Frontiers in Psychology#Controversy

The journal is abstracted and indexed in Current Contents/Social & Behavioral Sciences,{{cite web |url=http://mjl.clarivate.com/ |title=Master Journal List |publisher=Clarivate Analytics |work=Intellectual Property & Science |access-date=2018-04-07}} EBSCO databases, PsycINFO,{{cite web |url=http://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/coverage.aspx |publisher=American Psychological Association |title=PsycINFO Journal Coverage |access-date=2018-04-07}} and Scopus.{{cite web |url=https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21100216571 |title=Source details: Frontiers in Psychology |publisher=Elsevier |work=Scopus preview |access-date=2018-04-07}}

The journal has a 2022 impact factor of 3.8.{{cite book |title=2022 Journal Citation Reports |title-link=Journal Citation Reports |publisher=Clarivate |year=2023 |edition=Social Sciences |series=Web of Science |chapter=Frontiers in Psychology}} Since 2016, the journal has a score of 2 in the Norwegian Scientific Index,{{cite web |url=https://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/KanalTidsskriftInfo.action?id=477519&bibsys=false |publisher=Norwegian Scientific Index |title=Frontiers in Psychology |access-date=2019-12-04}} which "covers the most prestigious and rigorous channels".{{cite web |url=https://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/VedtakNiva2 |publisher=Norwegian Scientific Index |title=Vedtak av endringer på nivå 2 gyldig fra 2019 |access-date=2019-12-04}}{{cite web |url=https://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/support/research/publication/after-publication/cristin/channels-levels/ |publisher=University of Oslo |title=Publication channels, levels and credits |access-date=2019-12-04}} However, this listing was revised in 2023 to the X list which marks publication channels where there is doubt as to whether they should be approved or not and which The National Board of Scholarly Publishing and The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills wants feedback from the research community.{{Cite web|url=https://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/KanalTidsskriftInfo.action?id=477519|title=Tidsskrift info | Kanalregisteret|website=kanalregister.hkdir.no}}

In February 2013, Frontiers in Psychology published a study by Stephan Lewandowsky and co-authors which analysed the conspiracy theories offered by the climate blog readers who responded to his 2012 paper about public opinion on climate change.{{Cite journal |last1=Lewandowsky |first1=Stephan |last2=Cook |first2=John |last3=Oberauer |first3=Klaus |last4=Marriott |first4=Michael |date=2013 |title=Recursive fury: Conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=4 |page=73 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00073 |pmid=23508808 |pmc=3600613 |issn=1664-1078 |doi-access=free }}{{Retracted|doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00293|pmid=24683402|http://retractionwatch.com/2014/03/21/controversial-paper-linking-conspiracy-ideation-to-climate-change-skepticism-formally-retracted/ Retraction Watch|http://retractionwatch.com/2014/04/04/journal-that-retracted-conspiracy-ideation-climate-skepticism-paper-says-it-did-not-cave-into-threats/ Retraction Watch|http://retractionwatch.com/2014/04/06/co-author-of-retracted-conspiracy-ideation-climate-skepticism-paper-addresses-apparent-contradictions/ Retraction Watch|http://retractionwatch.com/2015/07/08/recursive-recursiveness-retracted-lewandowsky-et-al-conspiracy-ideation-study-republished/ Retraction Watch|intentional=yes}} In March 2014, Frontiers retracted the study, indicating that while they "did not identify any issues with the academic and ethical aspects of the study" they believed that "the legal context is insufficiently clear".{{Cite journal |last=Frontiers in Psychology Editorial Office |date=2014 |title=Retraction: Recursive fury: conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=5 |page=293 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00293 |pmid=24683402 |pmc=3967708 |issn=1664-1078 |doi-access=free }} DeSmogBlog said that the main legal concern was whether it was potentially defamatory for the paper to link climate change denialism to conspiracy theorists. There were public concerns about the "chilling effect" of the decision on research.{{cite news |last=Hannam |first=Peter |title='Conspiracist' climate change study withdrawn amid legal threats |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2 April 2014 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/conspiracist-climate-change-study-withdrawn-amid-legal-threats-20140401-35xao.html |access-date=27 July 2015}}{{cite news |last=Osborne |first=Hannah |title=Study Linking Climate Sceptics and Conspiracy Theorists Pulled on Legal Threats |newspaper=International Business Times |date=2 April 2014 |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/climate-sceptics-conspiracy-theorists-link-study-pulled-legal-threats-1443026 |access-date=2015-07-27}} On 4 April 2014, Frontiers said they retracted the 2013 Lewandowsky article because the authors did not sufficiently protect the rights of people analyzed and named in the article: "Specifically, the article categorizes the behaviour of identifiable individuals within the context of psychopathological characteristics."{{cite web |url=http://www.frontiersin.org/blog/Retraction_of_Recursive_Fury_A_Statement/812 |title=Retraction of Recursive Fury: A Statement |work=Frontiers in Psychology | date=4 April 2014 |access-date=2014-04-05 |author=Zucca, Constanza}} An Ars Technica article discussed the controversy, including "apparent contradictions" between Frontiers' March 2014 retraction and their April 2014 statement.{{cite web |last=Timmer |first=John |title=Legal or privacy problems? Journal changes its tune on climate paper |website= Ars Technica |date=2014-04-08 |url= https://arstechnica.com/science/2014/04/legal-or-privacy-problems-journal-changes-its-tune-on-climate-paper/ |access-date=2015-07-27}}

Due in part to this incident, Frontiers Media was included in Jeffrey Beall's list of "potential, possible, or probable predatory publishers" before Beall decided to shut down his website,{{cite web |url=https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/ |title=LIST OF PUBLISHERS |date=2012-01-15 |website=Scholarly Open Access |last1=Beall |first1=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Beall |access-date=2016-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222020349/https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/ |archive-date=2016-12-22 }} though both the Committee on Publication Ethics and the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association have stated that they have no concerns with Frontiers' membership of their organizations.{{cite web |url=http://publicationethics.org/news/cope-statement-frontiers/ |title=COPE statement on Frontiers |author= |website=Committee on Publication Ethics |date=2015-11-12}}{{cite web |url=http://oaspa.org/frontiers-membership-of-oaspa/ |title=Frontiers membership of OASPA | first= Claire | last= Redhead |website= oaspa.org| publisher= Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association |date=2015-12-24}}

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{{commons category|Media from Frontiers in Psychology}}

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Category:Psychology journals

Category:English-language journals

Category:Academic journals established in 2010

Category:Creative Commons Attribution-licensed journals

Category:Frontiers Media academic journals