Journal of Marital and Family Therapy doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2012.00337.x October 2012, Vol. 38, No. 4, 697–703 EDITOR’S ANNUAL REPORT: 2011–2012 Fred P. Piercy and Manjushree Palit This marks my (FP) first Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (JMFT) editor’s annual report. I am pleased to report on some exciting JMFT initiatives, various statistics related to the journal in 2011–2012, and a few of my hopes related to future JMFT submissions. RECENT INITIATIVES The first initiative is the on-line-only supplement issue of JMFT that was published this past June. It was a solution to a good problem to have: In the past few years, we have had so many quality articles submitted to JMFT that we have experienced a bit of a backlog. To address this backlog, authors of in-press JMFT articles were given the opportunity to move to the front of the line and have their article published in an on-line-only supplemental issue of JMFT. In all, 28 authors chose to have their articles appear in the on-line-only issue, which allowed them to be published considerably earlier than they would have been otherwise. The publication of this issue also shortened the backlog substantially for all authors. This win-win effort should make the Journal more attractive to authors wanting a shorter turnaround time for their manuscripts. The second initiative is the JMFT doctoral student apprenticeship review program. This program is for doctoral students in COAMFTE-accredited doctoral programs who want to learn more about the journal review process. Any doctoral student in a COAMFTE-accredited doctoral program wishing to read a JMFT submission and write and submit a “shadow review” was given the opportunity to do so as long as a program faculty member nominated the doctoral student and agreed to read and provide formative feedback to the doctoral student. In the last year, 17 PhD students from six COAMFTE-accredited doctoral programs have served as shadow reviewers of 23 total articles. Their reviews were consistently good. As their reviews all were vetted by their faculty mentors, each had help in writing a quality (clear, helpful, respectful) review. We plan to continue this program in the coming year. In fact, a call to all doctoral program faculty members will have gone out just prior to the publication of this annual report. We also have initiated what will become a series of virtual issues, collections of previously published JMFT articles on a particular topic. Dr. Thorana Nelson has agreed to be JMFT’s Virtual Issue Editor. Under her leadership, JMFT has published its first virtual issue on the topic of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. There will be a number of future virtual issues on topics such as ethics, Emotionally Focused Therapy, MFT supervision, gender and diversity, MFT education and training, the DSM, and other topics that are often covered in MFT graduate programs. These collections will meet several needs, including serving as a ready source of readings for practicing clinicians seeking professional development, MFT training programs faculty and students looking for easy-to-access reading packets, and scholars seeking key articles on a particular topic. We are indebted to Dr. Nelson for her leadership in this promising new JMFT venture. We have instituted a board-member rotation process that should provide both consistency and opportunities for new editorial board members to serve JMFT. Each board member has a 5-year term. So, each year, about one-fifth of the editorial board will revolve off. At least for the near future, I am not planning to extend board positions for those who are revolving off (although all have the opportunity to be considered again after 2 years). This will provide openings for talented professionals that will keep our profession vital and evolving, and will tap the wealth of diverse talent in our association. Another initiative involves asking all authors of JMFT articles to consider preparing a “virtual abstract” related to their articles, a link to which we would place next to the article link on the October 2012 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 697 on-line JMFT website at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1752-0606. A “virtual abstract” is a short (3–5 min) video podcast in which the author summarizes the article’s findings and reflects on their meaning. More than anything, a virtual abstract allows authors to put their faces with their names and to breathe life into their articles. A virtual abstract doesn’t need to be highly organized or orchestrated. In fact, the more natural, the better. Another initiative includes the development of JMFT reviewer guidelines to help reviewers provide formative, supportive, instructive feedback to authors. These reviewer guidelines are now available at the on-line JMFT website. We’ve also developed a searchable database for both editorial board members and others recommended by the board. This database will allow the editor to select reviewers by searching key words related to submitted manuscripts. Finally, we are coordinating with AAMFT to better publicize our authors and articles. For example, key recent JMFT articles are being highlighted through AAMFT email blasts, Facebook and Twitter announcements, follow-up articles and/or announcements in the Family Therapy Magazine and discussions lead by JMFT authors on AAMFT’s Community Connections on-line website. We look forward to exploring other ways to make use of the communication structures and social media of AAMFT. STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON JOURNAL CONTENT This annual report covers the period from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. I am particularly proud of the fact that our time from first submission to first decision under this editorship is 42 days. The acceptance rate for manuscripts submitted to the present editor between August 15, 2011 and June 30, 2012 was 9.85%. Now that the backlog issue has been addressed, I expect a slightly higher acceptance rate in the coming year. Total submissions to the journal included 187 new and revised and resubmitted manuscripts, up from 148 the previous year. Total decisions on new manuscripts submitted are presented in Table 1, and those for resubmitted manuscripts are in Table 2. Thirty-seven manuscripts of 187 new and revised submissions (not including invited articles) were accepted for an overall acceptance rate (for the previous editor and present editor combined) of 19.79%. There was a 0.76% acceptance rate on new submissions, down from 4.5% last year, and a 65.45% acceptance rate for revised manuscripts, down from 71.5% last year. (See, Table 3.) The descriptors listed in Table 4 reflect the broad range of material submitted to JMFT. According to the 2010 ISI Web of Knowledge’s Journal Citation Report—Social Science Edition, JMFT’s Impact Factor was 1.014, down slightly from 1.116 last year. Our authors’ articles, of course, have impact beyond being cited in other publications. From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011, the most downloaded articles from the Wiley-Blackwell JMFT web site are listed in Table 5. Table 1 Editorial Decisions on Manuscripts First Submitted Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 Declined Revise and Resubmit Accept with minor changes Invited articles and commentaries Still in review Totals 698 n % 87 30 1 0 14 132 65.91 22.73 0.76 0 10.61 100 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY October 2012 Table 2 Disposition of “Revise and Resubmits” Received Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 Declined Revise and Resubmit Accept with minor changes Invited articles and commentaries Still in review Totals n % 0 17 36 0 2 55 0 30.91 65.45 0 3.64 100 Table 3 Categories for Manuscripts First Submitted Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 Research Theory Clinical Training Other Totals n % 65 21 28 18 0 132 49.24 15.91 21.21 13.64 0 100 Table 4 Descriptors for Manuscripts First Submitted Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 Research Process Outcome Qualitative Quantitative Mixed Methods Review of Literature 15 13 17 30 0 9 16 Theory/Model Feminist Post-Modern Classical Integrative Evidence-Based 9 3 12 5 13 18 Clinical Assessment/Diagnosis Intervention/Technique 3 20 54 Training/Supervision Training/Education Supervision 6 22 5 Professional/Practice Issues Delivery Systems Managed Care Practice Development Practice Setting Legal/Ethical Issues MFT as a Profession 5 7 3 11 5 10 Populations Children/Adolescents Couples Diversity Stepfamilies/Single parents Families Special 0 11 53 16 1 42 10 Note. Articles may be listed in several categories. October 2012 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 699 Table 5 Top 20 Most Downloadable Journal of Marital and Family Therapy Articles July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 Accesses Title Author(s) Issue 1,146 Sesen Negash, Seda Sahin 37:1 Sean Barnes, Kirk Warren Brown, Elizabeth Krusemark, W. Keith Campbell, Ronald D. Rogge Michele Bograd 33:4 Scott W. Henggeler, Ashli J. Sheidow 38:1 Jay L. Lebow, Anthony L. Chambers, Andrew Christensen, Susan M. Johnson Nadine J. Kaslow, Michelle Robbins Broth, Chaundrissa Oyeshiku Smith, Marietta H. Collins David Olson 38:1 Jennifer Davis, David B. Ward, Cheryl Storm 37:1 Don McLendon, Tara McLendon, Christopher G. Petr Nathan B. Epstein, Lawrence M. Baldwin, Duane S. Bishop Alicia Lucksted, William McFarlane, Donna Downing, Lisa Dixon Adrian J. Blow, Kelley Hartnett 31:4 31:2 Salvador Minuchin 24:4 D. Russell Crane, Scott H. Payne 37:3 Gordon E. Limb, David R. Hodge 37:1 Scott A. Baldwin, Sarah Christian, Arjan Berkeljon, William R. Shadish 38:1 1,009 949 939 884 Compassion fatigue in marriage and family therapy: implications for therapists and clients The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress Strengthening domestic violence theories: intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender Empirically supported family-based treatments for conduct disorder and delinquency in adolescents Research on the treatment of couple distress 855 Family-based interventions for child and adolescent disorders 795 FACES IV and the circumplex model: validation study The unsilencing of military wives: wartime deployment experiences and citizen responsibility Family-directed structural therapy 744 737 725 715 713 701 698 672 649 700 The McMaster family assessment device Recent developments in family psychoeducation as an evidencebased practice Infidelity in committed relationships II: a substantive review Where is the family in narrative family therapy? Individual versus family psychotherapy in managed care: comparing the costs of treatment by the mental health professions Utilizing spiritual ecograms with native american families and children to promote cultural competence in family therapy The effects of family therapies for adolescent delinquency and substance abuse: a meta-analysis JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 25:3 38:1 37:1 9:2 38:1 October 2012 Table 5 (Continued) Accesses Title Author(s) Issue 648 Christi McGeorge, Thomas Stone Carlson 37:1 Eric C. Walker, Rachel Sheffield, Jeffry H. Larson, Thomas B. Holman 37:1 Terry S. Trepper, Yvonne Dolan, Eric E. McCollum, Thorana Nelson Is who delivers the treatment more Adrian J. Blow, Douglas H. important than the treatment itself? Sprenkle, Sean D. Davis the role of the therapist in common factors 32:2 645 641 637 Deconstructing heterosexism: becoming an LGB affirmative heterosexual couple and family therapist Contempt and defensiveness in couple relationships related to childhood sexual abuse histories for self and partner Steve De Shazer and the future of solution-focused therapy 33:3 FUTURE SUBMISSIONS: A FEW HOPES While the articles in JMFT have been excellent, I’d like to see more submissions on the intersection of medicine and family therapy, cost-benefit analyses (that include both costs of treatment and indications of outcome), and the applications of family therapy to important problems such as homelessness (e.g., Fraenkel, Hameline & Shannon, 2009), substance abuse (e.g., Rowe, 2012), trauma (e.g., Catani, Schauer & Neuner, 2008), intimate partner violence (e.g., Schacht, Dimidjian, George & Berns, 2009), and infidelity (e.g., Whitty & Quigley, 2008). I am also interested in applications of promising interventions, such as mindfulness (e.g., Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell & Rogge, 2007) and attachment-based therapies (e.g., MacIntosh & Johnson, 2008), as well as Internet-related problems and treatments (e.g., Goldberg, Peterson, Rosen & Sara, 2008). Of course, culturally sensitive practice around gender, race, sexual orientation, and class remains an important topic for JMFT (e.g., Winston & Piercy, 2010). Citation data also reflect that our readers are particularly interested in common factors in family therapy research and practice (e.g., Simon, 2012), so I would like to see additional articles on common factors, as well. I am also looking for articles that I can include under a “professional development” heading. Examples of some that are currently under development include introductions to grant writing, dyadic statistical analyses, cultural adaptation of research, collaborative doctoral family therapy program development, nonreactive physiological measures in family therapy research, and empirically validated family therapies. Regardless of topic, though, JMFT articles should be high on two dimensions, quality and meaningfulness. The “quality” dimension includes rigor, statistical sophistication, excellent writing, compelling conceptualization, and methodological soundness. However, high quality is not enough. An article should also be meaningful. That is, it should be useful in teaching, research, practice, or theory development. It should make a difference and potentially move the field ahead. If you are not sure about whether or not a particular topic fits JMFT, email me (FP) at piercy@vt.edu. I would be happy to respond to your questions. APPRECIATION As journal editor, I am fortunate to have the collective wisdom of my Editorial Council, which includes Richard Bischoff, Jose Ruben Parra-Cardona, Jennifer Hodgson, Sandi Stith, and Joseph October 2012 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 701 Wetchler. These dedicated professionals serve as listening posts, devil’s advocates, and trusted friends. They help me shape policies, take up special initiatives, handle problems, provide counsel on how to make the journal more efficient and responsive to readers, and much more. They also manage papers that, because of dual relationships, I shouldn’t manage. While much of their work is in the background, they are clearly leaving their mark on the Journal. Dr. Megan Dolbin-MacNab continues as the JMFT Reviews Editor and works hard to bring quality up-to-date reviews to the readers of JMFT. Dr. Dolbin-MacNab and I appreciate all those who have written book reviews this year, including Valerie Glass, Jeff Todahl and James Huber. My administrative assistant for most of 2011–2012, Manjushree Palit, has also made a difference. As many of you have experienced, Manju has been organized, proactive, and respectful in all she did. She responded to requests immediately, and with the greatest professionalism. As the former editorial assistant of Family Relations, she came into this position with a wealth of experience from which we have all benefitted. My current administrative assistant, Hoa (pronounced “Wa”) Nguyen, is similarly professional, has a tireless work ethic, and brings her own considerable talents to this position. I think you will be impressed with Hoa. I would also like to recognize JMFT’s statistical consultant, Dr. Jyoti (Tina) Savla. As the field becomes more and more statistically sophisticated, statistical consultation becomes a necessary reality. I appreciate Tina’s expertise and support. The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy’s quality has a tremendous amount to do with the quality and dedication of the editorial board. This is why I want to thank the following editorial board members, who will rotate off the board in January, 2013, for their sustained service: Rhea Almeida, Harlene Anderson, Gonzalo Bacigalupe, David Baptiste, Steve Beach, Mark Butler, Gene Combs, James Cordova, Gary Diamond, Shelley Haddock, Kenneth Hardy, James Harper, Laurie Heatherington, Kat Hertlein, Margaret Keiley, Michael LaSala, Andres Nazario Jr, William Pinsof, Peter Rober, John Rolland, and Pat Tolan. They and the rest of our talented Editorial Advisory Board are listed on the current masthead. The quality of the editorial review process is also dependent on ad hoc reviewers giving of their time and talents. We thank those who served in this critical role between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012: Yudum Akyil, Melissa Alderferm, Ellen Amatea, Jared Anderson, Shayne Anderson, Joyce Arditti, Molly Arnold-Kuzmich, Deidre Ashton, Joan Atwood, Reza Bagherian, Don Baucom, Roy Bean, Alisa Beaver, Kristen Benson, Gary Bischof, James Bitter, Thomas Blume, Andrea Blumenthal, Monte Bobele, Kay Bradford, Brent Bradley, Andrew Brimhall, Tiffany Brown, Benjamin Caldwell, Anthony Chambers, Zenobia Chan, Jeff Chang, Ron Chenail, Pamela Clark, Shelley Clymer, Charles Cole, Elise Cole, Pat Cole, Jeffery Cotton, Jaclyn Cravens, Carissa D’Aniello, Sharon Danes, Becky Davenport, Shannon Dermer, Guy Diamond, Brian Distelberg, Crystal Duncan Lane, Jared DuPree, Jared Durtschi, Todd Edwards, Norman Epstein, Elisabeth Esmiol, Anthony Faber, Mariana Falconier, David Fenell, Stephen Fife, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Michael Fitzpatrick, Jill Freedman, Brandt Gardner, Shawn Giammattei, Barry Ginsberg, Sam Gladding, Valerie Glass, Rhonda Goldman, Esther Gomez-Gil, Annabelle Goodwin, Erika Grafsky, Mary Green, Chris Habben, Kim Halford, Karen Helmeke, Branden Henline, Jim Hibel, Brian Higginbotham, Kendal Holtrop, Lisa Hooper, Alan Hovestadt, Angela Huebner, Eric Johnson, Kathleen Johnson, Gunnur Karakurt, Margaret Keeling, Kyle Killian, Harriet Kiviat, Iva Kocutic, Bruce Kuehl, Tracey Laszloffy, Martha Laughlin, Robert Lee, Hanna Levenson, Zephon Lister, Ting Liu, Walter Lowe, Kevin Lyness, David Mackinnon, Judy Makinen, Jay Mancini, Lydia Marek, Howard Markman, Martha Marquez, Jenn Matheson, Jennifer McComb, Christi McGeorge, Carole McNamee, Marianne Miller, James Morris, David Moultrup, Nancy Murdock, Megan Murphy, Rajeswari Natrajan-Tyagi, Bill Northey, Megan Oka, Jesse Owen, Trent Parker, Susan Perkins, Linda Perosa, Sandra Perosa, Warrick Phipps, Shruti Poulsen, Keeley Pratt, Anne Prouty, Karen Quek, Anne Rambo, Julie Ramisch, Wendel Ray, Janine Roberts, Jonathan Sandberg, Ryan Seedall, Lin Shi, George Simon, Muriel Singer, Sara Smock, Alexander Solomon, Jacqueline Sparks, Paul Springer, Scott Stanley, Rachel Tambling, Jeff Todahl, Todd Tracy, Donna Tonrey, Glade Topham, Michael Ungar, Hanna Van Parys, Sherry Walling, Linda Wark, Ronald Werner-Wilson, Sarah Whitton, Kirstee Williams, Lee Williams, Katherine Wilson, Jon Winek, Ebony Winston, Andrea Wittenborn, and Nathan Wood. 702 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY October 2012 I would also like to acknowledge the following doctoral apprentice reviewers for their fine contributions to the review process: Matt Brown, Winnie Chang, Ruoxi Chen, Lindsay Edwards, Scott Huff, Jacob Johnson, Cammy Kiely, Darren Moore, Lyn Moore, Aaron Norton, Manjushree Palit, Kristi Palmer, Janet Robertson, Kristy Soloski, Laura Sudano, Alison Wong, and Daniel Zomerlei. In sum, the quality of JMFT is a reflection of the dedication of all those who review, evaluate, and suggest improvements to our authors and editors. Given the importance of our reviewers, we are pleased to recognize the best of the best reviews through our JMFT Reviewer of the Year Award (sponsored by Wiley-Blackwell Publishers). This year there are four JMFT Reviewers of the Year. They are David Baptiste, Andy Brimhall, Elisabeth Esmiol, and Bill Pinsof. We will honor them at the annual JMFT Editorial Board meeting at the September AAMFT Conference where we will present them with certificates and special tokens of appreciation. The journal also continues to prosper because of our positive relationship with Wiley-Blackwell, our publisher. We continue to receive excellent support and guidance from the Wiley-Blackwell marketing and production team including Margaret Zusky, Associate Publisher; Jennifer Churchill, Production Editor; Jill Yablonski, Product Manager; Elizabeth Boyle, Editorial Assistant, Journals of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Sonia Wilson, Electronic Editorial Office Manager. The staff of AAMFT continues to provide the support and assistance the journal needs to be a world class publication. I’ve particularly appreciated the support of Executive Director Michael Bowers. REFERENCES Barnes, S., Brown, K. W., Krusemark, E., Campbell, W. K., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33, 482–500. Catani, C., Schauer, E., & Neuner, F. (2008). Beyond individual war trauma: domestic violence against children in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 165–176. Fraenkel, P., Hameline, T., & Shannon, M. (2009). Narrative and collaborative practices in work with families that are homeless. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 35(3), 325–342. Goldberg, P. D., Peterson, B. D., Rosen, K. H., & Sara, M. L. (2008). Cybersex: the impact of a contemporary problem on the practices of marriage and family therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 469–480. MacIntosh, H. B., & Johnson, S. (2008). Emotionally focused therapy for couples and childhood sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 298–315. Rowe, C. (2012). Family therapy for drug abuse: review and updates 2003–2010. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 38(1), 59–81. Schacht, R. L., Dimidjian, S., George, W. H., & Berns, S. B. (2009). Domestic violence assessment procedures among couple therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 35, 47–59. Simon, G. M. (2012). The role of the therapist in common factors: continuing the dialogue. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38, 1–7. Whitty, M. T., & Quigley, L.-L. (2008). Emotional and sexual infidelity offline and in cyberspace. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 461–468. Winston, E. J., & Piercy, F. P. (2010). Gender and diversity topics taught in commission on accreditation for marriage and family therapy education programs. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 36, 446–471. October 2012 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 703