invitation - co-guest editor for special issue journal

[hungry_ghost]

I just re-read this thread and I would like to say that OP owes some apologies. Here is just one example:

In response to OP's query,

what should I be aware of before accepting? What does it entail exactly?

traductio wrote this extremely thoughtful response. Para 1: warning signs to avoid. Para. 2 is an excellent explanation of what this job would entail, noting potential pros (if the co-editor is a mentor, this could be a great learning opportunity) and cons (if they stick the junior person with all the work, not so much). Para. 3, another wise warning, which doesn't say don't do it, but offers a point to consider.

First question -- is the journal legit? If it's not one you're immediately familiar with, it might not be worth your time at this point (you're a grad student if I remember right -- please correct me if I'm mistaken). There are a lot of sketchy journals that send out invitations to guest edit an issue that I ignore completely. It's a lot of work, and if the journal is junk, it's a lot of wasted work.

Second question -- you say co-editor. Is the other co-editor a big name in your field? It's nice to have your name associated with a big name, but it's still a lot of work. What will be the co-editor's role? Who will be responsible for managing the peer review process? Who will be responsible for interacting with authors? The one way that co-editing a journal issue would be worth it, in my experience, is if your co-editor is a big name scholar who's not going to stick you with all the work. If it's a scholar who takes their role of mentoring seriously, this could be an excellent opportunity, both to see the nitty-gritty of peer review and for the networking possibilities the co-editor can enable.

Otherwise, it's more work than you can imagine, and more importantly, worth less to hiring committees (to choose a useful metric) than a complete dissertation.

In response, OP didn't say. "Thank you for taking the time, all this is good to know!" Instead, they singled out the perfectly correct statement that co-editing a special journal issue is not as valuable as a done dissertation, ignored the insights into what one might (or might not) gain from this opportunity, and offered this petulant response:

I am capable of completing my dissertation. Just wanted to let you know.

This is the same conversation style I expected from my kids when they were in middle school. I don't know adults who talk like this (actually I do not).

OP, since you're still reading: don't be surprised that things went downhill after this. Are you able to acknowledge when you've made a mistake? Do you even see it? Several posters have taken the time to answer the question you asked. Are you capable of saying thank you?  People are trying to help. You can do better. Thanksgiving is soon.

Be good, everyone.

[fast_and_bulbous]

I see the original poster has f*cked off. Anyhoo. I did a special issue once mostly see what it would be like but also for my own selfish reasons - getting my own work published in the special issue was pretty much a slam dunk and I had a paper I just wanted to publish w/out much hassle and it didn't require a high impact venue. The journal is solidly mid tier. I would never do it again because it was a thankless pain in the ass that was more about elevating the stature of the journal than anything else, and nowhere does my special issue editorship appear on my vita.

[theteacher]

I see the original poster has f*cked off. Anyhoo. I did a special issue once mostly see what it would be like but also for my own selfish reasons - getting my own work published in the special issue was pretty much a slam dunk and I had a paper I just wanted to publish w/out much hassle and it didn't require a high impact venue. The journal is solidly mid tier. I would never do it again because it was a thankless pain in the ass that was more about elevating the stature of the journal than anything else, and nowhere does my special issue editorship appear on my vita.

Thank you for your service and for "getting [your] own work published in the special issue".