Call for new editors of The Loop
ECPR is recruiting experienced political scientists as Academic Editors – individually or as an editorial team – for its political science blog site, The Loop, to start 1 October 2026.
Working alongside an in-house Managing Editor, and under the overarching leadership of the ECPR Publications Subcommittee, the new recruits will build upon the work of founding Loop editors Johanne Døhlie Saltnes and Martin Bull, who have developed The Loop into a thriving outlet for innovative political science writing.
The Academic Editors' role
Academic Editors (AEs) of The Loop are responsible for the academic rigour and strategic direction of the blog site. Working closely with the Managing Editor, they will:
- Maintain oversight of The Loop’s editorial output and its compliance with ECPR’s wider mission and strategy.
- Provide feedback to authors on matters of academic rigour, quality and accessibility.
- Approve pieces for publication.
- Meet regularly with the Managing and Production Editors to review output and agree editorial policy (currently bi-weekly).
- Help shape the editorial focus and quality of The Loop with a view to broadening its readership and increasing its public impact.
At the point of launch, founding Loop AEs Martin and Johanne worked hard to attract quality pitches. As the site’s reputation and readership have grown, commissioning is no longer necessary; almost all published content now arrives as organic pitches through The Loop’s online submission platform, or via third-party series editors.
A key task for the editorial team is therefore to balance an increasing demand to write for The Loop against an agreed annual cap on published blogs. The AEs will work closely with the in-house team to apply robust publication criteria, ensuring that all content complies stringently with The Loop’s editorial mission. Weighing submissions on their merits, and deciding what is ready to publish, is a substantial part of the role.
The new AEs also have a mandate to strengthen links with our co-published journals, and to forge stronger ties with ECPR’s 70+ Standing Groups and Research Networks.
Applicant background
We seek political scientists with a proven history of public engagement and an ability to communicate research compellingly to non-specialist audiences beyond academia. Candidates must be able to:
- Translate complex research into clear, accessible and engaging prose.
- Contribute to public debate through blogs, newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, podcasts, public events or other forms of research outreach.
- Identify research and researchers with the potential to generate wider public interest and impact.
Editorial experience
Providing feedback on academic rigour is a substantial part of this role. We therefore ask candidates to demonstrate experience of academic editorial work. This might be journal editing, but equally experience as an editorial assistant, or as a series, volume or handbook editor. The key qualification is the ability to engage critically with other scholars’ work, and to exercise sound editorial judgement.
Public profile and social media
- An active online presence is a significant asset. The Loop benefits from a full suite of marketing support, including Bluesky and LinkedIn. We are looking for candidates who already use social media to communicate research, and to engage with public and scholarly debates.
- Scholarly publishing is undergoing rapid change. We seek candidates who understand how The Loop can embrace the opportunities, and tackle the challenges, posed by developments such as Artificial Intelligence.
- Experience using WordPress would be advantageous but is not essential.
About The Loop
ECPR created The Loop as a public platform to bring political science scholarship into open debate. The site publishes short, sharp analysis that translates robust research into clear arguments, and does so quickly enough to matter when world events are moving fast.
The Loop believes in the free flow of information and is fully Open Access. Adherence to its practical Author guidelines ensures all published content is jargon free and accessible not just to fellow academics, but to an influential readership that includes policymakers, NGOs, practitioners, journalists, think tanks, educators, civil society, and engaged citizens.
Since its launch in October 2020, The Loop has published more than 1,500 articles.
Loop blog pieces – each strictly 1,000 words maximum – cover the full breadth of political science subdisciplines. They offer a mix of ‘evergreen’ research explainers, and reactive analysis that interprets unfolding world events from a political science perspective.
As the site has developed, it has generated twelve thematic series curated by external editors, including widely read strands on the 🔮 Future of Populism, 🌈 Gendering Democracy, and 🧭 EU Enlargement Dilemmas. The Loop has also become a valuable showcase for research from ECPR’s journals portfolio: EJPR, EPSR, EPS and PRX.
In 2023, The Loop instituted an annual Best Blog prize, along with blog-writing workshops for early-career researchers at ECPR’s General Conference.
Browse The Loop’s Annual Report archive to learn more about its year-on-year development.
Eligibility
We are particularly interested in political scientists who have developed a substantial academic profile alongside a demonstrable record of editorial work, public engagement, research communication and outreach.
ECPR is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.
Questions about this role? Email Managing Editor Kate Hawkins.
How to apply
Please email your application to Head of Communications Rebecca Gethen by Thursday 17 September 2026, attaching/including:
- Your curriculum vitae (résumé).
- A covering letter setting out your relevant experience – including your editorial and academic publishing experience, and your history of public engagement – and your vision for broadening The Loop’s readership and increasing its impact beyond academia.
- Links to recent examples of your contributions to blog sites, mainstream print and broadcast media, podcasts, public events or other public-facing outlets.
- Links to active social media accounts.