Psychology Journals and Research Issues: A Discussion among APA Journal Editors

Dr. Kathi Borden, Professor of Clinical Psychology, attended the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Council of Editors (COE) meeting in Washington, DC on March 15th and 16th. At this meeting, editors of most APA journals meet to discuss and stay informed about issues relevant to publications in psychology. As the incoming editor of the APA journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Dr. Borden found it very helpful to meet with the other editors and get to know this new set of colleagues. Among many issues discussed were standards for describing qualitative and quantitative methods and data sharing, a practice that makes raw data from psychology studies available online. Also discussed were the need to include the socioeconomic status of research participants in manuscripts, whether manuscripts should undergo double-blind or “unmasked” reviews, information on most and least cited articles in APA journals, and many other topics.