A brief review of history and purposes of Physical Review Physics Education Research

While Physical Review PER may be considered staple and the leading journal in physics education research, it did not always exist, nor, once launched, was it clear that it would necessarily continue. It is because of community-led efforts by individuals (especially Bob Beichner, the founding editor) and the American Physical Society that the journal has grown and thrived. In this interactive session, we will discuss the need, origins and early days of the journal (and this era of the field of Physics Education research, which was still establishing itself). Furthermore, we will consider from both theory and practice what the purpose of such a journal is in supporting individuals, the PER community and the many and significant goals we have to advance physics education.