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Postdoctoral Scientific Editing & Reviewing Team
The Postdoctoral Scientific Editing & Reviewing Team (PSERT) aims to help Jefferson's principal investigators (PI), postdoctoral fellows, and student communities with developing, reviewing, and editing research manuscripts, such as journal articles, grant proposals, or other science communication. Its members are postdocs and PhD interns interested in practicing reviewing skills. The Jefferson Postdoctoral Association (JPA) formed PSERT with support from the Jefferson Office of Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication.
Our Editors
PSERT editors are Jefferson postdoctoral fellows from various scientific backgrounds. The editors have authored peer-reviewed publications, and they are technically trained and supervised by research writing experts at the Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication.
PSERT is always accepting manuscripts for review
PSERT reviews manuscripts at all stages, especially those from Jefferson graduate students and postdocs who are new to writing manuscripts and seek review of their drafts before submitting them to their PI. We hope this will reduce the number of times a manuscript goes back and forth between trainee and PI.
Submit your manuscript
To submit a manuscript, email us at PSERT@jefferson.edu and provide the following documents/information:
- Fill out the Manuscript Submission Form (link found below) and attach it to your email. Please note: we will not review any manuscripts without the completed form.
- Attach the Manuscript to be edited/reviewed with keywords, all figures, tables, and any additional supplementary material.
- Indicate the type of manuscript you are submitting: Review, Original Research, Letter to Editor, Abstract, Thesis Proposal, etc.
- Include any specific journal guidelines, including the name and submission format of that particular journal.
- Ensure that all the references mentioned in the reference list are cited correctly.
- Add any special instructions or notes to the PSERT editors.
About the Editorial Team
Ankita Srivastava, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Ankita completed her PhD in Biotechnology from the National Center for Cell Science in Pune, India. She joined Jefferson's research community in the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine in 2017. Her current research in the Vadigepalli Lab is focused on identifying putative targets for intervention in alcoholic liver disease. Ankita is an experienced reviewer and editor for several journals; she encourages postdocs to join PSERT, and submit manuscripts for review and editing.
Santosh Kumar Yadav, PhD
PSERT Member
Santosh completed his PhD in Biotechnology from the National Center for Cell Science in Pune, India. He is a Research Associate at the Department of Medicine working on identifying molecular mechanisms responsible for the hyperactivation of platelets across difference races. He is an editor and reviewer of many journals and loves to know about new discoveries in any scientific field.
Shamaila Zafar, PhD
PSERT Member
Shamaila is a neurobiologist, and her research contributions are in Neurosciences aimed at developing therapeutics for neuronal dysfunction. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine working on projects that include understanding the nature of cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease.
Emilia Scharrig, PhD
PSERT Member
Emilia earned her PhD in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology from the University of San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She joined Jefferson's research community in 2018 as a postdoc in Dr. Claudio Giraudo's lab where she is focused on comprehending the role of Natural Killer cells in the immune system. Besides her enthusiasm for Immunology, she enjoys photography and captures images ranging from the microscopic world to landscapes.
Lakhikumar S. Adhikarimayum, PhD
PSERT Member
Lakhikumar completed his PhD in Medical Biotechnology from Manipur University in Manipur, India. He joined Jefferson's research community in 2019 as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Translational Medicine. His research focuses on HIV and drugs of abuse, especially transcriptional and epigenetic aspects. Over the weekends, he spends most of his time with family and friends.
Joice Thomas Gavali, PhD
PSERT Member
Joice earned her doctorate in Pharmacology at the Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados in Mexico City, Mexico. Before joining Jefferson, she worked as a postdoctoral scientist at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jianxin Sun's lab, where she focuses on understanding the regulation of EC coupling in cardiac fibrosis and pulmonary artery hypertension.
Pamela Walter, MFA
Faculty Advisor
As the faculty advisor for PSERT, Pam brings her experience as a medical editor, reviewer, educator, and Director of the Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, and Communication. She loves her family, science communication, and working with postdocs.
Join the Editorial Team
Want to volunteer as a PSERT editor and help review manuscripts for clarity and grammatical correctness? Join the PSERT team!
Who can join?
- Postdocs who are interested in learning more about editing and writing. Training is required and provided for all incoming editors.
- Senior PhD and MD/PhD graduate students are eligible to join as junior editors. Training is required and provided for junior editors, as well.
Required Training for Editors: Two Editing and Reviewing Workshops, 90 minutes each, are offered two times a year by the Office of Professional Writing, Publishing and Communication. The workshops will help you learn to edit for conciseness and grammatical accuracy of the submitted content, and help you develop your own writing skills.
Time commitment: Three hours of initial training, two edits per year minimum.
Note: Your PI must approve your involvement. Please complete the PI consent form (link found below).
To join: Email Editor-in-Chief, Ankita Srivastava at Ankita.Srivastava@jefferson.edu to inquire about volunteer editor positions and upcoming training dates.
FAQ
Who will review/edit my manuscript? As soon as we receive your manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief will assign your paper to two reviewers after making sure there is no conflict of interest. Once the criteria are met, the names of those two reviewers will be sent to you by email. PSERT will practice an open peer review process.
How does the review process work? The Editor-in-Chief will assign submissions to two reviewers who will review the work and meet with the author in a roundtable setting with guidance from an experienced editor. Authors will receive written commentary and feedback.
How long will I wait to hear back from PSERT on my manuscript? Since we are editing the manuscript for English usage, content, conciseness, and correctness, we anticipate the turnaround time to be 14 days from the day of submission.
How do I make sure my research findings are protected? Each editor of your manuscript will sign a Confidentiality Statement stating that “the editors pledge not to use knowledge of the work to further their own interests”.
Questions? Contact PSERT Editor-in-Chief Ankita Srivastava at Ankita.Srivastava@jefferson.edu.