The Leap of Faith

This issue of Behavior Analysis and Practice marks yet another milestone in the evolution of the journal. From this point forward, Behavior Analysis and Practice (BAP) will be published through a joint agreement between the Association for Behavior Analysis International and Springer Publishing. At one level, nothing will appear to have changed. However, if you look deeper, you will see that almost everything about BAP has changed. First, BAP submissions are now handled exclusively through the Springer submission portal. This web-based interface automates all aspects of the submission and review process. Additionally, the system provides a variety of data from reviewer lag times to real time updates of manuscript status. Many other journals have adopted similar systems for manuscript management, and I will say that the Springer interface is an excellent product. Once your account is established, manuscripts can be submitted in minutes. For reviewers, the system is a life saver. It reminds you regularly what your assignments and deadlines are. Second, accepted manuscripts for BAP will enjoy the luxury of Springer First, a service that will produce a final version of your accepted manuscript online before publication of the print issue of the journal. This opportunity is great for authors seeking immediate dissemination of their work, as well as for readers who want to read the latest developments in our field as soon as possible. The time from acceptance to manuscript production is less than 21 days. This is an amazing feature not imaginable a few years ago. Finally, BAP has become entangled within an electronic web of access by many more libraries, subscribers, and social networkers than ever before. Springer allows for BAP to join their complex network of bundled services from Facebook and Twitter referencing to cross journal marketing efforts. In other words, BAP has moved from a scholarly orphan to a close family member within a well-connected family. Change is fought by most of us. Change in leadership, ownership, layout, design, and content of a journal. However, with change comes opportunities that may never have been possible if we had not taken a leap of faith. It was not too long ago that the scholarly folks among us completely discounted the value of any online publication. Science was protected within the print pages and online journals were little more than glorified websites. I have watched other fields around us abandon print while we clutched to those aging pages that we were familiar with. Little by little, the contingencies have changed and we are reluctantly coming among. As the page-generation continues to be overshadowed by the e-generation, print versions of a journal will become the discounted topography. My students laughed at my need for a printed copy of their dissertation drafts one too many times, so I reluctantly took up my iPad for digital edits. Man, change is hard. BAP will still be offered in print for the forseeable future, but now subscribers will have the chance for an electronic-only version as well. To avoid the agism, my students will jestingly emit, I know what modality I will choose. The change that I am most excited about as BAP moves forward is that of mainstreaming our journal’s content. There is a difference between mainstreaming and diluting and the latter is far from the plan. My agenda, which is heavily endorsed through Springer’s marketing program, is to make sure that the 99.9 % of the world that is not behavioral hears what BAP had to say. This agenda will be met through a wide variety of initiatives from press releases and media blasts to deeper indexing and development of an impact factor for the journal. Many of us in behavior analysis think the world should come find us and hear what we have to say. Sorry folks. After 100 years, it has not happened. It’s time to change. It’s time to get in the game, not just play our own. At some point in our behavioral training, we probably read that social communities respond to contingencies of reinforcement just like individual organisms do. Certain behaviors of that culture are selected and strengthened, while others weaken and die. This process is often considered a cultural evolution of sorts. While rather tiny, BAP is such a social community. We too must adapt to the electronic revolution around us, because if not, we too shall die. Change is very difficult, and often avoided. It often requires a reluctant leap of faith. Jump in, the water actually is quite nice.