A Meta-Study of Journal of College Counseling (JCC) Author and Article Publication Characteristics from 1998 to 2009

Patterns of articles accepted for publication in the Journal of College Counseling from the past 12 years were reviewed in this metastudy. Results were described and statistically analyzed to identify trends over time in characteristics of authors, including sex, institutional classifications, employment setting, and domicile, and characteristics of articles, including article type, research design, sample size, types of participants, and statistical procedures. Keywords: meta-study, article characteristics, author characteristics ********** The Journal of College Counseling (JCC) was established in 1996 as the official journal of the American College Counseling Association (ACCA). The ACCA is a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA) that aims to provide support for "persons in higher education to include colleges, universities, community and technical college settings, whose professional identity is counseling and whose purpose is fostering students' development" (ACCA, 2009, para. 1). JCC was founded to further the ACCA's mission by publishing articles that educate counselors working in higher education settings and inform the practice of college counseling at 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities. In 1995, the ACCA appointed James M. Benshoff as founding editor of JCC and shortly thereafter appointed a board of editorial reviewers, hired an editorial assistant, developed author guidelines and review procedures, and disseminated initial calls for manuscript submissions. The first issue (i.e., Volume 1, Issue 1) of JCC was distributed to ACCA members and journal subscribers in spring 1998. Benshoff's appointment as founding editor spanned 4 years (1996-1999). Over the past 10 years, JCC has had four more editors: N. Carolyn Owens (1999-2001), Timothy B. Smith (2001-2004), Laura Hensley Choate (2004-2007), and Alan M. "Woody" Schwitzer (2007-2010). Joshua C. Watson began his term as JCC's sixth editor in July 2010. The journal is published and distributed by ACA semiannually, in the spring and fall. JCC's acceptance rate ranges from 20% to 25% per year (about 22% on average; A. W. Schwitzer, personal communication, March 12, 2010). From the journal's conception until 2007, three manuscript categories were delineated to enhance professional practice in higher education: Research, Professional Issues, and Innovative Practice. In spring 2008, beginning with Volume 11, the journal was updated to change the cover art, add the College Counseling Case Studies category, combine Professional Issues and Innovative Practice to one category, and expand the page limits for the Research and the Professional Issues and Innovative Practice sections to 25 pages each. The College Counseling Case Studies category was added to address the need for further development in practitioner issues and responses, and submissions are by editor invitation only. The journal continues to focus on the practice of college counseling and higher education by requiring submissions to be grounded in the most recent and relevant literature. Given that JCC has now produced more than a dozen volumes, it is useful to analyze the developmental trajectory of the journal, with an emphasis on the characteristics of what is published in JCC and who is publishing it in order to inform the decisions of the journal editor, editorial board, ACCA governing board, and college counseling practitioners and scholars, who are the ultimate consumers of JCC. Erford, Miller, Duncan, and Erford (2010) identified three primary ways to illuminate a journal's historical evolution. The first method involves identification of special issues, sections, or topics published over time. Special issues and sections outline and circulate articles that address pertinent issues in the field, usually in response to critical professional concerns. To date, JCC has published three special sections: (a) the spring 2004 special section on "Nontraditional Students," (b) the fall 2005 special section on "Severe and Persistent Mental Illness on College Campuses: Considerations for Service Provision," and (c) the spring 2006 special section on "Addressing Contemporary Challenges to the College Counseling Profession. …