About Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal

The Merrill-Palmer Quarterly is the only empirical journal dedicated to the topic of peer relations. Published four times a year, the journal features quantitative developmental research on peer interactions, relationships, and groups. The journal also publishes research on interpersonal factors that impact socioemotional development, particularly those relevant to peer relations.

Most papers published in the journal will address one of three core themes in peer relations (Bukowski, Laursen, & Rubin, 2018): (a) features (what peers do with each other), (b) effects (antecedents and consequences of features), or (c) processes (mechanisms that account for associations within and between features and effects). Topics include (but are not limited to) peer relationships (e.g., friends, peer groups and networks, romantic relationships, sibling relationships), peer settings (e.g., social media, school, neighborhood, home), peer interactions (e.g., bullying, prosocial behavior), peer reputation and status (e.g., popularity, acceptance, rejection) and the antecedents, consequences, and correlates of each. Meta-analytic reviews of the literature are welcome, as are cutting-edge conceptual papers designed to challenge and/or reframe research and theory on peer relations. The journal also publishes papers that introduce and validate new methods and instruments germane to the topic of peer relations. Occasionally, the journal will publish papers that touch on other significant interpersonal relationships (e.g., family, teacher) or prominent socioemotional attributes (e.g., shyness, aggression), but only if they pertain to individual differences in adjustment and preferably if they have clear implications for peer relations. Diversity in authors and samples is a priority.

The Merrill-Palmer Quarterly has a curator model of editing (Levesque, 2020). The goal is to foster submissions that fit the mission, substance, and style of the journal. The Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor will carefully screen all submissions. Best-fitting submissions will receive peer review; the rest will be returned without review. The curator model allows Action Editors and reviewers to focus their efforts on articles that have a strong chance of success. It improves the quality of the reviews provided and the quality of the reviewers, who are more apt to respond favorably to review requests if they know that poor-fit submissions have been eliminated.

The Merrill-Palmer Quarterly has a long and rich history as one of the oldest journals in developmental psychology. Originally attached to the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit, the journal was established in 1954 to bolster and disseminate scientific information about child and family development. The Institute was acquired by Wayne State University in 1981 and the journal is now published by Wayne State University Press. Learn more about the history of the journal and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute here.

References

Bukowski, W. M., Laursen, B., & Rubin, K. H. (2018). Peer relations: Past, present, and promise. In W. M. Bukowski, B. Laursen, & K. H. Rubin (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (2nd ed., pp. 3-20). Guilford.

Levesque, R. J. (2021). The Journal of Youth and Adolescence at 50: Completing the move toward a curator model of editing. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01363-2