May 26, 2026
The Royal Society of New South Wales (RSNSW, Society) is calling for expressions of interest from Members and Fellows to become the next Editor of the Society’s Journal and Proceedings. We are seeking the services of a highly talented scholar who is skilled and experienced in editing reputable scholarly journals in the sciences or social sciences.
The position of Editor is honorary, and the successful applicant will be ex officio an appointed member of the RSNSW Council, the Society’s governing body.
Expressions of interest, which close at 5.00 pm AEST on Monday, 15 June 2026, should be sent to Dr Davina Jackson, Chair, RSNSW Publishing Committee, at [email protected].
About the Society and the Journal
The Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to enriching lives through knowledge and inquiry. It fosters knowledge and research, particularly in science and social sciences, through lecture meetings, symposia, online and print publications, an annual awards program and a scholarly, bi-annual RSNSW Journal & Proceedings publication. The Society traces its origins to Australia’s first scientific group, the Philosophical Society of Australasia, established on 27 June 1821 with the NSW Governor as President. Following several decades of occasional activity, a new society was formed on 19 January 1850, named the Philosophical Society of New South Wales. On 12 December 1866, it was granted Royal Assent by Queen Victoria and was renamed the Royal Society of New South Wales. The Society was formally incorporated by an Act of the NSW Parliament in 1881. The Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales (JProcRSNSW) has been published regularly since 1867; first under the name Transactions, before a change of name to Journal & Proceedings in 1876.
The Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales (JProcRSNSW) has been published regularly since 1867; first under the name Transactions, before a change of name to Journal & Proceedings in 1876.
Facsimiles of almost all the published editions have been digitised and archived online by the Smithsonian Institution’s Biodiversity Heritage Library, and the RSNSW website includes a bibliography of contents of each edition and an author-alphabetical listing of all but the most recent articles, with links to the online facsimiles.
Since 2015, the Journal has been edited on an honorary basis by Emeritus Professor Robert Marks FRSN, who has signalled that he will retire on completion of the second number of the current volume, to be published in December 2026. There will be a transition period of co-operation between the retiring and incoming editors, and support from the Editorial Board.
Role and Responsibilities
- Commissioning, editing and correcting text and image content for the biannual editions of the Journal, with control of ethical and legal concerns such as authentic authorship, plagiarism, irregular uses of AI-generated material, factual accuracy, copyright and fair dealing
- Managing the appointment of, and the advisory, reviewing and editing support from, members of the Editorial Board, appointed by the RSNSW Council
- Managing production of all content through professionally competent page layout processes, primarily using Adobe InDesign and Acrobat software
- Membership of and reporting to meetings (usually online) of the RSNSW Council and its Publications Committee
- Covering reports on major proceedings of the RSNSW, including its annual Forum and regular Ideas@theHouse symposia
- Liaising with the Society’s Council and Publishing Committee on ways to improve the Journal’s content, management and relevance to members
- Maintaining an operational mailing list/database of Journal subscribers, legal deposit institutions, and other appropriate recipients of the Journal, and arranging for distribution of these copies to all listed recipients, and
- Liaising with the Society’s Council and Publishing Committee on the recruitment of necessary editorial and administrative assistance.
Qualifications and capabilities
The successful candidate will have:
- Experience and skills in effectively editing one or more reputable scholarly journals, preferably specialising in science and/or social science disciplines and including ethical management of peer-review processes, appointment of suitably qualified editorial board members, commissioning, editing and correcting text and imagery submissions, management of page layouts using Adobe InDesign and Acrobat PDF publishing software, and the management of printing and/or distribution of each edition.
- Personal ability to liaise proactively, pleasantly and effectively with the Journal’s stakeholders (contributors, editorial advisors, the Society’s Officers, Fellows and Members, and leaders of relevant science, social science and public sector organisations relevant to the Journal’s content and readership).
For more information and contact
Dr Davina Jackson
Chair, RSNSW Publishing Committee
[email protected]
Expressions of interest close:
COB Monday, 15 June 2026
