Call for new editors of The Loop
ECPR is recruiting Academic Editors or an editorial team for its political science blog site, to start 1 October 2026.
Working alongside a Managing Editor and Production Editor at ECPR’s headquarters, 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.
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 it does it fast enough to matter when world events are moving quickly.
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 by fellow academics, but by an influential readership that includes policymakers, NGOs, practitioners, journalists, thinktanks, educators, civil society, and engaged citizens.
Since its launch in October 2020, The Loop has published almost 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.
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 it does it fast enough to matter when world events are moving quickly.
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 by fellow academics, but by an influential readership that includes policymakers, NGOs, practitioners, journalists, thinktanks, educators, civil society, and engaged citizens.
Since its launch in October 2020, The Loop has published almost 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.
About the role
Academic Editors (AEs) of The Loop are responsible for the academic rigour and strategic direction of the blogsite, which includes:
- Working with the Managing Editor to maintain oversight of The Loop’s editorial output and its compliance with ECPR’s wider mission and strategy.
- Providing feedback to authors on matters of academic rigour/quality.
- Approving pieces for publication.
- Meeting with Managing and Production Editors on a regular basis to review output and agree editorial policy (currently bi-weekly).
At the point of launch, founding Loop AEs Martin and Johanne worked hard to attract quality pitches. As the site’s reputation and readership has grown, commissioning is no longer necessary; almost all published content now derives from organic pitches through The Loop’s online submission platform, or via third-party series editors.
A key task for the editorial team is to balance an increasing demand to write for The Loop, against an agreed annual cap on published blogs. The new AEs will therefore work closely with the in-house team to apply robust publication criteria that ensures all content complies stringently with The Loop’s editorial mission. Within these parameters, please consider how you might develop editorial focus and quality with a view to broadening the Loop’s readership and increasing its impact.
The new Loop AEs also have a mandate to continue strengthening links with our co-published journals, and to forge stronger ties with ECPR’s 70+ Standing Groups and Research Networks.
Applicant background
We seek exceptional communicators with a facility for translating complex scholarship into accessible, engaging prose. You will be intellectually curious and enthusiastic about sharing open-source political science with a broad readership.
Scholarly publishing is undergoing rapid change. We are therefore particularly interested in candidates who understand how The Loop can embrace the opportunities, and tackle the challenges, posed, for example, by the rise of Artificial Intelligence.
The Loop benefits from a full suite of marketing support, including, but not limited to, Bluesky and LinkedIn. We thus favour candidates who are active in contemporary scholarly and public debate, particularly through social media networks. Experience using WordPress would be advantageous but is not essential.
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
Applications should comprise:
- Your CV (résumé)
- A covering letter setting out relevant experience and interests, and your vision for The Loop’s long-term sustainable development.
- Links to recent examples of your contributions to blog sites, mainstream print and broadcast media, and relevant social media accounts.