Discussion: View Thread

Special Issue Call for Papers for Work, Aging and Retirement:
"Successful Aging at Work: Methodological and Empirical Advancements"

SPECIAL ISSUE GUEST CO-EDITORS:

• Hannes Zacher – Queensland University of Technology
• Dorien Kooij – Tilburg University
• Margaret Beier – Rice University

SCOPE OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE

In the context of an aging workforce and the need to extend and improve older employees' working lives, the concept of successful aging at work has attracted much interest from researchers and practitioners in various disciplines. Rooted in the lifespan literature and closely linked to developmental concepts such as multidirectionality and plasticity, successful aging at work broadly refers to the attainment or maintenance of positive outcomes with increasing age. These outcomes may include individual characteristics such as physical and cognitive abilities, emotional competencies, and personality, as well as work outcomes such as work motivation, performance, job attitudes, and occupational health and well-being. However, despite a growing need for evidence-based practice, rigorous empirical examinations of successful aging at work are rare. Most research in this area is based on cross-sectional research designs that cannot capture dynamic changes over time or control for important confounding variables. In contrast, experimental, experience sampling, qualitative, and longitudinal research designs are hardly utilized to investigate successful aging at work.   

The purpose of this special issue is to advance knowledge of successful aging at work through innovative methodological and empirical contributions. These contributions can be based on previous theoretical work (deductive) or inform theorizing (inductive). The submission of studies with high statistical power is encouraged and null findings will be considered with adequate statistical power and appropriate study design. Suitable manuscripts may focus on methodological, empirical, and analytical issues including but not limited to:

• Methodological advancements and analytical techniques to investigate successful aging at work.  
• Sophisticated empirical work that goes beyond cross-sectional designs (e.g., experiments, experience sampling, qualitative studies, and longitudinal research).
• Scientific evaluation of interventions to improve successful aging at work.
• Empirical studies examining the process of successful aging at work (e.g., age-related mediators) and boundary conditions.
• Empirical studies examining antecedents of successful aging at work, including the active role of employees themselves.
• Empirical studies examining how contextual factors within the organization (e.g., organizational climate) and those outside work (e.g., cultural retirement norms, family demands) influence successful aging at work.

For more information on Work, Aging and Retirement please visit:http://workar.oxfordjournals.org/

TIMELINE AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

March 31, 2016                      Initial manuscript proposals due
May 31, 2016                          Proposals evaluated, invitations for full manuscript submission sent to authors
December 31, 2016                Full manuscript submission deadline

PROPOSAL PROCESS

Manuscript Proposals

Interested authors should submit a short proposal (1000 words maximum) that describes the paper they intend to write. Proposals are due by March 31, 2016. Proposals will be reviewed by the co-editors and evaluated using the following criteria: (a) responsiveness to the call, (b) degree of potential to enhance our understanding of successful aging at work, (c) scientific merit, (d) likelihood of successful completion within timeline, (e) fit with other submissions, and (f) applicability to journal mission.

Please submit manuscript proposals directly at the following link: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/workar 

In the cover letter, please indicate that it is a proposal submitted to the special issue on Successful Aging at Work.

Full Manuscripts

Full manuscripts will be limited to 60 standard manuscript pages (including all figures, tables, and references; authors can ask for editorial approval of a longer paper if commensurate to its contribution) and will be due by December 31, 2016. Manuscripts will undergo a regular double-blind peer-review process.

All full-manuscript submissions should be prepared in accordance with Work, Aging and Retirement's author guidelines and be submitted through the journal's submission portal. Contributors should indicate in their cover letter that they would like to have the paper considered for the Special Issue on Successful Aging at Work.