Authorship trends in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis: An update

Abstract

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) is considered the flagship journal for the discipline of applied behavior analysis. Thus, popular research topics and other publication trends within JABA reflect the current cultural and scientific contingencies governing the field of behavior analysis. Researchers have previously quantified a number of authorship trends in JABA (and other behavior-analytic journals) across a number of variables, such as gender identity and sex of author, country of origin, or seniority within the field (Dunlap et al., 1998) to examine demographic and organizational factors associated with successful publication in JABA. These analyses ought to be conducted continuously to monitor trends and detect any potential biases (e.g., sexism). Accordingly, the purpose of the present investigation was to replicate previous research in this area (e.g., Dymond et al., 2000) and provide an update of current publication trends within JABA. Implications for future research and publishing practices are discussed.

Pervasive Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Applied Behavior Analysis Autism Literature

“…We selected ABA journals that represented a variety of publishers, and a range of impact factors. We also ensured that the top journals in the field were represented in our sample; the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis is considered a flagship ABA journal ( Kranak et al, 2020 ), and Behavior Modification has a similar Impact Factor in the year this study was conducted. Our aims were to determine: (a) the proportion of articles with one or more authors who either provided ABA clinical services or provided private training to ABA practitioners, (b) the proportion of articles with authors who had clinical and/or training COIs that omitted to disclose these roles as COIs in the manuscript, (c) the proportion of articles with authors who had clinical and/or training COIs that erroneously declared in the manuscript that the authors had no COIs, and (d) whether COI omissions were in violation of journal policies.…”

Evaluation of accepted and rejected submissions in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis: Gender and experience

“…Despite previous documentation of bias (Dunlap et al,1998;Dymond et al 2000), the most recent study of publication patterns in JABA found that women and new authors were well-represented, and that no biases were currently detectable (Kranak et al, 2020). However, a significant limitation of Kranak et al (2020) is that the analysis could be conducted on only published articles. Thus, biases might still be present if the overall submission rate is greater for women and new authors compared to men and veteran authors.…”

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Researchers have examined factors of authors such as sex of author, gender identity, and seniority within the field of behavior analysis to determine if any biases towards a certain group existed. Most recently, Kranak et al (2020) found that women and new authors are well-represented in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). However, that analysis included only published manuscripts.

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“…These biases can be harmful to the advancement of both behavior analysis at large and researchers individually (cf. Kranak et al, 2020).…”

“…Muffling the voices of new researchers may directly damage a science, as new researchers may be more likely to be whistleblowers when scientific misconduct has occurred (Smith, 2006) and more likely to challenge "settled science" (Satalkar & Shaw, 2018). Further, this type of bias can inhibit the ability of junior researchers and early career academics to build and establish publication track records necessary for obtaining employment (Kranak et al, 2020), as well as extramural funding It is important to note that this does not necessarily reflect the broader field of behavior analysis, where women are much more likely to engage in behavioranalytic activity (Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB], 2020), nor does this finding suggest that bias does not impact other aspects of being a woman behavior analyst. (NIH, n.d.).…”