A Different Kind of Profession: The Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) Keynote Address MLA Convention 2006

Is journal editing a profession? If so, it is not – and should not be – a traditional one, like law or medicine. Rather, it should be a profession open to innovation and talent and transparent to those who interact with it as authors, subscribers, and readers. This article, which began as the keynote address at the 2006 meeting of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals, examines the characteristics of the professions, the ways they are – and are not – appropriate to journal editing, and some possibilities for increasing professionalism without encumbering ourselves with its less desirable features.