Search for a New Editor-in-Chief of
Behavior Research Methods

Applications Closed. The deadline was February 15, 2023

Behavior Research Methods publishes articles concerned with the methods, techniques, and instrumentation of research in experimental psychology. The journal focuses particularly on the use of computer technology in psychological research, and occasionally publishes special issues on relevant themes. 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, there are exciting opportunities for bold and creative innovations that will build on (but not be limited by) the solid foundation established by prior editors to take Behavior Research Methods 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-in-Chief'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 his or her term by an additional one to two years beyond the initial four years.

See https://www.springer.com/journal/13428 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:

Behavior Research Methods publishes six issues per year. Work distribution is approximately 80 manuscripts for Editors and 40 manuscripts for each Associate Editor annually.  The Editor-in-Chief will appoint an Editorial Board of approximately 40 Consulting Editors, whose names will appear on the masthead. 

Behavior Research Methods aspires to act on 99% of new submissions within 60 days (and to act on many of them considerably 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). There is no additional budget for secretarial assistance or course release (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 uses currently 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-in-Chief is Marc Brysbaert and the Associate Editors are: Rainer W. Alexandrowicx, Zsuzsa Bakk, Erin Buchanan, Denis Drieghe, Andreas Frey, Eunsook Kim, Brendan Johns, Victor Kuperman, Christopher Madan, Marco Marielli, Sebasitaan Mathot, Daniel McNeish, Dubravka Sventina, Claudia von Bastian, and Melvin Yap.

Information about the Search
The Behavioral Research Methods Editor Search Committee will be constituted in the coming months. Currently: Colin MacLeod, Chair, University of Waterloo, Amy Criss, Syracuse University, Jana Jarecki, University of Basel, Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol, and Richard Morey, Cardiff University. 

Nominations are now closed. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged. Please send the following via email to the Colin MacLeod, Search Committee Chair, at cmacleod@uwaterloo.ca:  

• 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 February/early March, 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 Behavior Research Methods), 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 will not only maintain Behavior Research Methods’ 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 either Colin MacLeod, Search Committee Chair, at cmacleod@uwaterloo.ca or Lou Shomette, Executive Director, at lshomette@psychonomic.org.