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The Experimental Political Scientist is the official newsletter of the American Political Science Association Organized Section on Experimental Political Science.

Latest Issue: Spring 2021

Table of Contents

  1. Editor’s Introduction 
    We are happy to share the latest issue of the Experimental Political Scientist with you. In this issue, in addition to Amanda D’Urso with tips on analyzing conjoint experiments, we have two posts on exciting new article formats for experimental papers that are part of a trend in the discipline to encourage the publication of papers based on the design of research rather than its results. Vin Arceneaux discusses registered reports in the Journal of Experimental Political Science, and Kentaro Fukumoto explains the process of result-blind review at the Japanese Journal of Political Science.  In addition to the extending the usual content published in the Experimental Political Scientist, this issue contains two other sections. First, with both great sadness and sincere fondness, we feature an in memoriam section for Dr. Becky Morton, a dear colleague as well as friend and mentor to many in our community, who recently passed away. We pass along remembrances from friends and colleagues, many of which were previously shared at the service organized by her colleagues at the NYU Department of Politics. Her passing is an incalculable loss for the discipline, but her many contributions live on and will continue to enrich and support the experimental political science community for decades to come. Second, we have what will be a regular feature of the newsletter—a section called “Lessons Learned the Hard Way”. This exciting new feature was conceived by Christoper B. Mann of Skidmore College, who will also serve as its editor. Here, five leading scholars of experimental political science offer lessons learned from mistakes they have made in designing and implementing their own experiments.

  2. In Memoriam: Becky Morton
    • It is with great sadness that we relay fond remembrances of Becky Morton from her friends and colleagues, including: Abraham Aldama, Marco Battaglini & Eleonora Patacchini, Andrés Casas, James Druckman, Elisabeth Gerber, Sanford Gordon, Kristin Michelitch, Kai Ou, Thomas Palfrey, and Joshua Tucker.
    • Message from Section President, Thad Dunning: We were all so deeply saddened by Becky Morton’s sudden and tragic death in September 2020 and are deeply thankful for all that she contributed to experimental research in political science. In recognition of Becky’s pioneering research and her roles as recent Experimental Research Section chair and founding co-editor of the Journal of Experimental Political Science (together with Josh Tucker), and by unanimous agreement of the current section officers, we have renamed the annual award for the best article published in JEPS as the “Rebecca Morton Best Article in JEPS Award.” We deeply miss Becky and mourn her loss.
  3. Amanda Jadidi d’Urso on how to reshape data from conjoint experiments using R

  4. Vin Arceneaux on registered reports in the Journal of Experimental Political Science.

  5. Kentaro Fukumoto on result blind review at the Japanese Journal of Political Science.

  6. Lessons Learned the Hard Way: The only thing you are guaranteed to learn is a new way experiments can go wrong

To submit content for future issues of the newsletter or for any questions or suggestions, email the Newsletter editor, Reuben Kline, at reuben.kline@stonybrook.edu.

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