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Archives of Sexual Behavior
DisciplineClinical psychiatry
LanguageEnglish
Edited byKenneth Zucker
Publication details
History1971–present
Publisher
FrequencyBimonthly
Hybrid
2.9 (2023)
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4Arch. Sex. Behav.
Indexing
CODENASXBA
ISSN0004-0002 (print)
1573-2800 (web)
LCCN71648996
OCLC no.1183760
Links

The Archives of Sexual Behavior is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal in sexology. It is the official publication of the International Academy of Sex Research.

History

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The journal was established in 1971 by Richard Green, who served as its editor-in-chief until 2001.[1] He was succeeded by Kenneth J. Zucker.[1] It is published by Springer Science+Business Media.[2] In 2009, it was described as a "leading journal of sexual research" in a New York Times article.[3]

Abstracting and indexing

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The journal is abstracted and indexed in Biological Abstracts, Current Contents/Social & Behavioral Sciences, EMBASE, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Health and Safety Science Abstracts, Index Medicus/MEDLINE, Psychological Abstracts, PsycINFO, Referativny Zhurnal, Risk Abstracts, Sage Family Studies Abstracts, Scopus, Sexual and Relations Therapy, Social Sciences Citation Index, Social Science Index, Sociological Abstracts, Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts, and Violence and Abuse Abstracts.[2] According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal's 2023 impact factor is 2.9.[4]

Controversies

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Attempted retraction of conversion therapy paper

[edit]
Main article: Robert Spitzer (psychiatrist) § On homosexuality

In 2003, a paper by Robert Spitzer was published outside "the usual peer-review process".[5][6] This was based on 200 self-selected phone interviews,[7] including some with members of the ex-gay movement who self-reported that conversion therapy (a.k.a. "reparative therapy") changed their sexual orientation.[8][5] The paper concluded: "There is evidence that change in sexual orientation following some form of reparative therapy does occur in some gay men and lesbians."[7][9] Before publication, the paper was presented at a psychiatry conference in 2001,[5] after which it "generated enormous public attention and controversy".[7] The journal published the paper alongside critical commentaries, including one saying conversion therapy violates ethics as defined by the Nuremberg Code.[5] Spitzer's paper became cited by political activists opposed to homosexuality, and the ex-gay movement.[7][6][5] Spitzer later agreed with critics of his paper's methodology, calling them "largely correct".[5][8] In 2012, he asked the journal's editor (Kenneth Zucker) to retract it.[5][8][10] Zucker declined to retract the paper.[8][10] A letter to the editor by Spitzer later appeared in the journal on the matter.[11][7][9]

Accusations of editorial bias and subsequent boycott

[edit]

In March, 2023, the Archives of Sexual Behavior published a paper on rapid-onset gender dysphoria, authored by J. Michael Bailey and Suzanna Diaz, which has been described as "methodologically flawed" by the Southern Poverty Law Centre.[12]

Researchers and LGBTQ organizations wrote an open letter to Springer Nature, the publisher, charging that the paper lacked institutional review board (IRB) approval and replicates "the severe methodological and interpretive flaws of previous research".[13][14] The letter also stated the journal had a history of publishing questionable research under Zucker and signatories pledged to boycott the journal until Zucker was "replaced with an editor who has a demonstrated record of integrity on LGBTQ+ matters, and, especially, trans matters."[14] The press officer of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, which signed the letter, stated that "[a]rticles published in the journal during Dr. Zucker's editorship have repeatedly drawn criticism from the sections of the LGBTQ+ community about which the article claims to advance sexological knowledge".[14]

On May 10, a Publisher's Note was added to the article noting that concerns had been raised about its methodology. A spokesperson for Springer Nature said the paper's supplementary information "has been removed and a note added to record that this has been removed due to a lack of documented consent by study participants".[14] The same month, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism launched a counter-petition calling for Zucker to be kept and the article not be retracted, with signatories from the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, Genspect, the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association, and the American College of Pediatricians.[14][12] The paper was retracted by Springer in June 2023 due to the lack of IRB approval.[15][12]

References

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Archives of Sexual Behavior

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Archives of Sexual Behavior is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to empirical research on human sexual behavior, gender, and sexuality, founded in 1971 by Richard Green, who served as its editor-in-chief until 2001.[1][2] Currently edited by Kenneth J. Zucker, it is published bimonthly by Springer and functions as the official organ of the International Academy of Sex Research.[1][3] The journal encompasses quantitative and qualitative empirical studies, theoretical reviews, essays, clinical case reports, and letters to the editor, drawing from fields such as psychology, biology, sociology, and anthropology to examine topics including sexual orientation, gender development, alternative sexualities, and paraphilias.[4][3] Its scope prioritizes data-driven investigations over unsubstantiated assertions, contributing to sexology by disseminating findings that often test causal mechanisms underlying sexual phenomena.[5] With an impact factor of 2.9 as of 2024 and a history of substantial growth—handling 706 submissions in 2020 alone—it ranks among established outlets for behavioral science, having expanded from modest origins to over 4,100 published entries.[3][2][6] Defining characteristics include a commitment to methodological rigor amid a field prone to ideological influences, as evidenced by internal critiques of how excessive emphasis on linguistic sensitivity can impede inquiry into politically sensitive questions.[5] The journal has faced notable controversies, including attempted retractions of papers on conversion therapy efficacy and rapid-onset gender dysphoria, where empirical conclusions clashed with activist demands, illustrating broader tensions between evidence-based scholarship and institutional pressures favoring conformity over causal analysis.[2][7] These episodes highlight its role in sustaining truth-oriented discourse in an academic environment where left-leaning biases in sexology research institutions can skew source selection and interpretation toward non-empirical priors.[5]

Journal Fundamentals

Aims, Scope, and Editorial Mission

Archives of Sexual Behavior serves as the official publication of the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR), dedicated to disseminating scientific research on sex, gender, and sexuality across diverse disciplines such as anthropology, biology, history, law, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and sociology.[4][8] The journal's scope encompasses quantitative and qualitative empirical studies, theoretical reviews, essays, clinical case reports, and letters to the editor, addressing topical areas including abuse, coercion, and consent; alternative sexualities; cross-cultural studies; gender development and diversity; mating psychology; paraphilias; sexual orientation; sexual dysfunctions; and sexually transmitted infections.[4] The editorial mission emphasizes rigorous, data-driven scholarship to advance empirical understanding of sexual behavior, prioritizing high-quality submissions that uphold research integrity and ethical standards.[9] Under incoming Editor-in-Chief Michael C. Seto, effective January 1, 2027, the journal commits to fostering open science practices, such as pre-registration, data sharing, and transparent methods reporting, while addressing challenges like questionable research practices and artificial intelligence misuse in submissions.[9] It supports exploration of controversial topics through diverse, evidence-based perspectives, alongside efforts to include early-career scholars and promote inclusivity in authorship and editorial processes, though academic fields like sexology exhibit systemic biases that may influence topic selection and framing.[9] This mission aligns with IASR's broader objective to promote the scientific study of sexuality via peer-reviewed publication and annual meetings, ensuring contributions contribute verifiably to knowledge accumulation rather than ideological advocacy.[8]

Publication Format and Accessibility

Archives of Sexual Behavior is published by Springer Nature in both print and electronic formats, with the print ISSN 0004-0002 and electronic ISSN 1573-2800.[3] Articles are accessible online via SpringerLink in HTML and PDF formats, supporting features such as supplementary materials and online-first publication prior to formal issue assignment.[10] The journal appears bimonthly, releasing six issues per volume annually, as evidenced by consistent volume structures on the publisher's platform.[11] Full access to content requires a subscription or institutional access through SpringerLink, with non-subscribers facing paywalls for articles behind subscription barriers.[3] It operates as a hybrid open access journal, allowing authors to opt for immediate open access publication under a Creative Commons license (typically CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) via Springer Open Choice, subject to article processing charges determined post-acceptance; no mandatory page charges apply otherwise.[10] Members of the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR), the journal's sponsoring organization, receive complimentary online access to all content as a membership benefit.[12] Abstracts and select open access articles remain freely available to the public, enhancing partial accessibility without subscription.[3]

Historical Foundations

Founding and Initial Development (1971–1980s)

The Archives of Sexual Behavior was established in 1971 as a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to empirical and theoretical research on human sexual behavior, orientation, and related psychological and biological phenomena.[2] Richard Green, M.D., J.D., a psychiatrist and sexologist at UCLA, served as its founding editor, shaping its initial editorial direction toward rigorous scientific inquiry amid a field often marginalized by societal taboos.[13] The journal's inaugural volume comprised four issues totaling 374 pages, published by Plenum Press in New York, with the first article examining responses to pornography among rapists, pedophiles, homosexuals, transsexuals, and controls.[2] [14] In its early years, the journal faced logistical challenges typical of nascent publications in controversial domains, including limited submissions that delayed Volume 2's release across 1972–1973.[15] Green, drawing from his clinical work—including pioneering transgender surgeries at UCLA—prioritized multidisciplinary contributions from psychology, psychiatry, and biology, establishing the journal as an outlet for data-driven studies rather than ideological advocacy.[16] By the mid-1970s, it solidified ties with the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR), which Green proposed formalizing in 1972 via outreach to the editorial board; the academy adopted the journal as its official organ, enhancing its institutional credibility.[17] Through the 1980s, publication frequency stabilized, reflecting gradual growth in the sexology community's output despite external pressures like funding constraints and ethical debates over human subjects research.[15] Green's editorial tenure emphasized empirical validation over anecdotal reports, fostering advancements in areas such as sexual deviance classification and behavioral interventions, though the journal's scope remained constrained by the era's small pool of specialized researchers.[13] This period laid the groundwork for its reputation as a cornerstone of objective sex research, predating broader institutional influences that later amplified certain interpretive biases in the field.

Ownership Transitions and Expansion (1990s–Present)

In 1998, Plenum Publishing Corporation, the original publisher of Archives of Sexual Behavior since its founding in 1971, was acquired by Wolters Kluwer NV for approximately $258 million, resulting in the journal being published under the Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers imprint.[18][19] This transition integrated the journal into Wolters Kluwer's expanding portfolio of scientific and medical publications, which emphasized consolidation in academic publishing during the late 1990s.[20] In 2004, Springer Science+Business Media was formed through the merger of Springer-Verlag and Kluwer Academic Publishers, transferring ownership of Archives of Sexual Behavior to the new entity, which has continued to publish it from New York under Springer New York.[21] This merger reflected broader industry trends toward scale in scholarly publishing, enabling enhanced distribution and digital infrastructure for journals like Archives of Sexual Behavior.[22] Since then, the journal has remained under Springer's ownership, with no further major ownership changes reported as of 2025. Parallel to these transitions, the journal underwent significant expansion in output and reach. Annual page counts grew from approximately 374 pages in 1971 to 3,088 pages in 2020, an 8.25-fold increase attributable to rising submission volumes and broader empirical interest in sexology.[2] New submissions reached 706 in 2020 alone, reflecting expanded editorial capacity post-2004 under Springer, which facilitated online accessibility and indexing improvements.[2] Publication frequency increased to eight issues per year by 2013, up from earlier quarterly or bimonthly schedules, supporting greater throughput of peer-reviewed research on sexual behavior, gender, and related topics.[23] These developments coincided with digital migration, enhancing global dissemination while maintaining the journal's affiliation with the International Academy of Sex Research.[3]

Editorial Governance

Succession of Editors-in-Chief

Richard Green served as the founding Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Sexual Behavior from its inception in 1971 until 2001, establishing the journal as a primary outlet for empirical research in sexology.[1][24] Kenneth J. Zucker succeeded Green in 2002, leading the journal through a period of expanded submissions—from 80 new manuscripts annually at the start of his tenure to over 1,000 by 2017—and increased publication volume, reflecting growth in the field's research output.[2][25] In 2025, Michael C. Seto was appointed as the incoming Editor-in-Chief, with Zucker continuing until the end of a planned transition period on December 31, 2026, after which Seto's term officially begins on January 1, 2027; this handover aims to maintain continuity while introducing Seto's vision for advancing rigorous, data-driven inquiry into sexual behavior.[9] The succession has been characterized by appointments aligned with the journal's affiliation to the International Academy of Sex Research, prioritizing expertise in clinical and empirical sexology without interruption in editorial leadership.[2]
Editor-in-ChiefTerm
Richard Green1971–2001
Kenneth J. Zucker2002–2026
Michael C. Seto2027–present

Role of the International Academy of Sex Research

The International Academy of Sex Research (IASR), founded in 1975, adopted Archives of Sexual Behavior as its official journal in 1985, establishing a formal sponsorship that aligns the publication with the society's mandate to advance rigorous, empirical scholarship on human sexuality.[26] This affiliation positions IASR as the overseeing body responsible for promoting the journal's role in disseminating high-quality, interdisciplinary research, distinct from more advocacy-oriented sexology outlets. Membership benefits include subscription access to Archives of Sexual Behavior, ensuring that IASR's approximately 300 fellows and members—elected based on peer-recognized contributions—form a core readership and contributor base.[8][3] In terms of editorial governance, IASR exerts influence by endorsing the journal's commitment to methodological soundness and causal inference in studies of sexual behavior, gender differences, and related phenomena, countering tendencies toward unsubstantiated theoretical claims prevalent in some academic circles. While publisher Springer handles operational aspects such as peer review logistics, IASR's designation of the journal implies advisory input on maintaining scientific standards, as evidenced by announcements of editor-in-chief transitions that reference the society's imprimatur.[9] For instance, incoming editor Michael C. Seto, appointed effective 2025, emphasized priorities like research integrity and open science in alignment with IASR's foundational goals of empirical prioritization over ideological conformity.[27] IASR fellows frequently participate as associate editors or reviewers, leveraging their expertise to uphold replicability and data-driven conclusions.[1] This sponsorship enhances the journal's credibility within specialized networks, as IASR's election criteria—requiring demonstrated excellence in sex research—filter for contributors less prone to systemic biases observed in broader academia, such as overreliance on self-reported surveys without biological validation. Historical records indicate that IASR's adoption of the journal in 1985 followed its founding editor Richard Green's involvement in both entities, reinforcing a continuity of focus on verifiable sexual science amid evolving field dynamics.[17]

Academic Metrics and Indexing

Abstracting and Citation Databases

Archives of Sexual Behavior is abstracted and indexed in numerous databases, enhancing its visibility in academic searches and supporting citation analysis for scholarly impact assessment.[3] Key citation databases include Scopus, the Social Science Citation Index (part of Web of Science), and PsycINFO, which track publications for metrics such as the SCImago Journal Rank and Journal Impact Factor.[3] These inclusions reflect the journal's established role in behavioral and social sciences literature on sexuality.[3] The journal is also covered in biomedical and psychological abstracting services like MEDLINE (via PubMed), Biological Abstracts, and PsycINFO, allowing researchers in clinical, developmental, and health-related fields to access its content.[3] Additional indexing in EBSCO, ProQuest, and Dimensions provides broad multidisciplinary coverage, while services such as Google Scholar enable open web-based discovery and citation counting.[3]
Database CategoryExamples
Citation and Impact MetricsScopus, Social Science Citation Index, Dimensions[3]
Biomedical and Life SciencesMEDLINE, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS[3]
Psychology and Social SciencesPsycINFO, Psyndex, Current Contents/Social & Behavioral Sciences[3]
General and MultidisciplinaryEBSCO, ProQuest, Google Scholar, OCLC WorldCat Discovery Service[3]
Archival services like CLOCKSS and Portico ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of its articles.[3] International coverage extends to databases such as CNKI, Wanfang, and ERIH PLUS, supporting global scholarly dissemination.[3] This extensive indexing underscores the journal's integration into major academic infrastructures since its inception, though coverage dates vary by service (e.g., Scopus indexing began in 1975).[3]

Impact Factors, Rankings, and Influence Metrics

The Archives of Sexual Behavior recorded a Journal Impact Factor of 2.9 in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports (reflecting citations in 2023 to articles published in 2021–2022), positioning it as a mid-tier journal in social sciences interdisciplinary categories.[3] [28] The five-year impact factor, which averages citations over a longer window, was 3.9 for the same period, indicating sustained but not exceptional citation influence relative to broader psychology and multidisciplinary outlets.[3] Historical trends show variability, with the impact factor peaking at 4.891 in 2021 before declining to 3.8 in 2022 and stabilizing at 2.9 in 2023.[28] In Scopus-based metrics from SCImago, the journal's 2024 SJR score of 1.051 places it in the Q1 quartile across categories such as Psychology (miscellaneous) and Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, with an overall global ranking of 4447 among approximately 28,000 journals.[29] [30] The h-index stands at 140, signifying that 140 articles have each garnered at least 140 citations, a metric reflecting accumulated scholarly impact since the journal's inception in 1971.[29] In Google Scholar Metrics for the Sex & Sexuality category, it leads with an h5-index of 64 (articles with at least 64 citations in the past five years) and an h5-median of 98.[31] Article downloads totaled 2.7 million in 2024, underscoring readership engagement beyond formal citations, though this metric correlates imperfectly with academic influence due to factors like open-access trends and public interest in sexual behavior topics.[3] Overall, these indicators affirm the journal's niche prominence in sexology—bolstered by its affiliation with the International Academy of Sex Research—but highlight limitations in broader interdisciplinary penetration compared to higher-impact psychology journals.[3]

Research Contributions

Core Areas of Inquiry

Archives of Sexual Behavior emphasizes empirical research, both quantitative and qualitative, alongside theoretical reviews, clinical case reports, and essays on sex, gender, and sexuality.[4] Contributions draw from disciplines including anthropology, biology, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and sociology to examine biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of human sexual behavior.[4] The journal's scope prioritizes causal mechanisms, developmental processes, and health implications over purely descriptive or ideological analyses, reflecting a commitment to scientific rigor in sexology.[4] Central inquiries revolve around sexual orientation and identity, investigating genetic, hormonal, and experiential factors influencing attraction patterns, stability across the lifespan, and associated mental health outcomes.[4][6] Research in this domain often employs psychophysiological measures, longitudinal surveys, and twin studies to discern innate versus learned components, with findings challenging simplistic environmental determinism.[32] Another key focus is sexual dysfunctions and therapy, encompassing erectile disorders, arousal difficulties, and orgasmic challenges, typically analyzed through clinical trials, hormone assays, and relationship dynamics data.[4] Studies highlight physiological underpinnings, such as vascular or neurological deficits, and evaluate interventions like pharmacotherapy or behavioral conditioning, prioritizing evidence-based efficacy over anecdotal reports.[4][29] Paraphilias and atypical sexual interests form a recurrent area, detailing deviant arousal patterns via laboratory assessments of genital responses and self-reports, while distinguishing criminal acts from consensual variants.[4] Empirical work critiques overpathologization, using taxonomic refinements and comorbidity analyses to inform forensic and therapeutic applications.[4] Evolutionary and mating psychology inquiries apply comparative zoology and cross-cultural data to model mate selection, jealousy triggers, and reproductive strategies, often integrating endocrinological and neuroimaging evidence for sex differences in desire and commitment.[4][6] Public health themes address risk-taking, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and consent dynamics, drawing on epidemiological models and behavioral experiments to quantify transmission risks and intervention impacts, with attention to demographic disparities.[4][29] Gender development and diversity explorations cover prenatal influences, pubertal shifts, and sociocultural modulations of identity and expression, employing twin registries and cohort studies to parse biological sex from constructed roles.[4] Additional areas include media effects on arousal, psychobiological responses to stimuli, and stigma's role in relational satisfaction, all grounded in replicable metrics rather than survey biases alone.[4][32] This multidisciplinary integration underscores the journal's role in bridging siloed fields for holistic causal insights into sexuality.[4]

Notable Empirical Findings and Methodological Advances

The journal has published seminal twin studies demonstrating substantial genetic influences on sexual orientation. In a 1991 study of 56 homosexual male probands, monozygotic twins showed a 52% concordance rate for homosexuality, compared to 22% for dizygotic twins and 11% for adoptive brothers, indicating heritability estimates around 30-50% after accounting for ascertainment bias.[33] A contemporaneous study of 61 twin pairs reported 65.8% concordance among monozygotic twins (38 male and 4 female pairs), further supporting familial aggregation beyond shared environment.[34] These findings, replicated in larger samples, underscore the role of biological factors in sexual orientation stability, challenging purely environmental explanations.[35] Empirical work in the journal has advanced understanding of sex differences in sexual arousal patterns. Multiple studies using physiological measures like penile plethysmography and vaginal photoplethysmography revealed that men's genital responses are category-specific (arousing primarily to preferred-sex stimuli), while women's show non-specific patterns, responding to both preferred and non-preferred sexes, though subjective arousal remains category-specific. This discrepancy, observed across lab experiments with over 100 participants per study, suggests evolutionary adaptations for opportunistic mating in females, with preparation hypothesis testing confirming rapid genital vasocongestion independent of subjective intent.[36] On paraphilic interests, research has quantified prevalence and predictors in general populations. A 2024 study using moderated logistic regression on survey data found hypersexuality and deviant fantasies significantly predicted self-reported propensity for behaviors like exhibitionism, with effect sizes indicating 10-20% variance explained, emphasizing motivational pathways over mere opportunity.[37] Similarly, scale development efforts validated tools like the Attitudes Toward Men Who Pay for Sex measure, correlating scores with moral judgments and relationship satisfaction in samples exceeding 500 respondents.[38] Methodologically, the journal pioneered formats enhancing rigor, such as Target Article Series with invited commentaries, as in the 2016 analysis of gender dysphoria etiologies, which integrated cross-disciplinary critiques to refine causal models.[39] Advances in self-report validation addressed underreporting biases in sexual risk behavior via event-level diaries and physiological corroboration, improving accuracy estimates to within 10-15% for condom use and partner counts in high-risk groups.[40] Recent calls for special issues promote novel classifications of STI risk using machine learning on behavioral data, aiming to surpass traditional categorical approaches.[41] Brief Reports format enables rapid dissemination of timely data, such as discordant twin arousal profiles confirming non-shared environmental influences via genital response discordance rates near 100%.[42]

Controversies

Disputes Over Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Research

In 2003, Archives of Sexual Behavior published Robert L. Spitzer's study, "Can Some Gay Men and Lesbians Change Their Sexual Orientation? 200 Participants Reporting a Change from Homosexual to Heterosexual Orientation," which reported self-reported changes in sexual orientation among 200 individuals who underwent reparative therapy, with 66% of men and 44% of women claiming substantial shifts toward heterosexual attraction and behavior. The paper drew immediate criticism for relying on unverifiable self-reports from motivated respondents recruited through ex-gay organizations, lacking objective physiological measures, and potential selection bias favoring positive outcomes.[43] Proponents of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) cited it as evidence against claims of fixed immutability, while opponents, including the American Psychological Association, argued it exemplified methodological flaws in SOCE research, such as absence of control groups and long-term follow-up.[44] Spitzer recanted the findings in a 2012 letter to the editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior, stating that upon re-examination prompted by Gabriel Arana's American Prospect article, he concluded the interviews did not prove genuine behavioral change, as participants might have overstated heterosexual functioning to align with religious beliefs, and no independent verification was possible.[45] He expressed regret for the study's influence on policy debates, noting its reliance on subjective recall introduced recall bias.[46] Advocacy groups demanded retraction, arguing the paper perpetuated pseudoscience amid growing bans on SOCE for minors.[43] However, then-editor Kenneth J. Zucker declined, affirming the journal's commitment to publishing empirical data despite flaws, and appended Spitzer's letter to the original article to contextualize the self-critique without altering the historical record.[47] This decision highlighted tensions between scientific openness to null or dissenting findings and pressures to align with institutional consensus on SOCE inefficacy, as articulated in APA's 2009 task force report, which reviewed 83 studies but excluded rigorous physiological evidence due to ethical constraints on experimentation. More recently, Archives of Sexual Behavior published D. Paul Sullins' 2022 analysis, "Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Do Not Increase Suicide: Correcting a False Research Narrative," using data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n=20,531), which found no causal link between SOCE exposure and elevated suicidality; instead, suicidality preceded SOCE in 70% of cases (adjusted odds ratio 0.85 for post-SOCE ideation). Sullins critiqued prior studies, such as Blosnich et al. (2020), for reverse-causation errors—attributing pre-existing distress to SOCE—and argued that self-reports of harm conflate correlation with causation absent randomized controls. Critics, including John R. Blosnich and colleagues in a 2023 commentary, contested the findings as methodologically flawed, claiming Sullins' propensity score matching inadequately addressed confounders like religious motivation or comorbid mental health, and accused the analysis of minimizing SOCE risks despite APA endorsements of harm based on qualitative reports.[48] The journal facilitated an exchange by publishing responses, including Sullins' rebuttal affirming that critiques reinforced the original null findings on harm after sensitivity tests, with no evidence of increased behavioral outcomes like attempts post-SOCE. This episode underscored ongoing disputes: SOCE skeptics, often aligned with professional bodies like the APA, view such publications as enabling discredited practices amid 20+ U.S. state bans by 2022, while defenders highlight empirical gaps in harm claims—e.g., no large-scale, prospective studies isolating SOCE causality—and note selection effects in anti-SOCE samples drawn from distressed populations.[44] Archives of Sexual Behavior's editorial policy under J. Michael Bailey, emphasizing data over consensus, has positioned it as a venue for heterodox SOCE research, attracting accusations of ideological bias from mainstream outlets but praise from researchers prioritizing causal inference over correlational associations. Empirical reviews, such as Serovich et al. (2008), report 13-22% full change rates in small SOCE samples, though without controls, underscoring the field's reliance on observational data amid ethical barriers to experimentation.[49]

Accusations of Bias in Gender Dysphoria Publications

In March 2023, Archives of Sexual Behavior published the article "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1655 Possible Cases" by J. Michael Bailey and Suzanna Diaz, which analyzed survey data from parents reporting sudden onset of gender dysphoria in adolescents, often linked to social influences such as peer groups and online communities.[50] The paper suggested patterns inconsistent with traditional models of gender dysphoria, including higher rates of comorbid mental health issues and parental concerns over inadequate assessment before medical interventions.[50] The publication prompted accusations of editorial bias from over 100 researchers, clinicians, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, who signed an open letter to publisher Springer Nature asserting that the journal, under Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Zucker, systematically favored research pathologizing transgender identities and undermining gender-affirming care.[51] Critics highlighted methodological limitations, including recruitment from a parent support website skeptical of youth transitions (ParentsofROGDkids.com), potential selection bias in self-selected respondents, absence of direct youth input, and lack of institutional review board (IRB) oversight for the survey, claiming these flaws amplified stigmatizing narratives without robust evidence.[52] The letter demanded the paper's retraction, Zucker's removal—citing his prior role in a clinic emphasizing desistance over affirmation—and reforms to prevent "harmful" publications.[51] [52] Zucker defended the decision, stating the paper underwent peer review with required revisions to address limitations, and that exploratory survey research on parental perspectives warranted inclusion given rising adolescent referrals for gender dysphoria.[52] Co-author Bailey argued the study's disclosures mitigated bias concerns and that ethical issues were overstated, as no IRB was mandated for anonymous online surveys of adults.[52] A counter-petition from researchers supporting Zucker emphasized the need for diverse inquiry into potential social contagion factors, accusing detractors of ideological suppression.[7] In May 2023, Springer removed supplementary data citing privacy and consent ambiguities, followed by full retraction in June 2023 due to noncompliance with journal policies on informed consent, as participants had not explicitly agreed to data publication in peer-reviewed literature.[53] The authors contested the retraction, maintaining the data's validity and republishing an updated version elsewhere after independent review.[54] This episode fueled broader claims of institutional bias, with some observers arguing the journal's openness to non-affirmative findings reflected empirical caution amid desistance data from earlier studies (e.g., 60-90% resolution rates in pre-pubertal cases without intervention), while critics viewed it as perpetuating outdated, non-consensus views in a field shifting toward affirmation.[55] No formal removal of Zucker occurred, though the incident underscored tensions between methodological pluralism and advocacy-driven standards in gender dysphoria research.[52]

Editorial Responses and Institutional Defenses

In response to accusations of bias in its publications on gender dysphoria, Editor-in-Chief Kenneth J. Zucker defended the journal's decisions to publish empirically grounded research challenging dominant narratives, such as a March 2023 article reporting parent observations of rapid-onset gender dysphoria in adolescents. Zucker contended that activist demands for retraction prioritized ideological conformity over scientific scrutiny, stating that such pressures undermined the journal's role in advancing knowledge on contentious issues like sex differences and dysphoria persistence rates. He highlighted the paper's adherence to standard survey methods and argued that post-publication criticisms exaggerated methodological flaws while ignoring comparable studies in other fields.[56] Springer Nature, the publisher, retracted the article on June 14, 2023, citing concerns over participant recruitment transparency, potential selection bias in parent reports, and noncompliance with the journal's author license agreement regarding data handling. Critics, including Zucker, viewed the retraction as capitulation to external advocacy rather than a rigorous reevaluation, noting that similar surveys had appeared in high-impact journals without retraction and that the decision bypassed formal peer review of complaints. An open letter dated May 5, 2023, endorsed by over 300 scholars and clinicians, rejected calls to censure the journal or remove Zucker, emphasizing Archives of Sexual Behavior's history of fostering evidence-based debate free from institutional suppression.[53][54][7] On disputes involving sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), the journal maintained a platform for evolving evidence by publishing Robert Spitzer's 2003 study reporting self-reported changes in orientation among 200 participants, followed by Spitzer's 2012 letter retracting his conclusions after reexamining methodological limitations like reliance on subjective recall and lack of objective verification. Zucker, as editor, facilitated this self-correction without editorial interference, underscoring the journal's adherence to data-driven revision over preconceived outcomes. No formal institutional defense was issued against SOCE critics, but the publication record demonstrated openness to both affirmative findings and their empirical refutation, contrasting with broader academic trends toward prohibiting such inquiries.[45][47]

Reception and Ongoing Influence

Scholarly Achievements and Criticisms

The Archives of Sexual Behavior (ASB) has garnered scholarly acclaim for its role in advancing empirical research on human sexuality, maintaining a 2023 impact factor of 2.9 and a five-year impact factor of 3.9, metrics that reflect sustained citation influence within psychology and related fields.[3] Its SCImago Journal Rank stands at 1.051, positioning it in the Q1 quartile for psychology categories, with an h-index of 140 indicating broad and enduring impact across over 50 volumes since its 1971 inception.[29] As the official publication of the International Academy of Sex Research, ASB has prioritized quantitative and qualitative studies, including longitudinal analyses of sexual development and behavioral correlates, contributing to foundational data on topics like sexual reward mechanisms and preference formation.[3] By 2021, the journal had amassed more than 4,100 entries in PubMed, underscoring its archival value in cataloging replicable findings amid evolving sexological paradigms.[2] Methodological innovations featured in ASB include refined approaches to self-report surveys on sensitive behaviors, addressing social desirability biases through validated scales and mixed-methods designs, which have enhanced the reliability of data on sexual orientation and paraphilic interests.[57] The journal's editorial emphasis on interdisciplinary integration—drawing from psychiatry, endocrinology, and evolutionary biology—has yielded syntheses that challenge anecdotal narratives with causal evidence, such as hormone-behavior linkages and developmental trajectories of gender atypicality.[58] These outputs have informed clinical guidelines and public health policies, with high download rates exceeding 2.7 million in 2024 signaling practical utility beyond academia.[3] Criticisms of ASB's scholarly output have primarily arisen from perceptions of editorial conservatism, particularly under editor-in-chief Kenneth J. Zucker since 2000, who has steered publications toward evidence-based scrutiny of unproven therapeutic claims in gender-related domains.[1] Detractors, including advocacy-oriented researchers, have faulted the journal for amplifying studies questioning the efficacy or etiology of certain dysphoria models, as seen in the 2023 rapid-onset gender dysphoria paper that elicited boycott threats from figures aligned with affirmative care paradigms; these responses often conflate methodological dissent with ideological transgression, overlooking peer-reviewed rigor.[52] Such critiques, frequently amplified in activist circles rather than empirical rebuttals, highlight tensions between data-driven inquiry and institutional pressures favoring consensus views, potentially undermining ASB's credibility among bias-prone academic networks while bolstering it among adherents to falsifiability.[9] Additional scholarly reservations include protracted review timelines, averaging over a year in some cases, which may delay timely dissemination despite median submission-to-decision intervals of 60 days.[59]

Recent Developments and Future Outlook

In 2023, Archives of Sexual Behavior published a study by Suzanna Diaz and J. Michael Bailey analyzing parent reports from 1,655 possible cases of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD), proposing social influences as a factor in sudden adolescent-onset gender incongruence, which contrasted with predominant clinical models emphasizing innate identity.[50] The paper, appearing in volume 52, issue 3, faced immediate criticism for relying on self-selected parent surveys from online communities skeptical of youth transitions, leading to its retraction later that year due to concerns over data sourcing and potential bias in respondent recruitment.[60] This episode underscored persistent tensions in gender dysphoria research, where empirical challenges to affirmation-only approaches often encounter resistance, including calls for editorial resignations, despite the study's alignment with patterns observed in desistance literature.[52] The journal's 2024 impact factor remained stable at 2.9, with a 5-year average of 3.9, supporting its role in disseminating peer-reviewed findings on topics like compulsive sexual behavior networks and cross-sectional versus diary assessments of problematic pornography use.[3] Recent volumes have included critiques of gender-affirming models for youth, framing them as potentially iatrogenic rather than therapeutic, based on longitudinal outcome data and comparative treatment analyses.[61] As of February 2026, the journal's latest issue is Volume 55, Issue 1 (January 2026), with articles continuing to appear online ahead of print; examples include "Sex/Gender Beliefs are Strongly Related to Either Right-Wing Authoritarian Conventionalism or Left-Wing Authoritarian Anti-Conventionalism" by Alex Bertrams and Ann Krispenz (February 18, 2026), "Holistic Mapping of Psychosocial Stress Patterns for Personalized Mental Health Solutions Among Sexual Minority Men in China" by Gu Li et al. (February 17, 2026), and "Colobus Monkeys in a Multilevel Society Show Frequent Adult Male Same-Sex Sexual Behavior with High Recurrence and Low Constraint" by Karyn A. Anderson et al. (February 14, 2026). These publications exemplify the journal's ongoing contributions across political psychology, mental health in sexual minorities, and comparative behavioral studies.[3] Prospectively, ASB's trajectory aligns with its 2020 editorial vision under Kenneth J. Zucker, emphasizing methodological innovation, replication studies, and exploration of evolutionary, genetic, and cross-cultural dimensions of sexuality to counter politicized interpretations.[25] As debates intensify over causal mechanisms in sexual orientation fluidity and dysphoria etiology—evidenced by rising youth referrals and desistance rates—the journal may prioritize integrative reviews and experimental designs, potentially amplifying its influence in countering low-quality advocacy research while navigating institutional biases favoring affirmative ideologies.[62] Sustained focus on verifiable outcomes could position ASB as a bulwark for causal realism in sexology, though external funding constraints and activist scrutiny pose risks to publication of heterodox findings.

References

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