Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition Editor: Randi C. Martin, PhD ISSN: 0278-7393 Published Bimonthly, beginning in January

Editorial
Randi C. Martin, Editor
May 8, 2006

The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition has long held the position as the premier international outlet for psychological studies of memory and cognition. As such, the journal has obviously done many things right. It publishes work that is programmatic, rigorously designed and analyzed, and of great theoretical importance.

The work published here is widely cited and includes some of the most influential studies in the field of cognitive psychology. The journal has a fairly rapid turnaround time, and the reviews are typically of high quality. As editor, I will work to ensure that all of these positive aspects remain in place, and to make changes that I believe will help the journal maintain its leadership position in the future.

There are two main innovations that I will bring to the journal. The first is to broaden coverage to include more articles related to cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. The second is to encourage the submission of shorter empirical articles through the initiation of a Brief Reports section. The field of psychology is moving toward incorporation of neuroscientific findings, and JEP: LMC needs to be open to contributions from such studies if it is to maintain its flagship status.

My goal, however, would not be to transform JEP: LMC into Cognitive Neuropsychology or the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. I anticipate that experimental studies on normal cognition and theoretical articles based on such findings will continue to represent the large majority of articles published in the journal. Neuroscientific work that deals solely with localizing cognitive function or with characterizing a particular clinical syndrome would not be appropriate for submission to JEP: LMC. Papers based on a neuroscientific approach must present findings that bear on theories of cognitive function. I hope to attract some of the highest quality papers in cognitive neuroscience that have such implications.

I have already undertaken one step aimed at attracting papers with a cognitive neuroscience approach, which is to include on the editorial board individuals working in the JEP: LMC subject areas who have published both cognitive neuroscience and standard behavioral papers. I hope that the presence of these board members will attract papers that might not have been submitted otherwise, as authors may anticipate a more sympathetic reading from those who have done neuroscientific research themselves.

Also, having these individuals as reviewers should help to ensure that authors who take a purely behavioral approach become aware of the most relevant work in the neuropsychology and neuroimaging literature. Conversely, authors who submit cognitive neuroscience papers will have the benefit of reviewers who are familiar with the most recent findings and theories in cognitive psychology.

A second step in attracting submissions with a neuroscientific approach will be the publication of special sections of the journal that bring together reports of behavioral, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging studies on the same topic. These special sections, overseen by guest editors, will each comprise approximately six papers. I plan to have one such special section per year, with the first being on a topic related to memory.

With regard to the publication of Brief Reports, I would like to encourage authors to submit manuscripts from 3,000 to 5,000 words in length that report on one or two experiments. (The Observations section will continue as in the past, consisting of comments on previously published work or short theoretical notes.)

There has been an increase in the number of journals dealing with both behavioral and neuroscientific studies that publish brief reports. In the last decades, JEP: LMC has for the most part published long, multi-experiment papers, which take considerable time in the review process. Although such papers are certainly still sought because of their programmatic value, there is a danger that JEP: LMC will be seen as moving too slowly to capture some of the most exciting work, which is being submitted elsewhere.

Currently, reviewers are requested to return reviews for standard papers in three weeks, and this short deadline will continue for both regular articles and Brief Reports. Research quality standards for Brief Reports will be the same as those for regular articles, but a premium will be placed on general interest value and timeliness.

The American Psychological Association is moving to a new copyediting and publication process that will substantially reduce the time from acceptance to publication. This should enable JEP: LMC to continue attracting the best papers in cognitive psychology.

It is an honor to have been selected as editor of this prestigious journal. I encourage my colleagues whose work includes both behavioral and neuroscientific approaches to submit their best papers to JEP: LMC. I hope to be able to continue the journal's long tradition of publishing some of the best and most influential papers in experimental psychology, while opening the door a bit wider to newer perspectives.