DRH Call for Editors

The Database of Religious History is seeking qualified scholars to serve on our editorial team.  Successful applicants would have comprehensive knowledge of religious practice or belief in the ancient or pre-modern world. Additionally, the applicant should have a good grasp of the relevant scholars in their field to aid in recruitment and management of an active body of contributors. Junior scholars are particularly encouraged.

See here for a current list of editors.

The editor would seek to grow and expand the coverage of the database by recruiting actively within their field, looking for scholars with a particular expertise in areas currently not covered by the database. In addition, the editor would vet new sign-ups in the editor’s area of expertise and manage the contributions of experts, encouraging timely submission and high-quality entries. In the wider community, the editor would serve as an outward face of the DRH at conferences and scholarly gatherings, both promoting the project and seeking expert feedback.

For a thorough explanation of responsibilities, download this PDF.

Baseline responsibility

This is the one obligatory duty of being a DRH Editor, and the most important:

  • In a timely fashion (2-3 days maximum response time), vet and approve or reject new area-specific potential experts who identify you as the appropriate editor while signing up for the DRH. This is a fairly simple process, our rule of thumb is that a new expert can be deemed “qualified” if ABD or above in a relevant field of study at a recognized university, although exceptions can be made at the discretion of the editor. Upon request, the Managing Editor is available to cover new sign-up requests when individual editors are away from e-mail because of travel or fieldwork.

Other duties and responsibilities

These are other duties that an Editor could ideally undertake. Obviously, Editors vary considerably in terms of how much time they have for these other responsibilities, which are most appealing, etc.

  • Recruit new experts in your discipline
  • Manage and review contributions by experts
  • Work closely with experts to answer questions and possibly to help set up new entries
  • Record contact efforts for new recruits, correspondence with current experts, and honorarium eligibility for contributors
  • Contribute to the DRH
  • Work with the Managing Editor to promote new features and functions of the DRH
  • Represent and promote the DRH at academic meetings
  • Engage with the evolution of the database project and development of new features

Incentives

  • Relevant conference travel assistance
  • Small academic book budget
  • Credit on project’s website, on CV, and in publications
  • Official letter from the DRH to your department speaking to your service to the field
  • Potential for teaching releases for active editors
  • Increased visibility within your field

If you have any questions about the nature of the position or its commitments, please do no hesitate to contact either the Project Director or the Associate Director.

How to apply

Send CV and cover letter to Dr. Willis Monroe, Associate Director. Decision are made on a rolling basis.

Dr. Edward Slingerland, Project Director (edward.slingerland@ubc.ca)

Dr. Willis Monroe, Associate Director (project.manager@religiondatabase.org)