- Open access · CC BY 4.0
- Published by Open Access Pub
- Volume 1 began in 2026
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Verbal Behavior publishes basic, applied and conceptual research on verbal behavior and language: how it is learned, maintained and changed.
Aims
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on the acquisition, maintenance and modification of verbal behavior and language, across typical and atypical populations and across the lifespan.
- To advance the concepts, measurement and methods on which the study of verbal behavior depends, including single-case and group research designs.
- To report evidence that informs the assessment of language and the design of language instruction and intervention.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians, educators and students can read and reuse it freely.
The verbal operants
Behavior analysis classifies verbal behavior by the variables that control it. JVB welcomes research on each of these classes and on how they combine in everyday language.
- Mand
- Controlled by a motivating operation and specifying its reinforcer, as in asking for water.
- Tact
- Controlled by a nonverbal stimulus, as in naming an object that is present.
- Echoic
- Repeating what another speaker says, with point-to-point correspondence.
- Intraverbal
- Responding to verbal stimuli without point-to-point correspondence, as in answering a question.
- Textual
- Responding to written words, the behavioral basis of reading.
- Autoclitic
- Verbal behavior that modifies the effect of the speaker's own verbal behavior on the listener.
The list is a starting point. Listener behavior, rule-governed behavior and derived relational responding are equally within scope.
Research areas
What JVB publishes
Research areas include, but are not limited to, the following.
Verbal operants and functional analysis
Mands, tacts, echoics, intraverbals, textual behavior and autoclitics; stimulus control and motivating operations.
Language acquisition and development
Typical and atypical development, bilingual learners and language across the lifespan.
Derived relations and equivalence
Stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory and generative language.
Assessment and intervention
Language assessment and instruction, functional communication training and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Reading and literacy
Textual behavior, comprehension and reading instruction.
Methods, measurement and concepts
Single-case and group designs, measurement, terminology, conceptual analysis and computational approaches.
Contributions from neighboring fields, including speech-language pathology, linguistics, cognitive science, education and developmental science, are welcome when their central question concerns verbal behavior or language. Manuscripts whose central question is not about verbal behavior or language fall outside the scope.
Study designs
Designs and approaches welcomed
JVB considers experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative and mixed-methods research, and conceptual and theoretical analysis.
- Single-case designs
- Reversal, multiple-baseline, multielement and changing-criterion designs, reported as Original Research.
- Group designs
- Randomized and non-randomized comparisons, correlational and survey research, reported as Original Research.
- Replication
- Direct and systematic replications of published findings, reported as Replication Studies.
- Evidence synthesis
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and narrative or critical reviews.
- Measurement
- Development and validation of assessments, coding systems, instruments and computational approaches.
- Conceptual work
- Theoretical analysis, terminology and the philosophy of the science of verbal behavior.
Eligibility
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to verbal behavior or language, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Basic, applied and clinical studies are considered on the same terms.
Assessment and intervention research
Studies of language assessment and intervention are accepted when they report the procedures, measurement and data in enough detail for others to evaluate and replicate them, including procedural fidelity and, where relevant, social validity.
Commentaries and book reviews
Commentaries and Book Reviews are accepted when they make a reasoned argument supported by evidence and cited sources.
Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal's scope.
Formats
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original ResearchEmpirical studies of verbal behavior and language, basic or applied. Single-case experimental and group designs are both Original Research.
- Replication StudyDirect or systematic replications of published findings, with the methods needed to compare results.
- Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSystematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without meta-analysis, including scoping reviews that use systematic methods.
- ReviewNarrative or critical reviews that organize and interpret a body of literature.
- Theoretical or Conceptual ArticleTheory development, conceptual analysis and analysis of terminology.
- Methods and MeasurementNew, adapted or validated methods, measures and assessment procedures, and protocols for planned studies.
- Brief ReportConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding, including a short single-case study.
- CommentaryA reasoned, evidence-based response to published research or to a current question in the field.
- Book ReviewA critical review of a recent book relevant to verbal behavior and language.
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification.
Questions
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when its central question concerns verbal behavior or language, whatever its discipline or setting. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does JVB consider clinical and applied studies?
Yes. Applied and clinical studies, including studies of augmentative and alternative communication, functional communication training and language instruction, are considered on the same terms as basic research.
Does JVB consider single-case studies?
Yes. Single-case experimental designs are submitted as Original Research, or as a Brief Report when the study is short.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JVB. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
For authors
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.