VECAP Journal

The Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals Journal is the official peer-reviewed publication of VECAP. The purpose of the Journal is to advance knowledge and practices in the fields of vocational evaluation, career assessment, and work adjustment (Scroll down for archives of the VECAP Journal).

General Call for Papers
Vocational Evaluation and Career
Assessment Professionals (VECAP) Journal

The VECAP Journal is a peer-reviewed journal that aims to advance the knowledge and practice in all areas of career assessment, vocational evaluation, and work adjustment by publishing evidenced-based research as well as conceptual papers, case studies, assessment tool reviews, policy briefs, reaction papers, and brief reports (e.g.,
interesting, or new ideas; pilot projects).

The variety of paper types is deliberate for welcoming a wide range of authors including (but not limited to) academics, service providers, and students. Additionally, authors representing various professions and settings are encouraged to submit (e.g., vocational evaluation, rehabilitation counseling, career assessment, additional
counseling specialties, special education, allied health).

The VECAP Journal is uniquely positioned to reach both academics and service providers and authors benefit from this exposure. Upon publication, the VECAP Journal is immediately distributed to all VECAP members. Additionally, the Journal is indexed with Crossref, which allows for each paper to have a unique Digital Object Identifier to
further increase discoverability of content. Finally, sometime after publication, accepted manuscripts will be posted to the VECAP website to encourage additional exposure for authors.

At this time, there are no fees to authors associated with publishing in the Journal.

Paper Submission Procedures

A complete submission includes three main components: (1) Paper, (2) Cover letter, and (3) Author bios. These materials must be e-mailed to Amanda McCarthy, Editor-in-Chief, amccarthy@niu.edu.

1) Paper: With your submission, please include a deidentified copy of the paper prepared according to the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Please be sure to remove author names and identifying information from the title page and from the paper. Please include an abstract and keywords in this paper document. Any tables or figures should be included in this paper document. The paper must be submitted electronically in one Microsoft Word document.

2) Cover Letter: On a separate document from the paper (or in an e-mail) include a brief cover letter describing the paper, it’s significance, and it’s fit for the VECAP Journal. In the cover letter (or e-mail), also confirm that you agree to the VECAP Journal Author Agreement (which is listed out below):

Agree to obtain written permission and pay fees for materials (e.g., tables, charts, art work) from other source(s) that are included in the paper.
Confirm the paper is not published in or submitted for publication to another periodical.
Agree that the copyright for the paper is transferred to the publisher if and when the paper is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the paper without permission in writing from the author(s).
Confirm that the work was completed in compliance with all relevant ethical and professional standards (e.g., no gift authorship, no fabrication of results, ect).
Confirms that the manuscript meets submission standards

3) Author Bios: On a separate document from the paper and cover letter, please submit brief author(s) biography that would be published with the paper, if the paper is selected for publication. These bios are typically a few sentences long for each author.

Again, in the end, you will be submitting three things: 1) Paper, 2) Cover letter, and 3) Author bios. After submission, you will receive confirmation of receipt within 5 days of submission (not including holidays or weekends). For information on the status of your paper or questions about the Journal please contact Amanda McCarthy, Editor-in-
Chief, amccarthy@niu.edu

Descriptions of Paper Types

To further assist prospective authors, the descriptions of the types of Papers consider for publication are provided.

Research Papers (peer reviewed)
Research Papers provide new research results related to vocational evaluation, career assessment, or work adjustment. Research Papers generally consist of an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references. Quantitative (e.g. statistical analysis of original or secondary data), qualitative (focus groups, interviews, or similar), and mix methods projects are welcome.

Review Papers (peer reviewed)
Review Papers assemble many different papers on a specific subject into an articulate narrative about vocational evaluation, career assessment, or work adjustment.

Case studies
Case studies is a report of a single case/client. This is a popular form of manuscript among practitioners of vocational evaluation, career assessment, work adjustment, and related fields. Case studies typically draw from the author’s experience with cases/clients that are deemed interesting or unusual. Case studies must provide sufficient references.

Test, book, or work sample reviews (peer reviewed)
A test, book, or work sample review provides a detailed description and analysis of a standardized test, work sample, or book used in vocational evaluation, career assessment, work adjustment, and related fields.

Policy briefs (up to 3,500, peer reviewed)
A policy brief is an analysis of a proposed, new, or existing policy that focuses on thebackground of a policy issue, the details of the policy, and its real or predicted impact.

Reactions (up to 3,500 words, not peer reviewed)
Reaction Papers are opinions on content published in the journal. If a reaction is found acceptable, a copy will be sent to the author of the original Paper and the author of the original Paper will have an opportunity to provide a response, with new material, that will be considered for publication along with the reaction Paper.

Brief Reports (peer reviewed)
Brief reports describe interesting new ideas or innovations in vocational evaluation, career assessment, work adjustment, or related fields, works in progress, or concise reports of small pilot research studies that are not sufficiently developed to be published as research Papers

I hope you consider submitting your paper to the VECAP Journal.

Editorial Review Board

The Editorial Review Board of VECAP Journal consists of vocational evaluation and career assessment educators and practitioners who provide a broad range of settings and expertise. We aim to match the content of the submission to the expertise of the reviewers as much as possible. If you are interested in applying to be on the Editorial
Review Board for the VECAP Journal, please contact the Editor-in-Chief at amccarthy@niu.edu for more information.

Best,
Amanda McCarthy, Ed.D., CRC, CVE, LCPC (IL)
Editor-in-Chief, VECAP Journal
Associate Professor
Northern Illinois University
amccarthy@niu.edu

Archived Journals (most recent listed first)