What is I-O?

Sheldon Zedeck 

The Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) has changed hands; beginning January 1, 2003, I will become the new editor, replacing Kevin Murphy. In fact, as of January 1, 2002, the editorial board and I began receiving manuscripts for review and possible publication as of 2003.

JAP has long been one of the primary journals devoted to contributing new knowledge and understanding to the many fields of applied psychology (excluding clinical and applied experimental/human factors, which are covered by other American Psychological Association [APA] journals). The journal primarily considers empirical and theoretical investigations of interest to psychologists doing research or working in the private or public sector in such settings as universities, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, industry, government, and health and educational institutions. Two types of articles are published: (a) feature articles, which are full-length articles that focus on an empirical contribution (all research strategies and methods, quantitative and qualitative [including case studies], are considered) or on a theoretical contribution that has an applied emphasis, and (b) research reports, which are original in their empirical or theoretical contribution but smaller or narrower in scope than a feature article. Research reports can also feature important replications or studies that discuss specific applications of psychology.

I plan to continue the fine tradition of JAP, while making some changes such as considering qualitative research, including case studies; publishing pieces that are primarily theoretical and conceptual; and encouraging those who conduct basic research in fields such as cognition to consider the JAP as an outlet for publishing the applied aspects of their results/conclusions. In addition, we are hoping to attract more submissions from our colleagues outside the Americas; we want to be attuned to the research conducted by psychologists that is consistent with the globalization of the economy and the increased interaction among world-wide organizations. Another consideration is to publish special sections on specified topics. The latter would be accomplished by announcing a call for papers on the topic with a specific deadline for submission. Manuscripts would undergo normal review, but those accepted would be published in a special section that would also include an introduction and integration by a section editor.

The quality of the journal is substantially affected by the quality of the Editorial Board. I believe that we have an excellent group of associate editors: Jos Cortina, Beryl Hesketh, Jerry Kehoe, Jennifer George, Katherine Klein, and Steve Kozlowski have been on board since January 1, 2002; Lynn Shore will become an associate editor as of January 1, 2003. In addition, we have approximately 85 distinguished scholars as members of the Consulting Editorial Board and over 200 potential ad hoc reviewers. Each day we add new ad hoc reviewers; those interested in serving in such a role should contact me at japplied@socrates.berkeley.edu.

With respect to submitted manuscripts, the goals of the Editorial Board for the review process, in addition to ones of quality, are (a) timeliness and (b) constructive feedback. To accomplish these goals, in part, we are taking advantage of APAs electronic submission and review system. You can find the information about submissions on the APA Web site (www.apa.org) and then by going to the Journal of Applied Psychology link. You can also go directly to the JAP submissions portal at http://www.apa.org/journals/apl.html. The electronic system allows you to track the history of the manuscript (e.g., checking where it is in the review process) and allows the editors to receive reviews from the reviewers as well as communicate with authors entirely via the electronic system. No more need to send 5 paper copies!

Needless to say, the JAP requires that manuscripts follow APA publication standards. Authors should prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Articles not prepared according to the guidelines of the Publication Manual will not be reviewed. All manuscripts must include an abstract containing a maximum of 120 words.

We are also requiring some consistency in reporting results. For the reader to understand the importance of the research findings, authors should indicate in the Results section of the manuscript the complete outcome of statistical tests including significance levels, some index of effect size or strength of relationship, and confidence intervals. See pp. 2026 of the Publication Manual for a more detailed description of what should be reported in the Results section of the manuscript.

Another point to emphasize, though it may be obvious to many, is that JAP publishes articles pertaining to applied psychology. Any topic within the domain of applied psychology is appropriate for consideration. To support this position, we are asking that where there may be some doubt as to the applied contribution of the research, the authors provide a paragraph or so that describes the applied implications of the results of the research being described.