Editor's Column

Tara Behrend

My term as TIP editor is coming to an end. Thanks to TIP, I’ve learned a ton about SIOP members and the amazing work they are doing to advance science and practice. I’ve learned to appreciate Twitter. And most importantly, I’ve learned how to beg, cajole, and threaten people about deadlines.

I’m very grateful for this experience and also ready to begin the next one.

I had a few goals when I started. Format-wise, I wanted to get rid of the e-reader and move to simple html.  Second, I wanted to bring back the printed copies! So, mixed success on that front. Content-wise, I wanted to keep TIP traditions alive and bring in new ones. Long-standing columns like The Academic’s Forum, Max Classroom Capacity, On the Legal Front, and TIP-TOPics for Students have continued to thrive. These columnists deliver insight and evidence in every issue; I’m so grateful for the service they provide to SIOP members.

I also introduced a number of special series, including Richard Landers’ popular Crash Course in Technology series and Andrew Collmus and Mike Litano’s Lost in Translation series. This model of limited-term columns does well to address the changing needs of SIOP members over time while keeping TIP to a readable length.  Nikki Blacksmith, Tiffany Poeppelman, and Evan Sinar’s Modern App series was another favorite; this issue marks the final installment of that column and I know a lot of readers will be sorry to see it end.

The end of my term means the beginning of the next one; to that end, the SIOP Executive Board will be choosing a new editor. Interested candidates should submit a short statement of their vision and goals for TIP to me at behrend@gwu.edu by February 15.  A committee comprising the communications portfolio officer, president-elect, and current editor will review all submitted statements.

If you love SIOP and you have a vision for what TIP can become, I hope you will think about becoming the next editor. Something all interested parties should consider before they apply, though: SIOP is a huge and diverse organization, and it can be difficult to make everyone happy. Some of our differences come from larger ideological and cultural values, and some come from differing professional needs. Nonetheless, we are making a major impact in government and corporate policy globally, and significantly improving the lives of working adults. I try to keep that in mind when I’m fielding the Editor’s Hotline. Unlike the Butterball Hotline, I don’t get any fun questions about whether the stuffing should go inside the bird or outside the bird. I do, however, get questions on the following topics:

1. When is the deadline?
2. What is the word limit?
3. Can I have an extension on the deadline?
4. Are you sure?
5. Please?
6. Do you accept bribes regarding deadline extensions?
7. Hypothetically, of course.
8. Is it I/O or I-O?
9. Why did you publish that paper I disagree with?
10. Can you bring back print copies?

I gladly field these emails because it means I get to publish articles that become the heart of SIOP—articles like the ones in this issue. You’ll see an article from Deniz Ones and Brenton Wiernik responding to the hype about personality types. There is a helpful primer on using Twitter in your professional life from Paul Thoreson. Lise Saari highlights the careers of SIOP members working in the United Nations. And the GREAT committee gives us an analysis of the 2018 congressional election in the US and what it means for SIOP. Overall I continue to be inspired and amazed at the great work that SIOP members are doing, and being TIP editor means that I can play a role in making sure those efforts, and the resulting knowledge and resources, are shared and accessible.

 (Answers:  1: See website; 2: See website; 3: No; 4: Yes; 5: No; 6: Not for less than $10K; 7: Of course…wink wink; 8: I-O; 9: Just to anger you; 10: No.)