Editorial overview: mentoring in and beyond academia

This issue of Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning Journal includes research from scholars representing Arizona, Seattle and Virginia in the United States, and Japan and the United Kingdom. The authors represented herein present findings supporting various approaches to mentoring both within and beyond academia. Interestingly, and as the findings of the research articles in this issue support, the nuanced systems inherent to effective mentoring remain a constant approach to capacity building within and across disciplines. Most notably, the simple postulation that we get better together (Templeton, 2021, 2022) is not only confirmatory evidence supported by emergent literature on mentoring and tutoring, but evident in the narratives of the lived experiences of the participants whose journeys are highlighted in this issue. As such, I found these manuscripts to be of particular value to those who have and continue to dedicate a life of service to others.

Service to others, as termed in both academic and non-academic settings, is inherent to making authentic connections and intrinsically connected to effective mentoring practices. In some vernacular, ‘being in service to’ is often reminiscent of a didactic power struggle; however, to ‘be in service with’ implies an intentional and deeper development of both mentor and mentee (Templeton, 2023). After all, mentoring is akin to cyclic improvement, laying the foundation for developing social and emotional networks, the cultivation and sharing of best practices, and sustaining lifelong professional and personal connections (Templeton, 2021, 2022, 2023).

Finally, taking the best mentoring approaches from academic, corporate, and religious settings presents a unique opportunity for continuous learning. While there is some internal reflection required when making the commitment to learn together, mentoring is an iterative process, one where both parties continue to evolve and grow and fail and succeed over time. This process not only ensures the development of the best in each of us but also creates opportunities to learn from the journey. It is my desire that as you read this issue, you discover themes that resonate well. Learning is classic experimentation, with the expectation of getting better over time. Take the time to be in service together. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I, and I wish you well as you seek to continue to develop personally and professionally.

In the opening manuscript in this issue, Shared Wisdom: A Collaborative Autoethnography on Mentorship and Women Supporting Women in Academia, three female professors sought to reflect on personal discoveries from recent research using an autoethnography design. Findings from the study support the understanding that women who are mentored by other women in academia experience a sense of empowerment as they navigate through professional challenges. Implications for practice support the need for reflective thinking and writing in the development of mentoring relationships with other women in higher education.

The second article, We Only Experience Our Own Journeys Unless We Talk to Other People About Theirs: A Qualitative Evaluation of Mentors’ Experiences of a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Mentor Scheme for Clinical Psychologists, the authors explored the experiences of mentors who participated in a mentoring scheme designed to facilitate personal and professional development. Qualitative interviews (n = 29) were conducted using thematic analysis to analyze data. Findings indicate higher satisfaction when adequate support systems are in place and offer insight for subsequent mentoring programs designed to increase diversity in the field of clinical psychology.

Churchill, et al., in the third article, A Longitudinal Examination of Types of Natural Mentor Support and College Adjustment Among Underrepresented Students, investigated how various supports during the first year of college related to concurrent and longitudinal outcomes. Reported findings from the study demonstrate the value of natural mentorship on the psychological and academic outcomes for underrepresented college students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI). Findings from the study also extend beyond academic circles and establish a more holistic foundation for establishing supports as check points during the first-year experience.

In the fourth article, Effects of E-Mentoring in Japanese Clerical Employees’ Vocational Identity during Teleworking, Kodama used survey methodology to measure vocational identity and mentoring function. Data were collected from 419 clerical workers (211 teleworkers and 208 non-teleworkers) who had a mentor or protégé and analyzed using multiple-group structural equation modeling. Findings support the need for mentors to provide varying levels of support to protégés, including psychosocial and career functions, with vocational identity more essential for teleworkers, who are more isolated than non-teleworkers.

The fifth article, Ethnic Church Mentoring: Buffer Against Outside Prejudice and Inside Pressure for Success, Kang examined the perspectives of adolescents, church mentors, and parents on the role of mentors in adolescents’ psychological and social well-being. A qualitative approach was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with a balanced population of stakeholders. Findings support the necessary role mentors play in the positive development of adolescents as they learn to navigate the challenges inherent to implicit and explicit racism.

In the sixth and final article in this issue, Measuring Impact: A Prospective Evaluation of a Mentoring Scheme for Aspiring Clinical Psychologists from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds, George, Faheem, and Millar used a mixed-methods design to evaluate the viability of a mentoring scheme for aspiring clinical psychologists from traditionally underrepresented populations. Utilizing a pre and post evaluation approach, the authors employed a mixed ANOVA to analyze quantitative data and content analysis to unravel themes on the qualitative contributions. Findings from the study support the necessity for regular contact between mentoring pairs as well as the inclusion of additional supports for mentors as required constructs intentionally designed to positively impact mentoring programs.

Publishing in mentoring and tutoring

Authors are reminded as they submit their work to the journal to ensure all manuscripts follow the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual (7th edition) format. We receive quite a number with APA formatting errors. In Volume 20, Issue 1, we outlined several common concerns with submissions. When writing your manuscript, please remember to check your headings, spacing, table formats, and references for correct 7th edition usage. Because the journal is very popular and competitive, and we are receiving on average three to five manuscripts every week. Please prepare works that are extremely attentive to detail (e.g. current and relevant citations, high-quality writing, careful proofreading, proper formatting style) and that are making specific contributions to the field of mentoring and tutoring. For further information, consult the Taylor & Francis posting of the M&T author guidelines for article manuscripts and book reviews: http://www.tandf.couk/journals/authors/cmetauth.asp) (ISSN 1361–1267).

We do not conduct pre-reviews; rather, we will be mentoring authors in the publication process within the FastTrack system review process. That said, the Editor reserves the right to conduct desk rejections at the outset if manuscripts to not follow the prescribed guidelines. Please go to the Manuscript FastTrack system to register as a user and then upload your manuscript and any additional information through the system. The FastTrack system helps with the ease of communication between authors, reviewers, and the editor and resolves issues of overloaded email inboxes.

The current requirements for M&T are that the paper, not including references and abstract, should be a maximum of 30 pages, including references, tables, and figures. Depending on the manuscript, we may consider manuscripts that are longer than 30 pages, and certainly we will accept manuscripts shorter than the prescribed 30 pages. If you have any questions about how to submit your manuscript to M&T, please go to International Council of Professors of Educational Administration (ICPEL) Publications at http://www.icpel.org. Click on M&T from the Menu of Buttons on the top of that screen. The submission link appears there on the M&T home page. You may, of course, access the journal page from the Taylor & Francis Publisher page at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13611267.asp.

Qualified individuals who serve on the Review Board, along with select Editorial Board members provide commentaries. We would also like for you to register in the same location as you submit to be considered to be a member of the M&T Journal Review Board. We will be acknowledging the Review Board at the end of the year and a top reviewer will be honored. The acceptance rate of the journal is currently 10%. Mentoring & Tutoring is abstracted in Academic Search; Australian Education Index (AEI); Australian Research Council (ARC) Ranked Journal List; Cabells; National Database for Research into International Education (NDRI); British Education Index; Contents Pages in Education; Educational Research Abstracts online (ERA); EBSCOhost EJS; Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI); Education Resources Information Center (ERIC); PsycINFO and SCOPUS®, and Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Educational Curriculum and Methods. Additionally,

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning is now included in the Thomson Reuters Emerging Sources Citation Index.

Many authors have been turning to the M&T journal as the venue-of-choice for publishing high-quality works for over 20 years. M&T is the longest-running mentoring journal in the field. This refereed, peer-reviewed journal is known worldwide. Authors, readers, and subscribers are from different countries and various types of institutions and professional environments. The editorial team is committed to producing timely, thorough reviews, modeling conscientious guidance and support, and being open to a wide scope of topics and methods related to mentoring and tutoring, collaboration, and learning.

Books to be reviewed must be about mentoring and tutoring. Visit this journal’s website, http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/carfax/13611267.html, for more information about M&T, as well as special rates and discounts.