Call for Papers: “Psychological Perspectives on Science Communication”
A Topical Issue of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie
Focus of the Topical Issue, Aims, and Scope
Recent science communication frameworks emphasize the role of members of the general public as active participants in science communication. They bring their own perspectives to the interpretation of scientific findings, or actively participate in the production of scientific knowledge (“citizen science”). This resonates with the rise of open science practices, which allow laypeople to conduct first-hand evaluations of scientific claims through barrier-free access to all kinds of scientific information. However, being confronted with a more complex body of scientific knowledge requires information consumers to possess adequate motivational dispositions, as well as research and information literacy. Increasing availability and complexity of scientific information may also affect science-related feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, such as epistemic cognition, epistemic beliefs, and epistemic trust, as well as knowledge acquisition and knowledge illusions.
Against this background, we invite contributions for the Zeitschrift für Psychologie that address influencing factors and effects of modern science communication at the level of the information consumer. This includes studies on individual differences in information seeking and selection (e.g., selective exposure to belief-confirming information and motivated reasoning) or the evaluation and knowledge integration of scientific claims in the face of complex, tentative, or conflicting scientific evidence. Information consumers could be laypeople (e.g., members of the general public, students), or specific professional groups who are expected to consider scientific insights in their work (e.g., teachers, politicians, journalists, scientists). While we welcome research on the effects of different ways of communicating science-based information (e.g., journal articles, plain language summaries, press releases, preprints, tweets), we also invite research on interventions that may affect related abilities and motivational aspects in information consumers. Finally, studies on how to enhance the participation of the general public in the co-production of scientific knowledge (“citizen science”, “public engagement with science”) are also welcome.
Submissions can be of empirical or theoretical nature, encompassing experimental, observational, and meta-analytic research, systematic or narrative reviews or proposals for new theories, models, frameworks of science communication, as well as new developments in related assessments and methodology. Further kinds of submissions include Research Spotlights, Horizons, and Opinion articles (cf. ZfP’s Instructions for Authors; https://www.hogrefe.com/us/journal/zeitschrift-fuer-psychologie). Submissions have to be in accordance with the Open Science Policy of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie (https://bit.ly/3dSf5zy). We encourage researchers to consider the submission of registered reports or otherwise preregistered projects for hypothesis-testing studies (although this is not a necessity), and we encourage the submission of replication studies.
How to Submit
There is a two-stage submissions process. Initially, interested authors are requested to submit extended abstracts of their proposed papers. Authors of the selected abstracts will then be invited to submit full papers. All papers will undergo blind peer review.
Stage 1: Structured Abstract Submission
Authors interested in this special issue must submit a structured abstract of the planned manuscript before submitting a full paper. The goal is to provide authors with prompt feedback regarding the suitability and relevance of the planned manuscript to the special issue.
The deadline for submitting structured abstracts is June 30, 2022.
Feedback on whether or not the editors encourage authors to submit a full paper will be given by July 31, 2022.
Submission Guidelines for Structured Abstracts
Structured abstracts should be within four pages and may encompass information on each of the following headings: (a) Background, (b) Objectives, (c) Research question(s) and/or hypothesis/es, (d) Method/Approach, (e) Results/Findings (expected), (f) Conclusions and implications (expected).
Structured abstracts should be submitted via email to Tom Rosman (tr@leibniz-psychology.
Stage 2: Full Paper Submission
For those who have been encouraged to submit a full paper,
the deadline for submission of full manuscripts is June 30, 2023.
For authors who would like to submit a registered report,
the deadline for submission of stage 1 registered reports is November 30, 2022. The full paper submission deadline for accepted stage 1 registered reports will be determined individually.
All full manuscripts (including registered reports) must be submitted through the online submission system of the journal, Editorial Manager.
Papers will enter peer review promptly upon submission. All manuscripts will undergo a blind peer-review process and accepted manuscripts will be published online before the full issue will be in print.
Submission guidelines for full papers
- –Only English-language submissions can be considered.
- –Contributions must be original (not published previously or currently under review for publication elsewhere).
- –Review and original 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).
- –All research syntheses should adhere to the meta-analytic reporting standards (MARS) proposed by the APA (http://www.apa.org/pubs/authors/jars.pdf). Additionally, authors should include a statement in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement (http://www.prisma-statement.org) as a supplemental file for review.
- –Other submission formats (registered reports, short reports, research summaries, opinion pieces, etc.) are also considered, please contact the editors for details.
- –Registered reports (https://www.hogrefe.com/us/article/registered-reports-1) are subject to different deadlines than full manuscripts due to longer peer review. Individual deadlines will be set during the peer review process.
- –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 (7th ed.).
- –Supplementary material must be made available through PsychArchives: https://www.psycharchives.org/.
For detailed author guidelines, please see the journal’s website at www.hogrefe.com/j/zfp/
Timeline
- •June 30, 2022: Abstract submissions due
- •July 31, 2022: Feedback to authors
- •November 30, 2022: Stage 1 registered reports submission due (only registered reports)
- •June 30, 2023: Full paper submissions due (except for registered reports)
- •February 28, 2023: Feedback to authors of full paper submissions due
- •April 30, 2024: Revised manuscripts due
- •July 31, 2024: Editorial decision about acceptance/refusal of revised papers due
- •Q3/2024: Editorial decision about acceptance/refusal of Stage 2 registered reports due
- •1/2025: Publication of topical issue
About the Journal
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. For more detailed information about the journal please visit the official website at http://www.hgf.io/zfp.
