investigating ethics cases

Image forensics (preferred)

Education

Master’s or PhD in a scientific discipline

Editorial/publication ethics experience in STM publishing

Post-graduate research experience (preferred)

Job description

The Public Library of Science (PLOS) is seeking a Senior Editor, Publication Ethics. This fully remote role supports multiple journals, investigating ethics cases, guiding editors, and shaping policy. The role requires strong communication and a commitment to open science and integrity across global teams.

You’ll contribute to cross‑functional initiatives, train staff, and uphold professional standards in all communications, across time zones and regions including the US and UK.