The Human Factors Journal Expands to Twelve Annual Issues

Starting January 2024, Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, will publish twelve annual issues, up from eight, and substantially increase the length of each issue. This expansion will greatly reduce the time to publication and allow the journal to increase dissemination of research articles. Human Factors Editor-in-Chief, Rob Radwin, said, “The long lead time between when an article is posted online until it is published exceeds two years. This has been a concern for authors, limits public access, and prevents wide dissemination of peer-reviewed research to the scientific community at large.”   The delay particularly impacts tenure track faculty who must create a track record of publications in a limited time, and it impairs the productivity of authors who rely on publication track records for promotions and recognition.  The page count increase will start immediately for the remaining issues published this year.

The expansion will require limiting HFES membership to electronic access only, with an option to pay an annual subscription fee for a print version. A recent survey indicated that most HFES members already exclusively use electronic access and those who prefer printed copies are willing to pay an additional fee.   Radwin said, “The flagship journal of HFES is an essential aspect of the scientific mission of the Society and needs to remain a vital part of the HF/E community. These measures will help advance the impact, integrity, and value of publishing in Human Factors for years to come.”