The Mensa Education and Research Foundation, originally referred to with the acronym MERF but more recently as simply the Foundation, was founded in 1971. According to its mission statement: "The Mensa Foundation recognizes, encourages and communicates excellence in human intelligence globally through education, research and recognition programs."
The Mensa Research Journal, however, predates the Foundation. It was originally formed to display the research and scholarship of Mensa members, but editors found that this was not always of the level of professionalism that they wanted to project. The mission of the journal was then changed to presenting the most current research on intelligence.
Although we have the capability of assessing original research, it would stretch our resources, so it was thought that it would be best to print only material that was already published in first-rate peer-reviewed journals or presented at professional meetings. A team of experts in the field, almost all Mensans, was assembled to review material; this became our Editorial Advisory Board. Although they don’t currently review original material, they assist me in selecting topics and materials.
The journal, currently published three times a year, usually consists of articles on a particular topic, although we have had issues that cover a variety of current research. Since becoming editor, I have thought of a number of topics that I would like to cover, but I am always open to suggestions for other ideas. One issue each year is dedicated to the winners of the Awards for Excellence in Research.
I am always looking for ways to improve the journal and keep it up to date and relevant. These days, that means bringing it into the digital age and having it accessible electronically. Now that the Bulletin and your local newsletters are delivered online, why not the MRJ? There’s just one problem. We purchase rights to reprint articles, and those rights don’t always include the right to reproduce them online. We are working on this, however, and hope to have it available electronically in the near future.
Most of the work in actually putting the journal together is done by our Art Director, Hilary Moore. She gets permission to reprint from the original publisher, converts it to our format and sends it out for copyediting. She is really an artist and does all of the artwork for our covers. Our Circulation Manager is Jill Beckham, who is also the Foundation Director. Jill handles all of the subscriptions and financial matters.
Although the great majority of our readers are Mensa members, readership is not restricted to them. As this is a well-respected journal, it does attract researchers in the field. This also is really an international journal. Many, if not most, of our authors are international. A great many of our subscribers are also international, and we are trying to expand our international reach. We are always looking for new subscribers, and, while we’re at it, contributors to the Foundation.