Senior Peer Review Associate

About Our Team

The Peer Review team is a dynamic and collaborative group dedicated to managing and facilitating the seamless journey of academic manuscripts from submission to decision on peer review. We serve as the central point of contact for authors, editors, and reviewers, ensuring the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the peer review process. With a strong commitment to accuracy, responsiveness, and service excellence, we play a vital role in supporting the publication of high-quality scholarly research.

What is your team’s key role in the business?

The Peer Review team is a foundational part of Sage Publishing’s commitment to academic excellence. Peer review is the process by which experts in a relevant field evaluate a manuscript's quality, validity, and relevance before it is published in a journal. It ensures the integrity and credibility of scholarly research. As a Peer Review Associate (PRA), you will play a critical role in managing the end-to-end peer review process for scholarly journals using Sage Track. Our team’s responsibilities include screening incoming manuscripts for compliance with submission guidelines, coordinating reviewer assignments and follow-ups, and ensuring timely completion of tasks by editors, reviewers, and authors. We serve as the first point of contact for editorial queries, troubleshoot technical issues, maintain accurate records and templates, and ensure that accepted manuscripts are ready for production. Additionally, we act as a liaison between journal editors and Sage, upholding high standards of communication, organization, and responsiveness to support the timely and smooth operation of each journal’s peer review workflow.

What other departments do you work closely with?

We collaborate with several key departments to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow:

• Editorial: To ensure the smooth and timely progression of manuscripts at each stage of peer review, support editorial board needs, and uphold peer review standards.
• Production Operations: To make sure accepted manuscripts are ready for the production team.
• Customer Services: For handling author and reviewer queries and maintaining satisfaction.
• Journals Operations & APC Teams: For license management and processing Article Processing Charges (APCs).
• Commercial Sales & Marketing: To support journal growth and visibility through timely and quality-driven processes.
• Vendors: Partnering with external vendors for peer review support services.

Job Purpose

The Senior Peer Review Associate (SPRA) is responsible for managing the end-to-end peer review process for assigned journals through Sage Track, ensuring timely progression of manuscripts, adherence to quality standards, and smooth communication among editors, reviewers, and authors. The SPRA will also assist in training new team members and help develop reporting tools to monitor journal performance.

Key Responsibilities

Manuscript Management

1. Review submitted manuscripts in Sage Track to ensure compliance with submission criteria and readiness for peer review.

2. Invite, assign, and assist reviewers in completing their reviews within the system.

3. Follow up with editors, associate editors (if applicable), reviewers, and authors who have pending tasks or missed deadlines.

4. Ensure that authors of accepted manuscripts complete and submit the required electronic contributor forms.

5. Verify accepted manuscripts for completeness and readiness for production — including author contact details, editable files, permissions, and reference style compliance (APA, AMA, etc.).

6. Export accepted manuscripts to the Sage Production Editor within defined article deadlines.

7. Troubleshoot system-related issues to ensure proper functioning of each Sage Track site.

Communication and Coordination

1. Respond promptly and professionally to queries from journal editors, associate editors, reviewers, authors, and Sage staff.

2. Act as the primary liaison between journal editors and Sage, providing updates and support throughout the peer review process.

3. Communicate editorial board updates to the relevant Publishing and Production Editors.

4. Escalate sensitive or complex communications to the Peer Review Supervisor (PRS) as required.

Reporting and Tracking

1. Maintain and update the daily task tracker for all assigned journals.

2. Send the PRA user performance report fortnightly to the Peer Review Supervisor and U.S. Manager.

3. Oversee the generation of team reports, including PRA performance reports and peer review health reports.

4. Ensure that weekly overdue task reports are updated with comments before scheduled review meetings.

5. Collaborate with the PRS to develop new reporting tools to assess journal and staff performance.

Process Improvement and Support

1. Identify issues in workflow and recommend corrective measures for journals with delays or process inefficiencies.

2. Keep Sage Track sites updated and aligned with global publishing standards.

3. Work with U.S. and U.K. teams to implement new journal sites.

4. Update and maintain email templates within Sage Track for each journal as needed.

Training and Development

1. Assist the Peer Review Supervisor in training new Editorial Assistants (EAs) and Peer Review Associates (PRAs).

2. Help design and deliver task-based training modules for new team members.

3. Provide ongoing support to team members as required.

Productivity Standards

1. Meet or exceed pre-defined timelines for each journal and assigned tasks.

2. Handle workload efficiently and in compliance with assigned task lists.

3. Respond to all professional correspondence within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays).

4. Assist editors and Sage staff with ad-hoc projects or initiatives as assigned.

5. Refer to and follow the Journal Editor’s Guide for each assigned title.

6. Consistently achieve or surpass productivity benchmarks for the SPRA role.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication.

• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines.

• Problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.

• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work cross-functionally.

• Proficiency in manuscript management systems (preferably Sage Track or ScholarOne).

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree (required).

• Experience: 2–4 years of relevant experience in the peer review or academic publishing process.

• Experience in working with international editorial teams and production workflows preferred.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Peer Review Supervisor, Peer Review Associates, Editorial Assistants, Production Editors, Publishing Editors.

• External: Journal Editors, Associate Editors, Reviewers, Authors.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Sage we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that is representative of all sections of society and to sustaining a culture that celebrates difference, encourages authenticity, and creates a deep sense of belonging. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, disability, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief as creating value through diversity is what makes us strong.  As a business and as an organization with an increasingly agile workforce, we're open to flexible working arrangements where appropriate.