Student Experience

Submitted by Kristina Muise, Royal Veterinary College

Since January of 2022, I have held a position as an Associate Editor for the journals of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and American Journal of Veterinary Research). I have enjoyed the position considerably and it has allowed me to gain an invaluable skillset in the veterinary profession and academia. Within the position, I take submitted manuscripts through the entire peer-review process, ensuring that authors have an efficient experience. 

The process begins when a manuscript is submitted by the authors and assigned to me. I initially seek out at least two reviewers who agree to assess the manuscript. Reviewers are experts in their field – who are already published on the topic and have enough experience so that they can ensure that the manuscript is scientifically accurate. When reviewers prepare their reports, they critique the science specifically – aspects like grammar can be fixed at the copy-editing stage (which occurs after a manuscript has been accepted). The reviewers are also required to make a recommendation on the disposition of the manuscript – ‘accept’, ‘reject’, ‘minor revisions’, or ‘major revision’ are options they can choose from. Reviewers have about two weeks to get their report back to me. After I receive all reports, I assess the reviews and the manuscript, then make an overall recommendation (accept/reject/minor revisions/major revision) to the Editor-in Chief (Dr. Lisa Fortier). I also have the option to include my own comments to the authors on any areas for improvement. Dr. Fortier then decides the final disposition of the manuscript which gets emailed to the authors.

After the authors receive the decision, if revisions are required, they generally have two weeks to address the edits and re-submit their manuscript. After the manuscript is re-submitted, I have a chance to first re-assess the manuscript, then send it back to the reviewers for another round of review. If the reviewers determine that the changes are sufficient then the manuscript can be accepted – however sometimes, multiple rounds of revision are needed. Reviewers are very thorough and ensure that manuscripts are to the highest standards, which sometimes means that multiple rounds of assessment are required. If the manuscript is accepted, my work is done as the Associate Editor – however the manuscript goes to the copyeditors who ensures that the manuscript is clear, correct and accurate.

Being an Associate Editor has been one of my favourite positions that I have ever held. There was a steep learning curve in the beginning, but our mentor – Dr. Jason Stull has been encouraging in teaching us all aspects of the position. The entire team at the AVMA journals have also been incredibly supportive and are always available to guide us through any situation and answer any questions. The position has also opened doors for me, as I have been a reviewer for other journals - like the Journal of Thermal Biology, and the Journal of Experimental Biology to name a few.