APA has long been well-known for the quality of its publications and databases, but these days, the association is being recognized for giving readers digital options for the books and journals they value. APA’s Office of Publications and Databases is using digital technology to make psychological literature even more useful for researchers, practitioners and students in a variety of ways:
Getting journal articles into the literature faster, furthering psychology as a science. APA journals now release individual articles as Online First Publications within 30 days of acceptance to assure speedy access to research findings. They are fully published, lacking only volume, issue and pagination, which are added when articles are gathered in an issue.
Offering 75 journals and nearly 150,000 articles in APA’s full-text database, PsycARTICLES. APA publishes journals for many APA divisions and other societies, providing a great diversity of content. Recent additions include journals on economics, ethnically diverse populations, religion, and arts and creativity.
Leading the way with style. Looking for help with APA Style? Go to APA Styleopens in new window and check out the APA Style Blog, watch one of the free tutorials, or read about how to publish with APA.
Offering more global content. Of the 2,465 journals covered in PsycINFO, 50 percent are published outside North America and 16 of the 75 journals in PsycARTICLES come from outside the United States. There are approximately 600 translations of APA books. In addition, more than 40 percent of APA’s database site licenses are purchased outside the United States. To increase our global reach, APA has forged new partnerships with representatives in China, Israel, Russia and South America and plans to add distributors in Turkey and Southeast Asia.
Providing content on a wide variety of platforms. APA’s major databases PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS and PsycEXTRA are delivered on seven different vendor platforms to provide options for users and purchasers. Our APA PsycNET platform was recognized in 2008 with a CIO 100 award for its high functionality. By continuously adding new features, we are significantly increasing APA’s visibility as a leading information provider and enjoying a steady gain in market share.
Publishing APA books in a variety of formats. We now offer annual book collections from 2001 forward, with 2010 books added to our E-Collection at the same time the print edition is released. PsycBOOKS contains nearly 2,000 books from APA and other publishers. Individual titles are also available from Amazon and MobiPocket, and will soon be on iPad. Next on the horizon, the popular Magination Press books for children will soon be available as mobile applications. Also, the APA Handbooks in Psychology launched July 1 with the three-volume APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology from editor-in-chief Sheldon Zedeck, PhD. Institutions may opt for the print version, search it electronically on APA PsycNET, or both.
Tracking APA publications in social media. You can follow APA Styleopens in new window and APA PsycNET on Twitteropens in new window, for example, or become a fan of APAopens in new window, APA PsycNETopens in new window and gradPSYCH magazine on Facebookopens in new window. Visit the PsycCRITIQUES Blog to engage in interesting conversations about recent books or films.
Responding to problems. We’ve heard about the ongoing concerns psychologists and students have finding psychological tests and measures. In response, in early 2011 APA is releasing the PsycTESTS database, which will include extensive bibliographic records together with full text of unpublished measures.
This is a brief snapshot of one of the most extensive and forward-looking non-commercial publishing programs in the world. APA publications serve multiple purposes: furthering our mission, exemplifying our values and earning key revenues to support the association. I encourage you to look at APA Publications to learn more.