Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
Publication Board Update
By Dr. Carol Pilgrim
Publication Board Chair
ABA’s journals, The Behavior Analyst (TBA) and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (TAVB), enjoyed another successful year in 2005, and the Spring issues of each journal may be in members’ hands even as this newsletter is published. Much credit is due to the strong leadership provided by our journals’ Editors, Marc Branch and Jack Michael, respectively. Under their expert guidance, the journals were published on schedule, the journal content was scholarly and provocative, and submitting authors benefited from expert, constructive, and timely feedback on their manuscripts. Short lag times were facilitated by electronic submission and processing of manuscripts, and rapid turn-around for authors remains an important goal of each of the journals.
Another long-standing goal for the Publication Board has been to enhance the visibility of our journals. In that regard, a critically important step took place this year with the acceptance of TBA and TAVB for inclusion in the PubMed Central archive of the National Library of Medicine. The editorial teams are to be commended for their work in ensuring journal quality at a level that meets the PubMed criteria. Inclusion in PubMed will have a significant impact on the availability of our manuscripts, on enhancing visibility of the journals, and on increasing their attractiveness as an outlet to authors.
The Publication Board has additional exciting news with respect to the editorship of TAVB. Jack Michael’s initial term as Editor will come to a close in Fall 2006; however, he has graciously agreed to serve another term from Fall 2006 to Fall 2009. The Board is convinced that there is no one on the planet better suited to serve in this important role.
News related to the editorship of TBA is more sobering. Marc Branch and his Associate Editors, Mike Dougher and Greg Hanley, will complete their initial editorial terms in July 2007. These will indeed be difficult shoes to fill. The search for a new TBA Editor will begin formally in January 2007. ABA members should send their carefully considered nominations directly to Marc Branch, who will serve as Chair of the Nominations Committee.