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Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 1, 2000, pp. 1-3
© 2000 Society of Pediatric Psychology
Editorial: Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2000
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania
All correspondence should be sent to Anne E. Kazak, Division of Oncology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 324 S. 34th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4399. E-mail: kazak{at}email.chop.edu .
The Journal of Pediatric Psychology enters the twenty-first century on a trajectory that has been strong and consistent throughout its history. That course traces ongoing growth and responsiveness to changes in the nature of pediatric psychology research and practice. The passage of time, so evident in our hopes and anxieties about the arrival of the year 2000, signals the importance of reflecting on the past, reassessing current goals, activities, and relationships and envisioning the future. This first issue of 2000 is the midpoint of my term as Editor. In this editorial, I highlight important developments relevant to JPP, summarize current information, and outline ways in which related themes will be addressed in future issues.
There are many reasons for celebration. This issue of JPP is the first of volume 25, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the journal in 2000. Developmentally, JPP is on course in its young adulthood. The journal began in a format more akin to a newsletter than a journal, initially under the leadership of Gail Gardner. Subsequent editors Diane Willis, Don Routh, Gerry Koocher, Michael Roberts, and Annette La Greca nurtured and provided direction for the journal. Each has ensured the journal's success and contributed uniquely to its development. In a future issue we will present a more detailed history of JPP and incorporate former editors' reflections on major influences and related changes in the field and the journal.
JPP is the scientific publication of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) which has just achieved divisional status within the American Psychological Association (APA) and is now Division 54. This is a crucial step in the increasing recognition of our specialty within the field of psychology and will undoubtedly contribute to increased awareness of pediatric psychology among broader professional and public audiences. It is an important time to support the mission of Division 54. As Editor of JPP, I am proud of the members of Division 54 and all their contributions to our field. I especially appreciate the sustained efforts necessary to attain division status. Bill Rae and Maureen Black, in particular, crystallized the vision and maintained the needed momentum to actualize division status. I hope that the journal will continue to reflect and support the high quality work underway by pediatric psychologists, their pediatrician colleagues, and other collaborators.
With this volume JPP is expanding in size, from six to eight
issues per year. In an editorial for the first issue published on my watch, I
wrote that my editorial responsibilities fit the roles of "mentor,
coach, and facilitator of JPP's continued growth and
achievement" (Kazak,
1998
). The current expansion to eight issues per year is only the
most outward signal of ways in which the journal has thrived. According to
data from the past three years (1997-1999), the number of submissions has
remained strong. And the quality of articles is striking. We have maintained a
rejection rate comparable to the generally recognized and most highly
competitive journals in psychology, with 21%-22% of submissions accepted for
publication.
I have had the unequivocal pleasure of working with five outstanding Associate Editors (Chris Eiser, Jack Finney, Kathy Lemanek, Tony Spirito, Bob Thompson). I am pleased that all five have agreed to continue as members of the editorial team. Each has helped to publish a broad representation of work in the journal and has assured that the review process is rigorous, thoughtful, and constructive, yet also timely. Indeed, we have maintained a median editorial lag (time from which a paper is received in our office until a decision letter is written) of 7 weeks. Our median publication lag (time from final acceptance to publication) has been consistently in the range of 7 to 8 months.
I have also been fortunate in consistently being able to call upon the members of the Editorial Board for manuscript reviews. The collective opinions of the Editorial Board and our large group of ad hoc reviewers shape the type of articles we publish. The reviewers are extremely influential and step up to provide service repeatedly. Whereas the current board is outstanding, I think that a mix including some new reviewers is important. I have filled about 20% of the board with new members. Incoming Editorial Board members reflect areas in which we needed more depth or breadth of reviewers. I also hope that these transitions in the board help to acknowledge the contributions of individuals who have served as ad hoc reviewers, some over many years.
There are other key relationships that are also essential to the journal's growth. We have a strong collaboration with our publisher, Oxford University Press. Jackie Fox, our editor at Oxford, has consistently met or exceeded our expectations in terms of our partnership on the journal. The growth in subscriptions (under the marketing aegis of Joy Cox) is an important component of our fiscal health and allows us to expand publication. Finally, our technical editors (Pete Hoffmann, Bill Owens, and Aaron Thornburg) and copyeditors have been excellent, concerned not only with the details of preparing articles for publication but also with anticipating possible future developments.
Outreach to people working in pediatric psychology internationally and forming closer connections with physicians (particularly pediatricians) have been areas of emphasis for JPP over the past two years. We have developed special issues related to each of these areas. Chris Eiser and Maureen Black are editing a special issue on international pediatric psychology that will appear later this year. Terry Stancin edited a 1999 special issue on primary care (24:5) in which pediatrician input was essential. This special issue provides outstanding examples of how pediatrician-psychologist collaborations can be developed and maintained, in the interest of providing integrated care for children with acute and chronic illnesses and their families.
Pediatric psychology has grown and truly come of age. In most respects, JPP will continue in its current form over the next few years. We will highlight the past, present, and future in the following ways.
Full text articles from JPP will be available to Division 54 members on the Internet, through HighWire Press (www.highwire.stanford.edu). In addition to quicker access, HighWire provides subscribers with a number of searching and alerting features that we believe will make the journal more useful.
The special series on empirically supported treatments (EST), edited by Tony Spirito, has been very well received. In recognition of the importance of providing up-to-date reviews of intervention outcomes for pediatric problems, we plan to continue to emphasize EST.
Although pediatric psychology is still a relatively young field, it is not as young as we sometimes may believe. Indeed, we have many people whose careers have been devoted largely to pediatric psychology and whose contributions are recognized as pivotal in the field. In this issue we introduce the first in a series of invited articles, called "Pioneers in Pediatric Psychology." Prominent pediatric psychologists have been asked to reflect on their careers and to provide personal, as well as professional, commentaries on pediatric psychology. Whereas trainees often worry that there are one or two "right" routes to becoming a successful pediatric psychologist, the stories of these leaders will delineate the many factors necessary to shape a successful career. Don Routh from the University of Miami is the first author in this series (this issue).
There are many forums for reflecting on the history of a field. The journal is an appropriate outlet for a relatively small number of historically significant documents and photographs (e.g., pictures of psychologist-pediatrician collaborations, important conferences and documents, pediatricians who contributed to the development of pediatric psychology, equipment used in the field that may relate to specific articles). These materials are difficult to find. I am particularly interested in identifying materials that may be suitable for reproduction in the journal and encourage you to contact me if you have information or ideas.
Upcoming special issues will be devoted to topics that reflect growth and development in our field. Examples include methodology (Bob Noll, editor), research-related child and adolescent health pertinent to the objectives of the Healthy People 2010 initiative (Jack Finney, editor), and clinical practice (edited by Kathy Lemanek and Denny Drotar).
JPP is a collaborative effort of authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, and the Division 54 membership and Executive Committee. Providing editorial leadership has been relatively easy given the high level of interest and evident support for the journal from many sources. Your help and feedback are welcome.
Acknowledgments
I appreciate the assistance of Michael Roberts, PhD, who kindly read this editorial.
Reference
Kazak, A. (1998). Editorial: Change and continuity in
the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Journal of Pediatric
Psychology, 23,
1-3.
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