 n this in-cites essay, Dr. William Stiles, the North American
Editor of Psychotherapy Research,
discusses the success of this journal. According to the ISI
Essential
Science Indicators
Web product, Psychotherapy
Research
currently has 212 papers cited a total of 1,029 times to
date to its credit. In addition to his work on Psychotherapy
Research, Dr. Stiles is a Professor of Psychology at Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio.
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I was very pleased to learn that Psychotherapy Research has
been recognized for its increasing impact in Psychology/Psychiatry. I
don't think the increasing citation rate reflects any one factor or a
change in policy but rather the success of the journal's attention to
quality. Editorial operations have emphasized the basic elements:
strong reviewing, timely turn-around, high standards, detailed
feedback, and patient work with authors who have good ideas, and
high-quality production by the publisher, Oxford University Press.
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In an important future step, we expect to move to web-based
electronic submissions and reviewing later this year.
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Psychotherapy Research is an interdisciplinary, international
journal. It has a clear scope, described by its title. Within that
scope, the journal has maintained a policy of openness to diverse
theoretical orientations, psychotherapeutic treatment modalities, and
research paradigms. Implementing the principle of openness to new
ideas, we have been willing to go through multiple revisions to
publish work by less experienced authors without compromising
editorial or scientific standards.
Psychotherapy Research was established as the official journal
of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR), a major international
society. The first issue appeared in 1991. The journal's continuing
connection with SPR provides a pool of talent, ideas, submissions, and
reviewers. However, we also receive submissions and seek reviews from
psychotherapy researchers who are not SPR members.
Citation rates may have been boosted by regular special sections on
topical issues, such as the empirically supported treatments
controversy, attachment theory, and the role of the therapist in
cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as methodological developments
such as the assessment of clinically significant change and
qualitative approaches to research on psychotherapy. We recently
published a special memorial issue on the research legacy of Kenneth
I. Howard, a widely cited, respected, and beloved psychotherapy
researcher and a co-founder of SPR, along with a bibliometrical
analysis of the journal's publication and citation patterns. Most
articles are original research reports, but Psychotherapy Research
also accepts occasional reviews, theoretical and methodological
articles, and commentaries. The journal includes a lively book review
section, and a few invited articles, including the annual SPR
Presidential Address and programmatic reviews by emerging younger
investigators who have won SPR's Early Career Award.
Psychotherapy Research and SPR have strongly supported the
trend toward internationalization in the field. A distinctive policy
allows manuscripts to be reviewed and revised in the author's first
language, if editorial and reviewing resources are available
(currently German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese). Manuscripts that
are accepted are subsequently translated into English for publication
(the author is responsible for providing an acceptable translation).
This policy has encouraged European authors to submit reports of
important research for an international readership. The journal
publishes abstracts of all articles in German, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, and, beginning in the June, 2003, issue, Chinese.
The 13 years since the journal's founding have seen a large
expansion of psychotherapy research in Europe. Submissions from both
North America and Europe have risen substantially, but European
submissions have risen more dramatically and now account for over 50%
of all new submissions. We have reason to think that the growth will
extend to Asia in the near future.
Psychotherapy Research has two equal co-editors, a North
American Editor and a European Editor, with staggered 6-year terms.
Submissions are directed to each editor depending on where the first
author lives. The founding editors were Hans H. Strupp (USA), Klaus
Grawe (Switzerland), and David A. Shapiro (United Kingdom); the second
generation included Robert Elliott (USA) and Bernhard Strauss
(Germany), and the current, third generation is William B. Stiles
(USA) and Uwe Hentschel (the Netherlands). A new North American
Editor, Clara E. Hill (USA) will begin receiving manuscripts in
January, 2004.
Access to and citation of Psychotherapy Research has been
made easier by the availability of full
text online for issues back to 1998.
In addition, online abstracts back to the journal's founding in
1991, along with the contents of forthcoming issues, instructions to
authors, and the annual report of journal operations are available on
the SPR
web site.
In an important future step, we expect to move to web-based
electronic submissions and reviewing later this year.
Psychotherapy Research
William B. Stiles, Ph.D., North American Editor
Oxford University Press, publishers
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