Editor Spotlight

To increase the reach of Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, editor Allison J. Ouimet, PhD, aims to highlight works that capture the diversity and interdisciplinarity of psychology research occurring in Canada.

Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?

I am a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa.

My research focuses on cognitive-behavioural models of anxiety disorders and their treatment. Essentially, I want to understand how different types of cognition (e.g., beliefs, attention, automatic associations) contribute to the development and maintenance of problems with anxiety, and then use that knowledge to help refine treatment for people dealing with these problems.

Prior to taking on the role of Editor for Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, I was an Editorial Board member. I was also on the Associate Editorial Board for Behaviour Research and Therapy and an Associate Editor for Journal of Experimental Psychopathology.

Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract?

I have two main priorities in this role.

First, I want to increase the reach of exceptional behavioural science research conducted by Canadians. The psychology community in Canada has much to contribute both to the general research landscape, and to diverse applied settings.

Second, I would like to continue to strengthen and uphold the high standards of research methods and reporting that make Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science an attractive outlet for researchers.

Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now?

Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science is dedicated to highlighting exceptional research in the behavioural sciences. We focus primarily on original, empirical research that helps us better understand the psychosocial factors related to human behaviour.

Disseminating this research to the community-at-large stands to impact not only researchers, but also important stakeholders across a variety of applied settings, including the workplace, healthcare, schools, and policy.

What challenges, if any, lie ahead for the field?

Behavioural Sciences represent an extremely broad and diverse set of research areas.

It can be difficult, at times, to consider how one research area fits with another. However, given the multidisciplinary nature of our journal, we have an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between seemingly unrelated topics and methods by focusing on cross-cutting perspectives of a given topic.

A second challenge relates to the replicability revolution, and again is better thought of as an opportunity to promote open science practices, thus contributing to the overall improvement of psychological research.

Do you have plans for a special issue or changes to the editorial process? Are you making any changes?

We have plans in place to feature special issues specific to the different sections of the Canadian Psychological Association, with the goal of shedding light on the diversity and interdisciplinarity of psychology research.

• Read more about Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science
• Return to Editor Spotlight homepage