Closing the gap in research training: The first years of Translational issues in psychological science.

Abstract

In this editorial, the outgoing editor-in-chief of Translational Issues in Psychological Science (TPS) describes the proposal from the Association of Graduate Students in Psychology, which identified a gap in students' research training and established TPS and its twofold mission of mentoring graduate students in all aspects of the publication process and publishing translational psychological research on current issues. Methods used to achieve this mission are described. To accomplish the training goal, all submissions to TPS must have a student author, and students are trained through an online program to act as peer reviewers for articles. Additionally, students serve as associate editors and work closely with faculty guest editors to make editorial decisions on articles and produce the special issues. To achieve the translational research mission, each quarterly issue of TPS is focused on a single current topic and includes psychological research that can be effectively applied in different settings and ways to address that topical area. The topics that have been covered by TPS in its first 6 years are described and appreciation is extended to the editorial teams for those issues and the many other people who have been a part of the mentoring and publishing goals for TPS.