Launching Nature Reviews Psychology: Why this journal is important for the psychological research community

From January 2022, Nature Reviews Psychology will publish high-quality commissioned Reviews on all aspects of psychological science. In this blog post, Chief Editor, Jenn Richler, explains how the journal will meet the needs of the community.

Q: Why is Nature Reviews Psychology being launched?

Jenn Richer (JR): A major aim of Nature Reviews Psychology is to bring together  traditional disciplines of psychological sciences (such as cognitive, clinical, and social psychology), which are not covered together in any existing reviews title. Few Reviews titles cover the entire field of psychological research, and our journal will have a uniquely broad scope that will include all psychology disciplines. We will also publish content  on the wider societal relevance of psychology research; examples include implications for political polarization, racial bias, criminal justice, and inequality.

Q: Why is Nature Reviews Psychology an important title for the community?

JR: Nature Reviews Psychology will summarise and filter original research to create comprehensive overviews, becoming a reliable source of information for both students and experts who seek to understand recent developments in the field, including methodological advances . 

Because Nature Reviews Psychology papers will be relatively short (~6,000 words), the journal will provide a new option for authors in the publishing landscape. The concise reviews will be more broadly accessible for readers who need an authoritative interpretation of advances in the literature.

In addition to Reviews, editorial content is an important feature of the journal. There are few high-quality outlets for psychology researchers to publish more opinionated pieces, and the journal’s Comment and Perspective style articles are a unique format that puts the field into context for the community. 

Q: Nature Portfolio is a unique publisher in that each title has a dedicated editorial team. What does the Nature Reviews Psychology team bring to this journal?

JR: The journal will be managed by a team of professional in-house PhD-level scientists, each with a research background in one of the journal’s key areas. The team will partner with authors to commission new Reviews, edit their manuscripts, and bring their most significant work to the widest possible audience. 

Editors will aim to draw from and promote interactions between researchers across disparate areas of the field, in academia, and in more applied settings. They will also retain close ties to the community by attending conferences, visiting labs and institutions, and sourcing peer reviewers for each article. And, like all Nature Reviews editors, they will act as a bridge between the authors and Nature Portfolio art editors to blend science and graphics, providing visual, bite-sized summaries that complement the text, perfect for teaching and presentations.

Q: Psychological science is a rapidly growing field. What advances are you most interested in, and how will Nature Reviews Psychology fit with the research?

JR: Through market research ahead of this journal launch, I learned that 29% of all psychology review articles and 44% of review articles published in psychology review journals are cited more than 10 times two years after publication. However, of the ~181,000 research articles in psychology and cognitive science published per year, only 8% of the research output are reviews. It is my hope that Nature Reviews Psychology will act as a key agent in driving the field forward by commissioning and publishing syntheses of the literature on key interdisciplinary topics that inspire and support future research. 

To learn more about licensing this new journal, please see our landing page.