David Banks, Sharon Lohr, Dan McCaffrey, and Sally Morton

Last November, the ASA launched a new journal, Statistics and Public Policy. This journal does not require methodological novelty, but instead emphasizes the application of good statistical practice to problems of public policy import.

SPP is an open-access electronic journal. Anyone can read and download any of the articles for free. Currently, the cost of publication is being borne by the ASA, but this will change in 2015 when authors will be asked to pay $800 for an article that is eight or fewer pages, $1,000 for an article of nine to 12 pages, and $1,500 for a longer article. (However, the ASA has volunteered to cover the costs for up to 10 articles per year.)

The new journal has published two special issues. One examines possible pediatric cancer clusters in Florida using five methods by five sets of authors. The other studies the use of value-added metrics to assess teachers, drawing upon multiple (statistical) perspectives and models.

The term “special issue” is a bit slippery in the e-publishing world. In this case, it means articles and commentary are posted when there is a critical mass of material on the topic, but later articles and commentary may arrive after the first release and will supplement the first batch. Articles within the same special issue are labeled as belonging to that special issue, and there is an editorial introduction that explains the motivation behind the special issue.

Looking ahead, SPP editors intend for the journal to provide a forum for statistical input to policy decisions and are receptive to discussion papers and constructive debate. The goal is to model the kind of data-driven decisionmaking the ASA believes is our profession’s best contribution to the formulation and practice of public policy.