Casting a Wider Net: an Analysis of Scholarly Contributions of Behavior Analysis Graduate Program Faculty

Alligood et al. (2019) counted every paper written by faculty in Verified Course Sequence programs. They found 1,232 professors who had published 8,906 articles across 715 different journals.

The team wanted to see how wide the faculty reach is. They did not look at clinical results. They simply mapped where the work appears.

The faculty do not stay in behavior-analysis journals. Their work spreads into medicine, education, psychology, and even animal care.

This wide scatter shows the field touches many topics, not just autism clinics.

Fahmie et al. (2013) counted 435 functional-analysis studies. Those studies are part of the 8,906 papers Alligood captured, so the two reviews fit like Russian dolls.

Kazemi et al. (2019) scanned syllabi and found the same programs assign a tight core of classic readings. That seems to clash with Alligood’s wide publication map, but it doesn’t: faculty teach narrow and publish broad.

Contreras et al. (2024) extend the picture. They show most programs still teach only Skinner’s philosophy, hinting the curriculum has not caught up with the faculty’s broad output.

When you advise students picking grad schools, don’t just look at clinic hours. Pull up the faculty’s publication list. If a professor publishes in pediatric medicine or environmental sustainability, that mentor can open doors outside the usual autism track. Ask applicants, "What niche do you want to add to our field?" Then match them with faculty who already publish there.