About the Psychologist
What is The Psychologist?
Packed with articles, letters, interviews, news, reviews, careers and jobs, The Psychologist is the best way to keep up to date with all corners of the discipline.
As the official publication of The British Psychological Society, The Psychologist serves as a forum for communication, discussion and debate on a range of psychological topics. We publish a wide range of scientific, professional and personal formats aimed at our large and diverse audience: The Psychologist is read by more than 50,000 Society members in print, and many non-members view our open access offerings online and in our app.
The best way to keep up with all our output is to follow us on Twitter. All our output is collected in The Psychologist's iOS/Android app, with timelines, editions (html and pdf), podcast and more.
From 2022, The Psychologist website incorporates the Research Digest. Launched in 2003, the Research Digest showcases psychological science while also casting a critical eye over its methods. The team all have qualifications in psychology or related subjects, and strive to write in a style that educates, entertains and generates interest, but without resorting to hype.
With over 100,000 followers across social media and more than 60,000 on email, the award-winning Research Digest has continued to grow in popularity and international prominence, attracting millions of readers every year.
In February 2015, we launched our chart-topping podcast PsychCrunch with over 500,000 downloads to date.
The Research Digest is available in a number of other forms, including email, Twitter, and Facebook.
How can I get hold of The Psychologist?
The Psychologist and The Psychologist Online is included with membership and Affiliate Subscribership of the Society. e-Subscribers have access to the Psychologist Online and in the app, by logging in using their Member Portal details.
If you are a psychology teacher interested in receiving complimentary copies as part of our schools and colleges subscriber scheme, please call +44 (0)116 252 9591 or email [email protected].
If you are a new joiner, it can sometimes seem like it takes a while to receive your first issue, depending on how your joining date sits with our schedule and selection of addresses for each mailing.
2024 mailing dates:
March issue: 9 Feb
April: 14 Mar
May: 25 Apr
June: 23 May
July/August: 3 Jul
Sept: 15 Aug
Oct: 19 Sep
Nov: 17 Oct
Dec: 21 Nov
How can I contribute?
We welcome contributions from psychologists in all areas of the discipline, written in an informative and engaging style. Articles may provide a broad overview of a particular area or issue, review the literature, include some original research, discuss theory, or debate applied issues and practical and professional problems. We do not publish articles based on research that has not been accepted for publication following peer review: i.e. we are a magazine, not a journal.
We also have a host of regular formats which may suit you, including 'Rated', 'Reviews', 'Careers', 'New voices', 'Looking back' and 'One on one'.
The Psychologist relies on your contributions, there are formats to suit all angles and levels of input, and a supportive editorial process to ensure that your message is presented in an appropriate and effective manner. You can find more information on contributing here. To discuss all possibilities, contact the Editor via [email protected]
Who is involved?
The Psychologist is produced by a team of BPS staff.
Dr Jon Sutton is the Managing Editor. He joined the Society in March 2000, from a psychology lectureship at Glasgow Caledonian University. Jon is responsible for all aspects of strategic development, budgeting, commissioning, editing, advertising and promotions, etc. His performance is monitored by the Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee, to which he reports three times a year. You can find lots of his features and interviews here.
Jennifer Gledhill is Deputy Editor, starting in April 2023. Jennifer worked as a journalist and editor on numerous consumer magazines since the early '90s before becoming editorial director at Emap Publishing. She has a BA (hons) in Media and Sociology and a PGdip in Counselling and Psychotherapy. As well as her role on The Psychologist she works as a psychotherapist in the voluntary sector as well as in private practice.
Our journalist, Ella Rhodes, joined us in June 2014. She is a psychology graduate and trained journalist, having previously worked on the Derby Telegraph.
Mike Thompson, Sub-editor, started before records began. He handles all the design and illustration in the publication.
Emma Barratt, our Research Digest Editor, is a science communicator who has worked with several international outlets, including SciShow and the European Space Agency. She specialises in Atypical and Clinical Psychology, and published the first academic papers investigating Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR).
Emma Young (@EmmaELYoung) joined as a Research Digest Writer in May 2017. Emma is an award-winning science journalist, with a BSc in psychology from the University of Durham. A former reporter and editor on New Scientist, she's also worked on The Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald. Her books include Sane, a pop psychology book on evidence-based ways to build a stronger mind.
Emily Reynolds joined as a Research Digest Writer in October 2019. Emily is an award-winning journalist and author based in London. Since graduating with a BSc in Psychology from the University of Sheffield in 2014, she's written for Wired, The Guardian, NY Mag, Vogue and many more on a wide variety of topics, in particular mental health. She also wrote a book on that subject, A Beginner's Guide to Losing Your Mind, which came out in 2017. She's now working on her second book, an exploration of human intimacy and technology.
Ginny Smith (@GinnyFBSmith) is an occasional freelance producer and presenter of our PsychCrunch podcast. Ginny studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Psychology and Neuroscience, and now spreads her love of science as a science writer and presenter. She performs her range of science shows about the brain at science festivals and to school groups in the UK and internationally, as well as teaching at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Continuing Education. Ginny is also a regular on the Cosmic Shambles Network, and previously worked with the Naked Scientists and Cambridge TV. She loves to write science articles for a general audience and is a regular writer for DK science books.
Advertising is handled by Redactive. You can find information here, or contact Redactive Media Group on 020 7880 6213 or email [email protected]
The office staff are supported by the voluntary associate editors and the Editorial Advisory Committee on the membership side (see the list on the contents page of the print version each month).
Are there opportunities to get more involved?
Yes!
The Psychologist is your magazine, and we need you!
We often have vacancies for voluntary roles: watch this space / the magazine.
What are the policies of The Psychologist?
Find out about our policies and protocols.
How can I give feedback?
The team always welcome feedback about The Psychologist. For example, you could let us know: - what you think our functions or goals should be - what should be given more or less emphasis - your views on how the publication is organised, designed, illustrated etc - what articles you found particularly engaging and / or informative, and what other topics you would like to see covered. Simply email the editor. If your comments concern policy or the editor's performance, an alternative is the Chair of the Psychologist and Digest Policy Committee.