Profiles in Publishing: How Jennifer VanSickle Elevates Author Experience at ACS Publications

In our “Profiles in Publishing” series, we’re featuring dedicated staff members from around the globe who work to ensure that ACS Publications delivers on our promise of the most trusted, most cited, and most read journals in the chemical and related sciences. 

Within ACS Publications, the Global Production Operations (GPO) team works to ensure the papers published by ACS are of the highest possible quality. A core tenet of GPO’s work is providing an exceptional publishing experience for authors. Thanks to this team, the average time for a typical paper to go from acceptance to being ready to publish is less than 10 days.

As a Production Editor, Jennifer VanSickle streamlines publication processes while addressing author and editor needs. In her interview, Jennifer reveals how she adds value to the team on numerous levels and has found fulfillment in helping authors confidently share their work with a global audience.

Read the Interview with Jennifer VanSickle

What’s your role at ACS Publications and what path led you to it?

My official title is Production Editor, but I have many other roles that kind of go beyond that as I collaborate across teams and support transformation that improves our processes and enhances the experience for authors.

Before I came to ACS, I worked in textbook publishing for many years, for middle and high school science textbooks, and from there I transitioned into more textbook publishing for a company that does literacy and math textbooks. I just wasn’t very fulfilled there. 

I wanted something that was more fast paced, where I felt like what I was doing was making a difference. I knew a few other people that already worked for ACS who told me about the job, and it seemed like a perfect fit for me.

What team do you work with and how does your collective work contribute to the excellence of ACS Publications journals?

I work with the Global Production Operations team. Our collective work directly supports the excellence of ACS Publications journals by ensuring that every manuscript moves from acceptance to publication with the highest standards of quality, accuracy, and consistency.

We collaborate closely with authors, editors, and other publishing partners to manage all stages of production—from acceptance through publication and issue assignment—ensuring that content is delivered accurately and published in a timely manner. A key focus of our work is upholding scientific integrity and editorial quality while implementing efficient, reliable production processes that enhance the overall value of ACS journal content.

An essential part of our mission is providing a superior author experience. By offering clear communication, responsive support, and smooth workflows, we help authors share their research effectively and confidently with the global scientific community. Through this work, Global Production Operations plays a vital role in strengthening trust in ACS journals, maximizing the impact of published research, and supporting ACS Publications’ commitment to excellence.

What does a day in your work life look like?

I wear many different hats right now. I do a lot of communicating and problem-solving. I work on proofing, from the author proof stage through publication. I correspond with editors on any changes that may need approval from an editorial standpoint. I compile issues, and I answer questions from authors. If there’s an author that has a more difficult proof, I can help them through that. I can make a paper look how an author wants, and it’s fulfilling to work with them to ensure we get everything right and they have a positive experience publishing in our journals.

I also work on XPRT [the ACS Journals Production Resource Team], troubleshooting any issues staff might have with our systems and solving XML problems for colleagues — XML is the mark-up language that underlies our content delivery. If any staff member has issues with our internal document tracking system, or if there’s feedback that needs to be given, they will submit a ticket and I can either route that to the appropriate technology department or handle it myself for challenges like solving XML problems. If there are problems that cause a paper to fail our automated composition, then I go in and troubleshoot what’s causing the failure.

Basically, my daily work involves a lot of work with publishing partners, a lot of author and editor correspondence, and then troubleshooting problems. I’m all over the place and it’s great to be able to have an impact across the publishing process.

How have you grown as a Production Editor, and what has the role taught you about yourself?

I feel like I have learned so much about technology in this role. I’ve been at ACS for 13 years. At my previous publishers, we were still editing on paper. So, coming here, I learned so much about technology. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at XML now since it’s proven essential in my role.

My communication has improved because that is a big part of the Production Editor role. We’re communicating with the authors and the editors, making everything professional and succinct. A lot of the authors aren’t native English speakers, so I’ve learned how to work with them and sometimes get around a language barrier and make sure the editors have all the information they need.

I’ve also learned a lot about multitasking. That’s a big thing; I have a bunch of different tasks that I juggle every day.

The role has given me more confidence in myself because I don’t feel like management micromanages us here. We’re expected to know the role and be able to take the lead, which is something I wasn’t super secure in before this. Now I have more confidence in myself that I know what I’m doing, and I know the answers. And if I don’t, I know who to go to for answers. Being in this role has been a huge confidence boost for me.

Global Production Operations is always transforming to address customer needs. How are you stepping out of your production role to contribute to improved author, editor, and reviewer experience?

I’m working more on streamlining processes, which supports ACS’ commitment to operational excellence by reducing the time from acceptance to publication while delivering a consistent, transparent, and high-quality experience for authors and editors across all ACS journals.

I’m also communicating with authors who might have a paper in a new workflow that they’re not accustomed to because our workflows are changing. Some authors that have published with us previously might have a new experience, and I communicate with them what is expected and how the new workflow works. The same thing goes for editors; we’ve had questions from editors about new workflows and how they operate. That’s the main way I’ve stepped out of the Production Editor role—I’m more focused on customer service than I was before, especially with the author experience.

What do you like most about working at ACS Publications?

This kind of goes back to the first question. I wasn’t as fulfilled in my past job experiences. I’m doing this small part of getting important scientific research out into the world, and I feel like it makes a difference. 

I’ll hear stories about ACS Publications on NPR, and I’m like, “I work on that journal!” It gives me a sense of accomplishment that I didn’t have before. I feel a little funny saying that because I’m not writing the research or doing the research, but doing my part to get it out there in the world makes me feel good.