Internationalization and geographically representative scholarship in journals devoted to behavior analysis: an assessment of 10 journals across 15 years

Abstract

There are many reasons to consider behavior analysis an international field. For example, the primary membership organization for the field has affiliated chapters in 33 countries, and individuals from 100 countries around the world are certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. However, some have questioned the extent to which scholarship in behavior analytic journals is internationally representative. This study provides the most extensive analysis to date regarding internationally representative scholarship in behavioral journals. Article characteristics (e.g., authors’ and participants’ geographic affiliation) of 2341 articles—across 15 years and 10 journals—were analyzed. Findings indicated that these articles were predominantly written by authors working within North America and Western Europe, and similar patterns were observed when considering the country of study participants. Implications and recommendations for improving the geographic representativeness of scholarship in behavior analysis are discussed, particularly in the context of internationalization.