Mary Lynn Skutley

Mary Lynn Skutley is Editorial Director of APA Books, the book publishing branch of the American Psychological Association.  In the past 25 years, Mary Lynn has worked with colleagues to expand the program from a handful of titles to the present catalogue representing all branches of psychology.  At the program’s inception, Mary Lynn developed and implemented standards to better serve both writers and readers.  Combining comprehensive peer review, editorial analysis, and market knowledge, her team has worked closely with scholars to enhance quality and develop products that meet audience needs. Looking for financially viable solutions while continuing to meet constituent needs, Mary Lynn has worked closely with business and IT colleagues to create new products and methods of delivery, including apps, platforms, and e-books.

More recently, Mary Lynn led a cross-disciplinary group of professionals in the revision of the widely used style resource, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.  This led to the development of web-based tools and the establishment of ongoing relationships to better serve new writers in the behavioral sciences.  Mary Lynn is currently collaborating with staff to build a suite of digital tools to remove the drudgery and emphasize the pleasure of scientific writing.