International publication trends of JABA authorship.
JABA became a repeat-author club in the 70s-90s, but later data show diversity can rebound.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Geckeler et al. (2000) counted every author who published in JABA from 1970 to 1999.
They tracked who was new, who came back, and where they worked.
What they found
The same North American names showed up more and more.
Fresh first-time authors became rare.
The club got smaller and more repeat-heavy each decade.
How this fits with other research
Saville et al. (2002) did the same math for JEAB and saw the same pattern: veteran authors dominate.
Roane et al. (2001) looked only at human studies in JEAB and also found flat growth and North-American lock-in.
Laties (2008) widened the lens to 50 years and adds good news: later years brought more women and overseas editors, showing the tide can turn.
Why it matters
If you are a new BCBA or doctoral student, the door looks closed. It is not. Submit anyway.
The 2008 follow-up shows diversity can grow, especially when journals add online access and global calls.
Use this history as a prompt to mentor first-time authors and to invite colleagues from under-represented regions onto your projects.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study addressed international publication trends in JABA authorship between 1970 and 1999. First, we analyzed authorship patterns to identify trends in the appearance of new first authors, unfamiliar authors, and frequent contributors. Second, articles were assigned to either a North American or an international category. The data show a decline in the number of articles by new authors and an increase in the publications of frequent contributors from North America. Trends are shown in comparison to those from the American Journal on Mental Retardation.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2000 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2000.33-339