This is the first issue of Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice (IOP) under a new editorial team. In light of this, now is a good opportunity to recognize the work of those who have helped build the journal into its current state and to describe the goals for the next few years.
In its relatively short lifespan, IOP has had dedicated editors who have guided the journal through its inception and adolescence. Getting the journal off the ground, building a model for encouraging submissions, administering the review process, and overseeing the publication of thought-provoking focal articles and vigorous commentaries required significant investments of time and energy. These efforts have led to a steady and impressive growth in the journal's impact factor (16.375 for 2017, placing it #1 among all applied psychology journals) and its reputation as an important outlet for our field. I would particularly like to recognize the significant work of John C. Scott and Mark Poteet for their work as outgoing editor-in-chief and practice forum editor, respectively. I am deeply indebted to John for his patience in helping me understand the journal's workflow and for ensuring the smoothest possible transition between the two teams.
In light of the outstanding work of the prior editorial teams and the journal's substantial reputational growth, there are no reasons to believe that dramatic changes to the journal are warranted. There are, however, some interesting opportunities to explore that leverage the journal's unique focus and structure to continue to enhance the journal's impact, value, and visibility.
First, we will continue to publish focal articles that have high relevance and value for SIOP members and others interested in understanding topics relevant to industrial and organizational psychology. One of the obvious challenges for IOP is the consistent flow of such focal articles into the system. As has been demonstrated during the journal's first decade, our field certainly addresses issues and topics that have consistently provided material for focal articles. One of our goals during the next 3 years is to provide an outlet that authors see as a home for such work. Because these articles would typically not be welcome in more traditional journals, authors must make the specific and deliberate choice to develop such content for IOP. Our editorial team, therefore, strongly encourages authors to develop such material and to think of IOP as an outlet that gives them a highly visible platform from which to shape and steer the field. The journal's continued success and growth will rely upon thought-provoking and cutting-edge focal articles that stimulate lively commentary.
Second, given their high quality, we hope to extend the discussions started by the focal articles and commentaries to other outlets (e.g., online video commentaries and rejoinders, sessions at the annual SIOP conference, social media platforms). The conversation that begins in IOP should be something that continues to engage SIOP members and the field following publication of a particular article. We will be exploring mechanisms and approaches for doing this but are also open to suggestions and proposals for keeping these conversations going.
Third, we encourage submissions (both focal articles and commentaries) that reach across traditional disciplinary boundaries that nonetheless have relevance for I-O psychology researchers and practitioners. Many I-O researchers and practitioners work with collaborators from diverse backgrounds (for example, medicine, law, occupational safety, and engineering, to name just a few). This diversity often provides insights into how others view phenomena that are of interest to us and how our work impacts practice and policy in those fields. Incorporating and welcoming this diversity in the pages of IOP might not only lead to a richer understanding of key issues but also might serve to increase our impact on work in other fields.
As we begin our stewardship of IOP with this issue, we look forward to working with, and serving, the SIOP community.
