Human Factors (journal)

Human Factors (journal)
Title	Human Factors
Discipline	Human factors, ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, applied psychology
Abbreviation	Hum. Factors
Publisher	SAGE Publications on behalf of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Country	United States
Frequency	Bimonthly
History	1958–present
Impact	3.2
Impact-year	2023
Issn	0018-7208

Human Factors (journal) is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical covering ergonomics and human factors engineering with interdisciplinary links to psychology, cognitive science, industrial engineering, and design engineering. Founded to bridge applied research and operational practice, it publishes empirical studies, theoretical analyses, and applied reviews addressing human performance, human–machine interaction, and system design. The journal serves practitioners and researchers affiliated with organizations such as the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, academic departments at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Defense.

History

The journal originated in the postwar expansion of aviation medicine and industrial psychology in the 1950s, a period marked by technological growth at firms like Bell Labs and laboratories such as the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base research centers. Early contributors included investigators from Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and University of Chicago who worked on human performance in contexts exemplified by the Berlin Airlift and Cold War era space race. The publication has evolved alongside milestones such as the establishment of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and regulatory developments at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Federal Aviation Administration. Editorial stewardship has included scholars with appointments at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, and University College London.

Scope and Aims

The journal emphasizes research on human interaction with technologies found in domains like aviation, health care, transportation, nuclear power, and spaceflight. Typical topics intersect with work at centers such as MIT Media Lab, NASA Ames Research Center, RAND Corporation, and Argonne National Laboratory and address themes present in publications from American Psychological Association members. Aims include improving safety in settings regulated by International Civil Aviation Organization standards, enhancing usability in product lines from firms like Apple Inc. and Boeing, and informing policy at bodies such as the National Transportation Safety Board.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The editorial board draws editors from departments at University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto. Peer review follows standards similar to those of journals endorsed by the Committee on Publication Ethics and scholarly societies such as the Royal Society. Submissions undergo initial editorial triage, double-blind or single-blind review by experts affiliated with institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, University of Washington, and University of California, San Diego, and statistical scrutiny informed by methods taught at London School of Economics and Columbia University.

Publication Information and Indexing

Published bimonthly by SAGE Publications on behalf of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the journal is distributed through academic libraries managed by consortia including OCLC and indexed in databases maintained by organizations like Clarivate Analytics, Elsevier, and ProQuest. Institutional subscribers include university systems such as the California State University network and national libraries like the Library of Congress.

Impact and Reception

Citations and influence appear in reports from agencies such as the World Health Organization, European Union safety directorates, and standards bodies including International Organization for Standardization. The journal has been influential in debates around human error described in analyses by scholars at Harvard University and in policy advisories produced for the National Academy of Sciences. Critical reception has linked its work to case studies of incidents such as Three Mile Island accident, Challenger disaster, and Chernobyl disaster in discussions of human–system interaction.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Noteworthy contributions have come from researchers associated with Bell Labs, MIT, Stanford Research Institute, and University College London, addressing topics like situation awareness, workload measurement, and human reliability. Special issues have focused on fields tied to institutions such as NASA, the FAA, European Space Agency, and the Transportation Research Board, and on themes explored at conferences including the annual meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the International Ergonomics Association congresses.

Abstracting and Indexing Metrics

The journal is abstracted in major services including Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Embase. Impact indicators tracked by entities such as Clarivate Analytics and Scimago report metrics that reflect citations from journals in cognitive neuroscience, applied psychology, and engineering disciplines. Usage statistics are monitored by platforms like CrossRef and indexing by national bibliographies maintained by organizations such as the British Library.

Category:Ergonomics journals Category:Academic journals established in 1958