A first-person reflection for the PLOS ECR Community The career I planned looked nothing like the one I have If you’d told…
Farewell Reflections: Looking Back On My Experience as a Community Editor
All good things come to an end.
After 404 blog posts, it is time for the PLOS ECR Blog to resign.
For 10 years, the PLOS ECR (Early Career Researcher) Community, formerly The PLOS Student Blog, has been an important forum for the next generation of scientists and science writers.
After careful consideration, PLOS has now had to make the difficult decision to retire the independent blogs section of the PLOS Blogs Network, which includes ECR Community
In the beginning, I shared the responsibility as community editor for the ECR blog with two fellow researchers and a social media and programs manager at PLOS, but since 2020, I have been the sole editor. In this role, I have met a lot of interesting ECRs from all around the world describing their diverse, but also very common research experiences regarding how their graduate studies look like, what they want from a supervisor and the importance of having a mentor, and the challenges transitioning from PhD studies to being a full-time independent researcher within Academia or by transitioning to industry and other outside companies.
Starting in 2016, the blog changed its name from The Student Blog to The PLOS ECR Community. Its purpose and scope also then changed into an outlet for promising writers who are currently studying a science discipline at the undergrad, graduate or post-doctoral levels.
Over the years, open science and open access have been recurring themes, but also how to get ECRs engaged in peer review and to warn against predatory publishing. Other important themes have been the value of mentoring and to communicate your science in different ways.
For the ECR guest authors, it was especially the COVID-19 pandemic that became a turning point for many ECRs. Up until the spring of 2020, many had gone to seminars and met other PhD studies on a regular basis. Now, they were instead confined to their homes, as most countries had some form of lockdown. For several PhD-students this meant loosing their regular research community and for some defend their thesis at home in front of a screen and attend digital conferences. The PLOS ECR Community became an important outlet for many ECRs to share their story and frustrations in an absurd situation.
Another important theme has been for ECRs to share insight from the own research training experience to others, often writing the post they wished someone had written for them, like the very last published guest post did. I am thankful for having had the possibility to act as an editor for all of these experiences, stories and advice.
The PLOS ECR Blog has, as PLOS in general, been a beacon for open science, public access and the integrity of the research record. Hopefully, this has made som difference for the ECRs that have contributed with writing one or several blog posts and for the readers of these posts.
Thank you.