The editorial team is pleased to release volume 42, issue 2 of PLS. The interdisciplinarity of PLS is manifest in this issue. Topics range from 2020 election-related post-traumatic stress (Fraser et al., Reference Fraser, Panagopoulos and Smith2023) and social fragmentation related to sleep disruptions (Holbein & Crabtree, Reference Holbein and Crabtree2023) to partisan niche construction (Arreguin, Reference Arreguin2023) and the origins of morality policy (Wendell & Tatalovich, Reference Wendell and Tatalovich2023). Following a cautious approach to COVID-19-related research during and immediately following the well-justified urgency regarding the pandemic, this issue includes two articles regarding Americans’ responses to coronavirus policies. One examines vaccine attitudes in terms of positive and negative rights (McDermott et al., Reference McDermott, Koong and Kaplan2023), while the other evaluates the relative effects of partisanship and vulnerability to disease on individuals’ responses to the virus (Cassario, Reference Cassario2023). It also includes the 2023 Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) Conference Keynote Address by John Hibbing (Reference Hibbing2023) on “Donald Trump’s contribution to the study of politics and the life sciences.” Finally, the issue commemorates the life of Dr. Roger D. Masters, a catalyst for the discipline of biopolitics and a noted member of the APLS “founders” group (Murray, Reference Murray2023).
The team is also pleased to note that this issue adds another nine articles to the journal’s ever-expanding list of open access (OA) articles. Interested readers can access the full list of OA articles in PLS at https://t.ly/Plepg. OA articles receive more attention, and we are pleased with the recognition this gives both to our authors and the journal.
Last year, the journal began awarding open science badges for open data and materials and for study preregistration. The goal of open science badges is to foster scientific practices that strengthen the credibility of research by enhancing transparency and easing independent verification of findings. The response has been strongly positive. Following this success and to further promote transparency, starting with submissions on and after January 1, 2024, the editorial team will require that the data supporting the empirical results in published articles be archived in an appropriate public repository as a condition for publication, with appropriate exceptions regarding, for instance, ethical or legal requirements. More information on this important development will be forthcoming.
In closing, the publication of an issue of PLS is a collaborative effort that depends on the dedication and expertise of a large number of individuals and organizations. The editorial team extends its gratitude to our generous reviewers who lent their specialized knowledge to the rigorous evaluation of both published and unpublished manuscripts. We are similarly indebted to our authors, who trust us with the critical assessment and potential dissemination of their painstaking work. Our thanks also go to the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences and Cambridge University Press for their tireless support in upholding the journal’s mission and advancing scientific inquiry.
