New Editorial Team for the New Year

As sharp-eyed readers may have noticed when opening their first Psychological Science of the new year, something’s changed. Turn over that iconic red cover and you’ll find a brand new editorial team listed, signaling the completion of the transition from Rob Kail’s editorship to that of the journal’s new Editor in Chief, Eric Eich. A professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, Eich officially took the helm at Psychological Science in 2012, but this year will bring the first volume consisting entirely of articles accepted during his tenure.

With close to 3,000 submissions a year, Psychological Science poses a significant logistical challenge to any editor, especially one who values sleep. Luckily, Eich will not be alone in the herculean task of evaluating the thousands of manuscripts that come across his e-desk: His formidable editorial team includes five Senior Editors, who help determine which manuscripts are granted an extended review, and an additional nineteen Associate Editors, who oversee this intensive peer review process. The truly global team hails from eight different countries, and the range of their respective research interests is equally expansive.

In addition to the editors, Eich has enlisted a whopping 121 Editorial Board members — researchers who may be called upon to give their input on several of the hundreds of manuscripts that will undergo extended review this year. A mix of veterans and up-and-comers, these members together form a dependable network of external referees who can weigh in with authority on articles dealing with topics as diverse as visual memory and morality.

Beyond recruiting esteemed experts to his editorial team, Eich says his aim is to uphold the journal’s practice of publishing compelling articles on a broad range of topics, a goal he feels he has met during his first year as Editor in Chief.

“Variety has always been the spice of life of Psychological Science, and I’m pleased to see we’re upholding that tradition,” he says. He cites as examples of this range several forthcoming articles, from an exploration of within-cohort age differences in cognitive functioning to the first evidence that absolute pitch may not be so absolute after all.

According to Eich, “these papers, among many others, offer a pleasing combination of ‘Wow!’ with ‘How?’ That is, they tell you something interesting and important you didn’t know before, and they provide insight into the underlying psychological processes.”

So while the names on the inside cover may have changed, readers can rest assured that Psychological Science will continue to bring them an unparalleled variety of the most innovative research in psychological science today under the adept guidance of Eich and his editorial team.