These answers draw in part from “Welcome and Opening Address: How to Get Published Without Ruining Your Life” by Jennifer Zarcone, PhD (BehaviorLive), and extend it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. Clinical framing, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →The three most frequently reported barriers are time, resources, and mentorship. Practitioners whose schedules are fully committed to billable clinical activities have no time allocated for research. Resource barriers include limited access to journals, statistical tools, and IRB infrastructure. Mentorship barriers arise when practitioners lack access to experienced researchers who can guide study design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. All three barriers are solvable with organizational support and strategic partnerships.
Contact behavior analysis faculty at nearby universities and express interest in collaboration. Attend regional conferences and connect with presenters whose research interests align with yours. Join professional organizations such as ABAI, which have special interest groups that facilitate researcher-practitioner partnerships. Some journals have mentorship programs for first-time authors. Online professional communities can also connect practitioners with potential mentors regardless of geographic location.
Single-subject experimental designs are the most practical for practitioner research because they are native to behavior analysis methodology, require small numbers of participants, allow for ongoing clinical decision-making throughout the study, and produce visually analyzable data without requiring complex statistical procedures. Reversal designs, multiple baseline designs, and alternating treatments designs can all be implemented within typical clinical service delivery with minimal disruption to treatment.
If you intend to publish or present your findings, IRB review is typically required for any study involving human participants. Some activities, such as program evaluation or quality improvement projects, may qualify for IRB exemption, but this determination should be made by an IRB rather than by the practitioner. If your organization does not have its own IRB, you can seek review through a university partner or an independent commercial IRB. Begin the IRB process early, as review timelines can extend several months.
The scientist-practitioner model holds that effective clinicians both consume and produce research. In practice, this means using empirically supported interventions, making data-based clinical decisions, critically evaluating new methods before adopting them, and contributing to the evidence base through systematic investigation of clinical questions. The model does not require every practitioner to publish in peer-reviewed journals, but it does expect engagement with research methodology as a way of thinking about clinical problems.
Begin by identifying a clinical question from your current caseload. Review the existing literature on that topic to determine what is already known and where gaps exist. Consider whether a case study or small-scale single-subject design could address the question using data you are already collecting or could collect with minor modifications to your current procedures. Find a mentor to review your design before you begin. Start small and complete the project before taking on more ambitious research.
Organizations can designate protected time for research activities, even a few hours monthly. They can fund conference attendance for staff who present research or clinical innovations. They can establish partnerships with universities that provide research infrastructure and mentorship. They can recognize and reward research contributions in performance evaluations. Some organizations create research coordinator positions that support multiple practitioners' projects. These investments are modest relative to the benefits in staff retention, clinical quality, and organizational reputation.
Null or unexpected results are common and valuable in science. Report your findings honestly. Negative results prevent other practitioners from investing time in approaches that do not work. Unexpected results may reveal important variables that were not considered in the original design. Discuss the results with your mentor to determine whether the findings reflect a genuine effect, a measurement issue, or a design limitation. Many studies with unexpected results are publishable when framed appropriately with honest discussion of limitations and implications.
Conference presentations are an excellent step toward publication. Presenting your work gives you practice articulating your research question, methods, and findings. Audience questions and feedback from peer reviewers during the submission process can identify weaknesses or alternative interpretations that strengthen the work before you submit a manuscript. Many published studies were first presented as conference posters or talks. The conference experience also builds professional connections that can support future research.
Prioritize clinical care whenever research and clinical obligations conflict. Design studies that integrate with your existing clinical activities rather than competing with them. For example, a study evaluating two evidence-based approaches to teaching a specific skill can be designed so that the client benefits from both conditions regardless of which produces better results. Schedule research activities during non-clinical hours such as administrative time or protected research blocks. Communicate with your supervisor about your research timeline so they can support appropriate workload management.
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Welcome and Opening Address: How to Get Published Without Ruining Your Life — Jennifer Zarcone · 1 BACB Supervision CEUs · $20
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258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
244 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.