JSGW: A Time for Change and Reflection

I am pleased to introduce the latest Journal for Specialists in Group Work (JSGW) issue. This is the first issue published under my editorship as of July 1, 2023. I am honored to have been selected by the Association for Specialists in Group Work and the selection committee to lead this esteemed publication for the next three years. My vision for the future of the JSGW is one of growth and progress. Anchored by my editorial team, I plan to build upon the impressive legacy left by Dr. Kristopher Goodrich over the past six years and Dr. Lia Falco’s unwavering two-decade tenure as Editorial Assistant.

This is a period of transition for the journal, with two additional new members joining the editorial team on July 1, 2023. In addition to my new tenure as editor, I am pleased to introduce Dr. Deborah Rubel, who has been appointed Associate Editor, joining Dr. Jonathan Ohrt, who is serving his second term as Associate Editor of the JSGW. Dr. Rubel has extensive expertise in group work, making her a valuable addition to the editorial team. Dr. Rubel is a Professor of Counselor Education at Oregon State University. She has a long history of service to the Association for Specialists in Group Work and the Journal for Specialists in Group Work’s Editorial Board, where she served two full terms. Dr. Rubel is also a prolific author and scholar of group work who has published extensively in the JSGW and other academic outlets. Additionally, Dr. Rubel is an Association for Specialists in Group Work Fellow who has been recognized with the 2008 Research Article of the Year and 2011 Article of the Year award by the Journal for Specialists in Group Work. Her main research interests are understanding the psychosocial processes of group membership, clinical supervision, and leadership in its many forms.

I am also pleased to introduce Crispina Pincus, a new editorial team member who has started her new position as the journal’s editorial assistant. Crispina, a staff member and doctoral student in Education Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont, has extensive experience supporting and collaborating with Counselor Education faculty. She brings a wealth of experience in administrative support to the journal. She is excited to expand her knowledge of group work, academic journal management, and editorial processes through her role as an editorial assistant.

As the new journal editor, I aim to lead the editorial team toward achieving several objectives for the journal. In partnership with JSGW associate editors and the Taylor Francis Team, I aim to monitor the data of JSGW authors and editorial board members while proactively working with my team to recruit authors and editorial board members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to enrich the journal’s output (Okech, 2023). As we expand our journal’s editorial board, we plan to develop a training program for new ad-hoc reviewers and editorial board members. The program aims to cover the fundamental principles governing academic journal management and functioning, including publishing schedules and opportunities for authors and editorial board members. We will also cover the fundamental principles of group work and provide strategies for addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion during the manuscript solicitation and review process (Okech, 2023). Additionally, the program will center evidence-based outcomes on feedback to authors and improve the quality of published manuscripts in the journal (Okech, 2023).

The journal’s reach and impact will be significantly enhanced through the new editorial team’s leadership and dedication to recruiting a broader group of authors and training new board members to meet their needs. This is possible because the JSGW is already meeting its impact targets, and based on last year’s publication rate and citation data, the JSGW received an impact factor. The 2022 Journal Impact Factor is 0.8 (Journal Citation Reports® Clarivate Analytics, 2023). Given the size of our journal and the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), home to most authors, readers, and editorial board members, this is wonderful news for ASGW and all the journal’s stakeholders. It is also a charge for the editorial team, the editorial board, and authors to continue to submit quality manuscripts for publication and to support the growing visibility of the journal as a source of innovative and impactful group work scholarship.

Authors must also understand the journal’s purpose, audience, author requirements, and scope. This information is available on our Taylor and Francis-supported website (see https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/usgw20). To support authors’ interests in the journal, we have updated the journal’s webpage to provide timely information to authors interested in publishing in JSGW. Our updates include new articles that provide guidelines for publishing in the JSGW, clarity of the need for authors to follow the current APA style guidelines in all submissions, and to adhere to the 30-page manuscript limit.

To better understand appropriate manuscripts for the journal, authors are encouraged to review articles that examine best practices in group work research (McCarthy, 2012), guidelines for manuscript development for authors of practice articles (Okech et al., 2022), and contemporary articles in the journal. Additionally, authors need to familiarize themselves with the ASGW Guidelines for group work (2021), including the principle of multicultural and social justice competencies (Singh et al., 2012). Being deeply knowledgeable about group work literature will allow authors to contribute to the field by enhancing existing knowledge, such as deepening the application of traditional group theories to diverse groups of clients, expanding modalities of group work practice that include technological applications, and introducing new strategies for clinical practice, teaching, and research. Doing so will make them better suited to publish in the JSGW (Okech, 2023).

Thank you for supporting the JSGW. Along with the journal’s editorial team, I am excited to continue building the JSGW as an outlet that advances equity-centered group work and research and produces literature on innovative group work practice, training, and effective clinical supervision of group work. Furthermore, submissions of manuscripts that are focused on innovative group work practices that take advantage of environmental resources and technology to enhance the impact and expansion of service to communities are most welcome. The publication of group work manuscripts that demonstrate the areas mentioned above and also center group work pedagogy, research, and practice remain a priority for the journal.

We look forward to your manuscript submissions, proposals for special issues, and applications for service in the journal’s editorial board.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.