I am currently assisting Digital Publishing Production Lead,
Jeri Wieringa, with research and data compilation for electronic publications.
The Mason Publishing Group serves as distributors for and the institutional
repositories of scholarly works produced by the Mason community. Staff members
collaborate to publish, organize, and disseminate a wide collection of books,
conference proceedings, and journals. Jeri and I work to curate and preserve web-published
content through a number of digital projects.
The publishing and distribution processes of written works
require a substantial amount of time and data-intensive research. Faculty
submissions receive structural and copy-editing. Copyedited typescripts are then turned into
page proofs, which are thoroughly revised prior to publication. Research and
data collations are conducted and we then decide how to arrange this data,
design
templates, and present information in digital formats. Projects allow me to gain greater familiarity with software programs like Photoshop, HTML, and CSS. I really enjoy the visual art and design aspects of electronic publishing.
Day-to-day work consists mainly of gathering data on faculty
publications. This week, I have explored different copyright policies to ensure
open access to journal articles co-authored by Mason affiliates.
I am pleased to
assist the Mason Publishing Group because I believe the experience will prepare
me for future editorial positions. Prior to taking the Research Assistant
position, I imagined that I would one day work for a publishing company. Mason
Publishing staff members are wonderful to work with and I am fortunate to have
Jeri as a mentor.
