Professor Patricia Moy has been selected as co-editor of Public Opinion Quarterly, a prestigious theoretical and methodological journal at the intersection of several disciplines. Moy’s term begins Jan. 1, 2013. The other co-editor is Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey.

Public Opinion Quarterly is a top-ranked journal that publishes key theoretical contributions to opinion and communication research, analyses of current public opinion, and investigations of methodological issues involved in survey research.

Moy has been involved with the journal since 2001, when she first began as a commissioner of reviews of recently published books in public opinion and survey methodology. From 2006 to 2008 she served as book review editor and associate editor for POQ. Moy said she is looking forward to transitioning to her newest assignment as co-editor.

“Serving as an editor of a top-tier interdisciplinary journal means I get to see the best work across the social sciences. Authors from communication, political science, sociology, and psychology — not to mention those from government, the commercial and non-profit sectors — submit state-of-the-art research to POQ,” she said. “It’s exciting to read about research outside your immediate area of expertise, and it’s exciting to publish those manuscripts that you anticipate will have an impact.”

Working alongside Smith, Moy will be juggling various aspects of the journal. “The intellectual content itself, work with the authors and reviewers, production — and ensure that things are running smoothly,” she said.

Moy’s work with the Public Opinion Quarterly is sure to bring increased prestige to the Department and the University of Washington. “When people look at the inside cover, they see the intellectual and institutional structures of the flagship journal in public opinion,” she said. “The Department already is well-regarded for its political communication faculty. Having POQ here is yet another sign of that strength.”

Scott Keeter, president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, noted, “POQ has established itself as a premier social science journal, occupying a unique niche in the world of scholarly publishing.” As AAPOR’s flagship journal, POQ enjoys a very high impact factor that places it 4/67 in Communication, 7/139 in Political Science, and 7/83 in the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.