The Royal Musical Association seeks to appoint an Editor for the Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle, to succeed Dr Paul Watt, who has served as editor since 2013. 

The Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle was founded in 1961 to provide ‘an avenue of publication for articles that make extensive use of apparatus such as indexes, catalogues, inventories and calendars relating to particular musicians, institutions, collections or archives’. For further information about its current aims and scope see https://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rrmc20.

At present, one volume is published each year in hard copy and online, including articles of widely varying lengths as well as reviews commissioned by the JRMA/RMARC Reviews Editor, Dr Sarah Collins.

With the move of publisher to Cambridge University Press (from January 2020), a review will be initiated into the range and format of the RMARC, including the potential offered by purely online publication. The newly appointed Editor will be expected to play a full part in discussions about new directions for the journal, working closely with the RMA Publications Committee, with the Association’s members, and with Cambridge University Press. The RMA recognises that it may need to be flexible with regard to the terms and/or length of appointment following the conclusion of this review, and would be open to revisiting these once the review is complete.

The Editor is responsible for selecting and preparing academic content of the highest quality for publication in the RMARC and is the key figure in the publication process. The Editor organises double-blind peer review, as well as seeking, commissioning, and developing articles and other features of the highest quality of content and form. She/he ensures these articles and features are delivered to the Publisher in good order and to agreed deadlines, working in collaboration with the Reviews Editor and the Production Team at CUP.

The Editor reports to and is a member of the Editorial Board of the RMARC and the Publications Committee of the RMA, and is entitled to attend meetings of the RMA Council. The Editor is expected to be a member of the RMA during their tenure (though not necessarily at the time of application).

The Editorship is normally a five-year appointment. The post attracts a consultancy fee of £1045 p.a. (normally increasing in line with inflation).

The person specification for the editor of RMARC is as follows:

• an established position in the discipline of musicology, including an appreciable record of publications, especially in archival research and/or digital humanities;
• experience of editing;
• a knowledge of musicology in all its forms, domains and sub-domains;
• a knowledge of the wider academic community.

The Editor should demonstrate vision, leadership, creativity, sound planning skills (including a keen eye for emerging directions in musicological scholarship), strong management skills (liaising with authors, the editorial team, robust quality assurance in relation to manuscripts, and the production of each issue), along with good communication skills.

A detailed role specification is available on request from the Executive Officer, Jeffrey Dean exec@rma.ac.uk . Expressions of interest should be directed to Dr Elaine Kelly (Elaine.Kelly@ed.ac.uk), in the first instance. Formal applications, including a letter outlining ambitions for the Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle as well as levels of experience and expertise, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact details of two referees, may be made by 29 November, either by post or by e-mail (attachments in .doc or .pdf format), to the Executive Officer, Jeffrey Dean (exec@rma.ac.uk). Interviews are expected to be held during the BFE-RMA Research Students Conference at the Open University, 9-11 January 2020.