Help shape the next generation of ideas in political psychology by contributing to a groundbreaking special issue!

Are you interested in political cognition, affect and/or behavior? Do you have an idea with the potential to create new theoretical insights or have important practical implications? Then consider submitting your idea for consideration for our new special issue of Political Psychology: "Crowdsourcing the Next Generation of Ideas in Political Psychology."

[Side note: If you’d prefer a more colorful version of this announcement, check out www.next-gen-ideas.com]

In this special issue, we extend recent scientific reformation efforts by rethinking the publishing pipeline. Here, we invert the usual “top-down” editor-driven approach to selecting articles—instead adopting a bottom-up crowdsourcing approach: Rather than we, the special issue editors, serving as the gatekeepers of what research is selected for publication, we turn these decisions over to the community—that is, the social scientists that conduct political psychological research.

Research groups are invited to submit a short, 150-word research "mini-proposal" before January 15th, 2023. These mini-proposals will be fully anonymized and then evaluated through an open survey of the field* to assess their novelty and theoretical and empirical import. All research groups who submit a proposal will receive detailed feedback regarding how their proposal was rated on the various rating dimensions.

*To ensure representation of historically minoritized voices in the field, survey results will be weighted to achieve equal representation on the dimensions of geography (e.g., global North versus South), gender, race/ethnicity, and career stage (early-, mid-, and late-career scholars).

The 20 research groups with the highest-rated proposals will be invited to submit a full Registered-Report style research proposal. These proposals will then undergo peer review for further refinement. Following peer review, researchers whose reports are accepted will conduct the preregistered research and results will be published regardless of the outcome.

To ensure that funding limitations do not prevent the best research projects from being conducted, the three proposals that receive the highest ratings will be awarded $1,500 USD to support the proposed research.

What you need to do:
Participating is easy: All you and your collaborators need to do is submit a short, 150 word mini-proposal detailing the main aims of your proposed research by January 15, 2023. You can submit your proposal here: https://www.next-gen-ideas.com/

What kinds of proposals are accepted?
We encourage submissions on a broad range of topics. If your idea is related to the psychology of political cognition, affect and/or behavior – either directly or indirectly – you are welcome to submit. If you are unsure whether an idea is "political enough," don't be – just submit!

Submissions can take any form - testing a novel hypothesis, replicating a classic finding, exploring a new interdisciplinary intersection, testing a new methodology, or tackling a longstanding debate. We also encourage submissions using either quantitative or qualitative methodologies (or a mix of both).

What happens after I submit?
Your proposal will be evaluated through an open survey of the field, and you will receive your reviews by March 2023. You will then be informed if you are invited to submit a full proposal, and whether your proposal was awarded funding.

What's in it for you:
-Participate in a groundbreaking initiative to help reshape the publication process
-Receive feedback on your ideas from your peers
-A potential publication in Political Psychology
-A chance at receiving funding for your work
-The opportunity to add your name to the group of researchers shaping the next generation of ideas in the field

What's in it for the field:
Through participating in this initiative, you'll also help provide valuable information for the field. First, you'll help us test a new, more democratic approach to the academic publishing process. Your submissions will also allow us to "take the pulse" of the field—for example, identifying the hottest topics, the most exciting new research directions, and the biggest gaps in the existing literature.

The Fine Print:
-Research MUST be feasible within the special issue timeline, which allows ~3.5 months for data collection and finalizing the manuscript.
-All researchers who submit a proposal will be asked to participate in the expert survey, alongside the broader political psychology community.
-Individual researchers can be included in up to three proposals, but can only be lead author on one proposal.