Staff Profile is a monthly feature which introduces readers to the forces behind our journals. Based on their own experience, UTP staff answer questions which provide insight into their background, responsibilities, and the process of publishing an academic journal. March’s Staff Profile will be Sandra Cumming, Editorial Assistant at UTP’s Journals Division.

Sandra Cumming

Editorial Assistant, Journals

How long have you worked at University of Toronto Press? 4 years

What is your job title and briefly, what do you do? Editorial Assistant for PTC and JVME, I assist the Editors in managing the day-to-day operations of each journal from initial submission to proofs. I also assist with the management of two online peer review systems PRESTO for PTC and eJPress for JVME for the online submission process.

What is your favourite part about your job? Handling the variety of different tasks each day and managing the flow of the projects I have on the go and the correspondence to people that I work on them with.

How has your job changed since you started? I started here as an intern, then was hired to circulation and am now in the editorial department, so I have done a variety of things and the roles have changed accordingly. I gained a new journal since starting in this position and that has been an exciting and challenging process so far.

What about academic publishing do you find most interesting/exciting right now? The debate about whether or not to transition to open access and the importance of technology/social media in relation to marketing and dissemination of our journals.

What advice can you give those trying to start a career in publishing? The Ryerson publishing program was invaluable in giving me some of the tools to jump into the publishing industry and is highly recognized in Toronto, so I would say to start with that for anyone considering a career in publishing. Also, to go on as many interviews for internships as possible to see different publishing houses and get an idea of the direction you want to go in the future.