The intersection of research and practice: Overcoming barriers to conducting research as a practitioner- Applied 2023

Abstract The gap between research and clinical work in the profession of applied behavior analysis (ABA) can often seem vast, but the goals of research and practice are often more aligned than not. Although many behavior analyst practitioners desire to contribute to the literature, they may not know how to do so. In this presentation, we will discuss some of the most common barriers associated with conducting and writing about applied research in practice settings and provide active ways practitioners can overcome those barriers. Some of these barriers include idea conceptualization, scholarly writing, institutional review board access, ethical considerations, limited time, and limited staff. We will give examples of journals and submission categories that are well suited to clinical work such as brief practices, case conferences, and tutorials. Finally, we will provide examples of applied research while detailing how clinical questions turned into research studies, how those studies contributed to the literature, and how that research was conducted while continuing to meet specific clinical objectives.