Call for Papers: ‘‘Optimal Design’’
A Topical Issue of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie
The precision of estimating the parameters of a statistical model depends to a large extent on the design used in empirical studies. The design specifies the levels of the predictors that influence the response. An optimal design minimizes the number of experimental runs. Thus, employing techniques of optimal design in psychological studies will minimize the number of subjects and/or items for a certain precision of parameter estimates.
Optimal design applies to many statistical methods used in psychology, for example, general and generalized linear models or item response models. However, optimal design has until now not received much attention in psychological research.
The aim of this topical issue of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie on “Optimal Design” is to make this statistical method better known and show the benefits of optimal design in psychological research. This includes state-of-the-art reviews as well as new developments of optimal designs. Papers may, for instance, cover the following topics:
- –Introductory overview of optimal design
- –Reviews of optimal design for particular models, for example, item response models
- –New developments in optimal design
- –Software for optimal design
Submission Details
The topical issue invites submissions of theoretical papers as well as studies on applications of optimal design. We invite scholars to submit contributions electronically to Heinz Holling (mailto:holling@uni-muenster.
For additional information, please contact the guest editor.
There is a two-stage submissions process. Initially, authors are requested to submit only an abstract of their proposed paper. Authors invited to submit full papers should then do so. All papers will undergo full peer review. Alongside regular review and original articles, submission of shorter research notes and opinion papers is also welcome, as are short informative pieces on current or future working groups, meetings, and developments in progress.
- Deadline for submission of abstracts is July 15, 2012.
- Deadline for submission of full papers is November 15, 2012.
The journal seeks to maintain a short turnaround time, with the final version of the accepted papers being due by February 15, 2013. The topical issue will be published as Issue 3 (2013).
The Zeitschrift für Psychologie, founded in 1890, is the oldest psychology journal in Europe and the second oldest in the world. One of the founding editors was Hermann Ebbinghaus. Since 2007 it is published in English and devoted to publishing topical issues that provide state-of-the-art reviews of current research in psychology.
Guidelines for Article Preparation
- –Only English-language submissions can be considered.
- –Contributions must be original (not published previously or currently under review for publication elsewhere).
- –Regular articles should not exceed 45,000 characters and spaces in length, including references, figures, and tables (allowances for figures and tables should be deducted on the basis of size – approximately 1,250 characters for a quarter-page figure/table).
- –Other submission formats (research summaries, opinion pieces, etc.) may be considered, please contact the editors for details.
- –Reference citations in the text and in the reference list should be in accordance with the principles set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) – see also any recent issue of the journal.
For detailed author guidelines, please see the journal’s website at www.hogrefe.com/journals/zfp/.
