Announcement from the Society for Prevention Research

The Prevention Science Early Career Reviewer Program is an effort which aims to both mentor early-career researchers in prevention science and increase the pool of possible reviewers. We invite emerging prevention scientists to apply to serve a two-year term as mentored reviewers for the journal Prevention Science. Candidates apply for the position, and as part of that application process, they identify and secure a commitment from a prevention science mentor to supervise their appointment to the review board for the two-year period. The candidate commits to providing up to 4 reviews each year; the mentor commits to co-authoring and co-reviewing to ensure high quality reviews. The candidate will serve as the reviewer of record in the online review system.

Purpose

The Prevention Science Early Career Reviewer Program aims to 1) provide a mentored training experience to early career prevention scientists; 2) increase the pool and pipeline of quality reviewers for Prevention Science; 3) promote greater connection between the journal and the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) Early Career Preventionist Network (ECPN) regarding scholarship; and 4) promote greater visibility of the journal and SPR among early career scholars working in the field of prevention science. The overarching goal is to foster appreciation for, and enhanced understanding of and participation in, the peer-review process among early career scholars in the field of prevention science.

Recognition/Benefits

The early-career reviewers and their mentors will be acknowledged at the next annual SPR meeting, during the conference awards ceremony. The early-career reviewers will have their name published in the journal as a member of the editorial board.

Eligibility of Early Career Candidates

Eligible mentees are advanced doctoral candidates (i.e., doctoral students approved for candidacy), postdoctoral scholars, or just starting a faculty appointment (within two years of graduation) with an interest and developing expertise in prevention science. Candidates from different disciplines are encouraged to apply, particularly those with interest and expertise in drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse; psychiatric disorders and other mental health problems; suicide; HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases; delinquency, crime, and violence; child abuse; cancer; diabetes; obesity; cardiovascular disease; marital and couple distress; adolescent pregnancy; school and work participation performance; physical illness and injury; research methods and study design. The candidate will illustrate their fit with the aims of this program within their cover letter and CV submitted as part of the application process. The candidate and the mentor do not need to be at the same institution, but the expectation is for regular communication and interaction regarding the reviews, regardless of location/institution.

Eligibility and Expectations of Mentors

Mentors are more established prevention science researchers with at least 8 years post-doctorate research experience in the field. Although current members of the editorial board are encouraged to pair with candidates to apply for this program, the program is not limited to members of the board. Mentors are required to agree in writing on the applicant’s cover letter that they will serve as a co-reviewer with the candidate for the two-year editorial term. This includes but is not limited to reading and discussing the original manuscript with the candidate and providing edits/comments on drafts of the review prior to submission through the journal’s on-line editorial review portal. It is the expectation of the journal that the mentor is co-reviewing the manuscript with the candidate.

Application Process

Applicants identify a potential mentor with expertise in prevention science; the selection and matching is the responsibility of the candidate. The mentor needs to be identified in the application and is required to provide written commitment to serve as a mentor.

The application packet includes the following:

• Two-page cover letter describing expertise of the candidate and the mentor related to prevention science, and why this is an important opportunity to advance the candidate’s career, skills, and/or expertise related to prevention science research. The cover letter should be signed by the candidate and by the mentor, who explicitly agrees to serve in the mentorship role.
• CV of the candidate clearly indicating that mentee is eligible (i.e., currently holds a doctorate or will be a doctoral candidate by the date of applications deadline).
• CV of the mentor.

Timeline

• The application is due July 15, 2019. All application materials should be submitted electronically via email to the SPR-ECPN designee, Dr. Ashwini Tiwari, (tiwari.as1@gmail.com).
• Applicants will be notified via email of the results of the selection in mid-August.
• Public acknowledgement occurs at the following SPR conference (2020) during the awards ceremony.