The Journal Editors Discussion Interface (JEDI): Building and Fostering Community

In March 2021, a number of Data-PASS repositories launched the Journal Editors Discussion Interface (JEDI) [https://dpjedi.org], a new virtual community for social science journal editors to ask and answer questions, share information and expertise, and build a fund of collective knowledge. Given the many demands on editors’ time – and given that editors often face similar challenges – there is great value to their interacting with each other about important  issues, and pooling their collective experience, sharing lessons, examples, insights, and solutions. The benefits are further multiplied where experts on relevant topics (“Scholarly Knowledge Builders”, e.g. data management personnel, open science advocates) are included in the conversation. JEDI generates that interaction and those benefits. A year since launching, JEDI has ~300 members; over 250 of these are journal editors, and the rest are Scholarly Knowledge Builders. In addition, the JEDI resource page (https://dpjedi.org/resources) lists over 160 resources contributed by more than 30 members. Conversations and resources span topics including (but not limited to) open science (e.g. open data and code policies), ethics, diversifying social science research, and improving the quality of reviews. As JEDI's core user base of journal editors generally serve in those roles temporarily and have other primary career-related identities (e.g., professor, researcher), this creates unique challenges to building an online community and fostering a shared identity among members. We discuss these challenges, potential solutions, and next steps for JEDI.