Call for applications: 2025 editorial board

Entering the second year of an editorial masthead with Editor-in-chief Tess Neal, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law (PPPL) seeks applications for additional editorial board members. A portion of the board will be rotated off each year so new people can become part of the board. As detailed in her inaugural editorial (Neal, in press), “early each fall, we will open a renewed call for editorial board members, where anyone can indicate their interest in being part of the editorial team” at any of the levels that will be open in each of the years of her editorship. Board members who served in 2024 can indicate their interest in remaining on the board, and new applicants can apply. The position descriptions and qualifications required for each role are detailed below.

Note that the journal also has a separate open call out for editorial fellows from historically underrepresented groups due November 1, 2024.

PPPL advances knowledge at the intersection of psychology, law, and public policy. The journal is unique within APA’s portfolio, and it is unique more broadly in the fields of psychology, social science, behavioral science, law, and policy. It is a key forum for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to engage in the generation and application of psychological science to legal and policy issues. The journal boasts a broad scope, publishing rigorous empirical, theoretical, and review works at the journal’s unique intersection and welcoming submissions from around the world. More details about the editor’s visionopens in new window for the journal can be found online.

Associate editors (AE) will serve a 1 year term, which may be renewable for additional term(s) up to the length of the editor’s term (6 years). The position includes a standard honorarium based on the AE’s load (full, half, or quarter). PPPL is allotted one full AE slot for 2024, meaning that one person could be appointed into the single full-load role, two people could split the assignment into a half load each, or some combination of half and quarter roles with multiple AEs in partial positions. A full time AE processes 60–70 new manuscript submissions per year. Half-time AEs process 30–35 new manuscript submissions per year. Quarter-time AEs process 15-20 new manuscript submissions per year.

Associate editor(s) will be selected based on area(s) of expertise, diversity of perspective, experience and performance as a reviewer, and capacity to help achieve the editor’s vision for PPPL to more fully embrace open science practices, advance innovation, and build better bridges between research and policy. Associate editors need expertise in their field, demonstrated ability to evaluate manuscripts within their area, and demonstrated ability to provide constructive feedback to authors (prior editorial experience can bring valuable insights and skills to our editorial process and would be of value in an applicant, but is not a necessary prerequisite).

PPPL is seeking applications for all three levels of reviewer: consulting editor/editorial board member, principal reviewer, and ad hoc reviewer (more details about each role below). Manuscript reviewers are vital to the publication process, and reviewers gain valuable experience in the publishing process and can help shape the quality of the literature in their field. Reviewing a manuscript takes time (~1–4 hours per manuscript reviewed); reviewers need be prepared to invest the time necessary to evaluate assigned manuscript thoroughly and in a timely manner. APA has an online video course that provides guidance in reviewing manuscripts, and additional instructions will be provided for PPPL reviewers.

Consulting editors/board members will serve a 1 year term, which may be renewable for additional term(s) up to the length of the editor’s term (6 years). While consulting editors serve gratis (no expenses are provided), their names appear on the journal masthead and they will be invited to annual editorial board meetings (which may be held in person in conjunction with a convention/conference, and may be attended virtually by those consulting editors not in attendance at the event). Consulting editors also receive a complimentary subscription to the journal for the years their names appear on the journal masthead as well as for their incoming year, which includes access to the full archive for the journal in the APA PsycArticles full-text database. Consulting editors will handle 7 to 12 submissions (new and revised) per year with few declines and will complete reviews in a timely manner. In selecting consulting editors, we will look for evidence of good judgment; exceptional communication skills; strong management skills; complementary areas of expertise; diversity of perspectives and training backgrounds; a commitment to integrity, ethics, and inclusivity in their work; and a history of successful performance as a reviewer (e.g., previous experience with good ratings as a consulting editor, principal reviewer, and/or ad hoc reviewer for PPPL or other peer or aspirational journals).

Principal reviewers handle roughly half the workload of a consulting editor, or 4 to 6 submissions per year (new and revised). Principal reviewer names do not appear on the masthead, but do appear in the journal once per year above the names of Ad hoc reviewers. Previous experience as a reviewer is not required (though previous experiencing publishing in peer-reviewed journals is required); a training process will be required for reviewers without previous experience before reviewing for PPPL.

Ad hoc reviewers have no verbal commitment with the journal editor but receive review requests and handle one to three submissions per year. Ad hoc reviewer names appear in the journal once per year below the names of the principal reviewers. Previous experience as a reviewer is not required (though previous experiencing publishing in peer-reviewed journals is required); a training process will be required for reviewers without previous experience before reviewing for PPPL.

Interested and qualified candidates should complete the application by December 1, 2024. Members of the 2024 editorial board who wish to remain on the board will be asked only to provide their name and to indicate that they wish to remain on the board; the editorial team will provide performance feedback and make a renewal decision. For new applicants, the form will ask for your contact information, for what position(s) you are applying, 2–5 keywords indicating your areas of expertise, a paragraph describing your interest in the position(s), a paragraph describing your qualifications for the position(s), and a copy of your CV. Please direct questions about the application process to Maya Irvin-Vitela and about the editorial and reviewer positions to Tess Neal. Appointments will be made by mid-December and positions will begin January 1, 2024.

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Neal, T. M. S. (in press). Inaugural editorial: Reflecting on the past, charting the future. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.