Skip to main content

ISMTE Volunteer Profile: Meet Sydney Guyton

New to scholarly publishing? Consider joining the Early Career Committee!

Published onDec 12, 2024
ISMTE Volunteer Profile: Meet Sydney Guyton

Sydney Guyton, American Gastroenterological Association

Two and a half years ago, I entered the scholarly publishing field as a Publications Assistant for the American Gastroenterological Association and am now a Publications Coordinator. Much like a decent amount of my colleagues, my entry into the field was upon happenstance, but I quickly found myself drawn to the work. Corresponding with our authors, reviewers, and editors about the manuscripts that contained potential advancements in their field, and helping to disseminate the research that had been accepted, felt like I was becoming part of something truly impactful and rewarding.  

Furthermore, my colleagues immediately became my mentors. They taught me about industry pain points, allowed me to sit in on editor meetings just to observe and learn, and encouraged me to participate in industry events and conferences. I was thrust into a scholarly publishing crash course, which prepared me to become a more active member of the community. And because my colleagues were so active within ISMTE, I learned about the society’s existence within a couple of months of starting my role. I knew I wanted to learn more about it.

In the fall of 2022, I accepted the invitation to join ISMTE’s Global Event for the first time and was impressed by the variety of sessions that were offered and how smoothly they ran. The entire event was conducted virtually, yet it still felt personal. In only a couple of days, my notebook was filled with tidbits about the future of the field and how the community is working to evolve with the ever-changing challenges that it is presented with.

The first session I attended covered peer review models and recognition, where I learned about reviewer burnout in scholarly publishing and what journals can do show their appreciation to reviewers for their contributions. This conversation touched on one of my favorite parts of my job – finding ways to make our submission process easier for our authors and review process easier for our reviewers. It left me feeling motivated.

After attending this session, I started paying special attention to the emails we received from reviewers and how often we received them, which was usually when they were having difficulties accepting an invitation or submitting their review. If there was any way I could alleviate these issues by changing settings in the backend of our submission system or implementing new recognition methods, I became committed to trying.

The open discussions that came out of these sessions were enlightening as well. They showcased how interconnected the community is and how willing members are to help each other, something I did not come to understand until I attended this event. After this positive experience, I slowly started to consume more of the content that ISMTE released.  

Every month I would read the newsletter from the president and the upcoming events. Then, I started following The Early Career Chew – a newsletter geared towards those who are just starting out in the industry. It includes links to articles and events covering relevant scholarly publishing topics. One of the things that I learned pretty quickly on the job is that there is a delicate balance between meeting your editors’, reviewers’, and authors’ needs, as well as staying competitive within the landscape and working with the resources you have to achieve all that. Needless to say, it is not always easy. But staying curious and scheduling in “learning time” every week to catch up on the latest scholarly publishing news or attend a seminar is one way to ensure you are thinking critically about how your journal needs to evolve to meet the industry’s demands.

In finding the newsletters beneficial and looking for a way to become a larger part of the community, one of my colleagues recommended that I join the Early Career Committee. It aligned with my experience and my eagerness to disseminate valuable information. I am very aware of how fortunate I am to be a part of an organization with people who were able to mentor me and have opportunities to connect with those outside of my organization. I know that this is not everyone’s experience when they embark on a new career. I want to offer a fresh perspective and amplify the needs of newcomers. 

While this is just the beginning of my career, I hope that my role within the scholarly publishing community continues to grow alongside my knowledge about the industry. I also hope to make lasting professional relationships with fellow members and am excited to learn from the people I get to work with on the Early Career Committee. I am looking forward to being a small part of the field and helping it move forward.

Comments
0
comment
No comments here
Why not start the discussion?