Open Call: Unjournal Research Affiliates (URA)
The Unjournal
Opportunity type
Part-time role
Routes to impact
🧪 Testing Your Fit for a Certain Career Path
📈 Skill-Building & Building Career Capital
📖 Learning about Important Cause Areas
Description
The Unjournal (established in 2022) is a grant-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aiming to make research more impactful and rigorous by commissioning experts to publicly evaluate and rate open-access papers and projects. We select research in economics and quantitative social science for evaluation based on its potential for global impact. See our evaluation output on our PubPub page.
**We’re inviting applications for Unjournal Research Affiliates (URA’s) to join our team in helping us source, curate, and prioritize this work._ _You can apply here. Please contact us at contact@unjournal.org with any questions. **
URAs will support open evaluation and impactful, credible research, helping The Unjournal keep on top of the latest, most interesting, influential, and potentially impactful work. They will help raise awareness of The Unjournal, helping foster a transition to a better research environment.
This role comes with no baseline compensation, but URAs are eligible for incentive compensation for suggesting papers, for doing high-value assessment for prioritization, and more (see** here**).
While we designed this role with PhD students and early-career researchers in mind, we invite applications
Applicants will selected based on the following criteria:
- an ability to assess and discuss the global impact of research
- an understanding of The Unjournal’s approach, and ability to discuss and communicate it
- research skills, interests, and experience, particularly in economics, quantitative social science, policy, and impact analysis
What You’ll Do
[ ] Suggest Promising Papers
- Recommend 2–3 papers each term that you believe have the potential for substantial impact.
- Provide a brief explanation of why each paper matters and how it aligns with The Unjournal’s approach.
- Earn compensation for your recommendations.
[ ] Second Opinions & Prioritization
- Complete three “second opinion” assessments each term, offering concise evaluations on a paper’s relevance and importance.
- Contribute to broader discussions about research prioritization.
[ ] Voting & Engagement
- Participate in monthly voting on a short list of papers (5–10 per term).
- Stay active on Slack and Coda (with no strict requirement to check in regularly, beyond voting).
[ ] Ambassador for The Unjournal
- Understand our mission and be ready to explain it to colleagues or on social media.
- Attend at least one Unjournal meeting (one hour) per year to stay connected.
[ ] Optional Consultation
- Occasionally advise on evaluator suggestions for papers in your field (additional compensation may apply).
Why Join as a URA?
Professional Credibility
- URAs are selected through a competitive process and publicly acknowledged on our platform.
- This role signals your commitment to open science, innovation, and impactful research. Networking & Community
- Connect with like-minded researchers across various disciplines.
- Stay current on emerging research topics and their real-world implications. Influence the Agenda
- Help shape what research The Unjournal evaluates and promotes, furthering our mission of global impact. Earn Compensation & Recognition
- Benefit from modest incentive pay for recommending and evaluating papers.
- Gain valuable experience, strengthen your CV, and position yourself for potential future opportunities (e.g., Unjournal Field Specialist or management roles). Low Time Commitment
- This role is designed to fit into a busy academic or research schedule. You’ll stay involved at a comfortable level without overextending your commitments.
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