Have you ever been to a scientific conference and wondered about seeing the names and affiliations of editors among the list of attendees? Or maybe you were not even aware that conferences are also regularly attended by editors from various journals? But why do editors go to conferences and how may you even profit from their presence at meetings?

In general, there are different types of editors: editors who are still actively doing research and professional editors. Active scientists who edit a journal in addition to, for example, running a lab at a university foremost attend a conference because the topic aligns with their research. They may use such events to hear about the latest results in their research area, to network with other scientists and to set up collaborations. As active researchers they are often well connected in the community and known to others working in that area. When talking to their colleagues they may encourage them to submit their work to the journal that they edit in addition to their research activity.

For me as a professional editor who no longer actively works in research, attending conferences is extremely valuable. BioEssays has a very broad scope, and therefore staying up to date with all of our topic areas is not an easy task. Listening to the various talks at a scientific conference and looking at the posters allows me—in a relatively short timeframe—to get an overview with regard to the developments in a certain topic area. Furthermore, I get the opportunity to directly get in touch with scientists to talk about their work and to tell them about “my” journal. While most scientists are quite familiar with various review journal series such as Nature Reviews, Annual Reviews or Trends, I often meet scientists who have not yet heard about BioEssays or let alone about the different types of reviews we offer. I like being able to directly answer any questions and to personally invite them to contribute to BioEssays.

From the perspective of researchers—and especially for more junior scientists—I think that the presence of editors at scientific conferences is also advantageous. The schedule of many conferences nowadays includes dedicated “Meet the editor” sessions. Such sessions can be useful in learning more about a certain journal, for example with regard to selection criteria and editorial policies. Some conferences also offer publishing workshops where editors give some more detailed insights into various publishing-related topics—from ethical considerations and how peer review is conducted all the way to open access and more. You should also feel free to directly approach an editor with a manuscript idea or draft to gauge its suitability for the journal. I think that I can also speak on behalf of my fellow editors that we are always more than happy to discuss science! As a PhD student or Post Doc wondering about a career as editor you should also not shy away from approaching an editor at a conference to ask any questions you may have in this regard.

Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic has made many of the interactions I described above between editors and researchers at conferences more difficult. Currently, most in-person conferences are either put on hold or postponed or have been moved to online platforms. While I am grateful that hosting conferences online is technically possible, it makes getting in touch with people after their talks more difficult. Instead of having a casual conversation during a coffee break one has to resort to using less personal e-mail instead. Therefore, I am already looking forward to a time when I will again be able to personally meet you—our (future) authors and readers—at an in-person conference.

Kerstin Brachhold

Editor-in-Chief