Search for a New Editor-in-Chief of
Memory & Cognition

Deadline: August 18, 2023

 

Memory & Cognition covers human memory and learning, conceptual processes, psycholinguistics, problem solving, thinking, decision making, and skilled performance, including relevant work in the areas of computer simulation, information processing, mathematical psychology, developmental psychology, and experimental social psychology. The role of the Editor-in-Chief is to select Associate Editors and an Editorial Board, handle manuscripts, assign manuscripts to Associate Editors, and interface with editorial staff and the Psychonomic Society Governing Board.

The Psychonomic Society has undertaken a broad range of initiatives over the past decade. Consequently, exciting opportunities exist for bold and creative innovations that will build on (but not be limited by) the solid foundation established by prior editors to take Memory & Cognition to the next level.

Appointment/Term/Transition
The term of the editorship is four years. The new incoming Editor-in-Chief will begin receiving new submissions January 1, 2024. The outgoing Editor’s team will continue to receive and act on revisions in 2024 for several months, and their names will continue to appear on the masthead. Toward the end of the incoming Editor-in-Chief's third year of service, the Publications Committee may invite the Editor-in-Chief to extend the term by an additional one to two years beyond the initial four years.

See https://www.springer.com/journal/13421 for more information about this high-impact, peer-reviewed journal. Here are a few details not provided on that page:

Submissions
These are the numbers of new submissions in each of the last three complete years:

Memory & Cognition publishes eight issues per year. Work distribution is approximately 80 manuscripts for Editors-in-Chief and 40 manuscripts for each Associate Editor annually. The Editor-in-Chief will also appoint an Editorial Board of approximately 50 Consulting Editors, whose names will appear on the masthead. 

Memory & Cognition aspires to act on 99% of new submissions within 60 days (and to act on many of them more quickly than that). The Editor typically triages a non-trivial minority of submissions (i.e., rejects without external review manuscripts that clearly are inappropriate for the journal).

Emoluments
The Editor-in-Chief receives a yearly honorarium of $16,000, paid in two installments per year (July/December). The Editor-in-Chief’s travel to the annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society (including a meeting with the Publications Committee) is also covered (note that accommodations are not covered). No additional budget is available for secretarial assistance or course releases (although Editor-in-Chiefs can negotiate with their universities for reduced teaching loads). Associate Editors receive an honorarium of $4,000/year. The Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Consulting Editors all receive free online access to the journal for each year of service. Upon request, they also receive a free hard copy subscription, If applicable, to the journal for that period.

Publisher/Support
Springer is the society’s publisher. The journal currently uses ScholarOne (aka ManuscriptCentral) to process and track submissions, select reviewers, file reviews, and so forth. Rob Sanford, Submissions Administrator, provides Editors with support in use of ScholarOne. The Submission Management System may change during your tenure. The Publications Committee provides central support to editor.

Copy editing, and other aspects of the production/printing/distributing process are handled by Springer (but the Psychonomic Society holds the copyright). Articles are published online within three weeks of acceptance.

Current Editorial Team
The current Editor is Ayanna Thomas and the Associate Editors are: Sarah Barber, Dana Basnight-Brown, Felipe De Brigard, Monica Bucciarelli, Jennifer Coane, Steve Majerus, Henry Otgaar, Colleen M. Parks, and Laura Thomas.

Information about the Search
The Memory & Cognition Editor Search Committee consists of Neil W. Mulligan, Chair, University of North Carolina, Ruth Byrne, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Zenzi Griffin, University of Texas at Austin, Henry Otgaar, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands and Monika Undorf, University of Mannheim.

Nominations are now being solicited and will be considered until August 18, 2023.  Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.  Please send the following by email to Neil Mulligan, search committee chair at nmulligan@unc.edu:

• A brief message expressing interest in the editorship
• The nominee’s current curriculum vitae
• Names and email addresses of three referees who could speak to the nominee’s qualifications for the position. [Note that nominees and self-nominees identified through this initial process are not obligated to follow through and accept the editorship.]  

In late August, the Search Committee will select a short list from among the nominees, invite those individuals to provide additional information (in particular, a statement of their vision for Memory & Cognition), and solicit input from their referees.

The Psychonomic Society is committed to scientific merit, which entails the inclusion of scientists of all genders, races, sexual orientations, countries of origin, geographical locations, and disciplinary expertise. Please critically examine your deliberations to eliminate biases that detract from our commitment to merit. The nominee should have strong scientific credentials and relevant editorial experience and who evidences the wide range of skills requisite to leading the journal in creative and effective ways. Our hope is that the new Editor-in-Chief will not only maintain Memory & Cognition’s strong record of scholarship and impact but will raise the journal’s profile in exciting new ways.

Questions
If you have any questions, please contact Neil Mulligan, search committee chair at nmulligan@unc.edu, or Lou Shomette, Executive Director, at lshomette@psychonomic.org.