Editorial overview: mentoring in context

This issue of Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning Journal includes research from scholars representing the U.S.A. (three states), Belgium, Canada, and Norway. Typically, the editorial briefly introduces the reader to the articles published in the issue; however, in this setting I take the liberty to speak more holistically about the constructs of mentoring and tutoring as one avenue to impact professional practice through service to others.

As the world continues to enjoy the immediacy of technology innovation, the notion of service to others has become less intrinsically valued. While the generality of the previous statement is not necessarily bothersome in and of itself, the primary concern then becomes the lack of relational nurturing in professional circles. Relationships are positive attributes of social interaction and a paradigm not easily replicated without an understanding of basic human needs. As such, the manner in which we place value on connecting with others is an essential underpinning of service, and mentoring.

I fondly recall how my mentors were giants in their fields, busy beyond belief yet committed to intentionally investing in others. One mentor in particular describes her style of leadership as relational, while another uses the term servant. Similarly, a third mentor describes her style as transformational. While I do not wish to engage in a discussion of leadership styles, it’s difficult to not draw similarities in context between the three. Particularly, each style represents an ethic of care focused on organically improved individual outcomes rooted in learning from the journey (Templeton, 2022). After all, the deeper development of the individual is the vision for targeted growth and a catalyst for change through mentoring (Irby, 2008).

To the seminal question, how is practice changed through mentoring? Changing practice is often difficult without a change of mindset (Templeton, 2021). Purposeful mentors often seek to build capacity by skillful questioning, modeling, and frequent professional interaction. It is the latter that may require a lesser honed skillset, but in reality invokes more consumption of time. By comparison, modeling is not as much about demonstrating as it is about sharing spaces together. And finally, questioning is the influence of experience. After all, introspective thinking is a foundational structure of growth mindsets and enlightened judgement (Templeton, 2021).

Practice is also changed by serving in context. As an accomplished member of the academy, a portion of my annual duties is allotted to service. Service to the institution, service to the community, and service to professional organizations are a few examples. But what about service to others? With some reservation, my desire is not to generalize my own experiences or those of many of my colleagues to the larger population; although many in the professoriate are centered on self, and this is certainly understandable. After all, our collective body of work is continually evaluated and affirmed or disconfirmed by our peers. This somewhat combative self-reliant culture often discourages peer-to-peer interaction through formal or informal mentoring.

Admittedly, mentoring is hard work, but necessary. Reinvesting in each other is essential if we are to understand our interconnectivity as one of moral imperative. After all, giving back is typically mutually beneficial. As you read through this issue, search for commonalities in the narratives. Reflect and reflex on the findings and seek to better understand and articulate your own positionality. If we are authentic in our quest for a change in growth mindset, we will bring ourselves not only to a measure of awareness that compels action but to the realization that we are indeed stronger together. Let’s agree to collectively succeed. After all, mentoring is a circle of improvement and one where both mentee and mentor advocate for each other the courage to do more and to be more.

Publishing in mentoring and tutoring

Authors are reminded as they submit their work to the journal to ensure that 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 the 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.Mentoring

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.