VISTAS 2011 FAQs
Guidelines for Submitting Papers for VISTAS 2011
VISTAS 2011: An Overview
Will there be a print publication of VISTAS 2011?
No. VISTAS 2011 will be a digital publication, presented in the format of an electronic book in the VISTAS Online database. Each VISTAS 2011 article will also be entered as a separate file in the ACA online library.
What is the deadline for VISTAS 2011?
The deadline for a submission to be peer-reviewed and considered for inclusion in the 2011 digital publication is November 1, 2010.
Do authors have to be ACA members?
The lead author must be a current ACA member.
Can papers from past conferences be submitted?
Yes. In fact, papers no longer need to be based on any conference program. If you have a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience, and want to share your knowledge and resources with other counseling professionals, you are invited to prepare a paper for submission to VISTAS 2011.
Will my paper be edited?
Papers accepted for VISTAS 2011 will be lightly edited to insure a high level of quality. However, authors are expected to submit papers that are well written in APA style and contain valid and useful information. It is our intent not to pride ourselves in a high rejection rate, but to accept all papers that are worthy of publication and to help authors prepare their papers in a suitable format. This means that, if your article is accepted "provisionally," you will be requested to provide further clarification or information as needed and may be asked to revise specific sections. It will be important for you to meet the deadline stated in these requests. Otherwise, we will not be able to include your paper in VISTAS 2011 . [Similarly, issues are occasionally found in accepted articles which also must be addressed by the online publication date.]
In what person should VISTAS papers be written?
We prefer to receive papers written in third person, i.e., not as a personal narrative.
What will happen if I submit an author biography that is longer than requested?
We reserve the right to modify author biographies that do not conform to the requested format.
Can VISTAS papers be published elsewhere?
Papers selected for inclusion in VISTAS 2011 will be copyrighted by ACA. A release form, granting copyright permission to ACA will be forwarded to authors upon acceptance of their papers. The form must be signed and returned before the article can be included in VISTAS 2011. This copyright will not preclude authors from submitting a similar paper (e.g., expanded or with a different emphasis) to other potential publishers.However, you might want to check with the journal editor first. Some journals won't accept articles on the same study or specific topic even if they are different in content.
ACA Copyright Transfer form
Is VISTAS 2011 a refereed publication?
Yes. All papers included in VISTAS 2011 will be reviewed and selected by a peer review panel of professional leaders, scholars, and subject matter specialists. The review process meets accepted professional standards of being a referred publication as defined in Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities: Psychology and Psychiatry, 2007-2008.
What are reprint and copyright procedures?
- Educational Use : You are welcome to copy this article for educational purposes, but please cite the source, e.g., an APA reference citation followed by, “Reprinted with permission from ACA for educational purposes only.”
- For Profit Publication: Contact the American Counseling Association for reprint permission. You'll find a staff directory at: http://www.counseling.org/AboutUs/Staff/TP/Home/CT2.aspx
How are VISTAS Online articles accessed?
There are two ways in which VISTAS articles can be accessed. The quickest way is to access the VISTAS Online home page as follows:
- Access the ACA home page (www.counseling.org).
- Click the “Resources” tab at the top of the page.
- Scroll to the bottom and click “VISTAS Online page.”
- VISTAS Online is an easy-to-use menu-driven database that allows you to search by title, author, or subject within each year of VISTAS production. Additionally, you can search by subject across all years.
VISTAS articles are also entered individually in the ACA Online Library, which is accessible only to ACA members. Thus, relevant VISTAS articles will appear along with other resources when library users search for resources on a specific topic or by a specific author. In addition, users can specify to search only for VISTAS articles.
Can previously published articles be submitted to VISTAS?
We cannot accept articles that are copyrighted by another publisher. However, we strongly encourage you to write a new article that focuses particularly on the practical implications that can be drawn from the content of your previous written work(s).
What is VISTAS?
VISTAS began as a print and CD publication that attempted to capture the professional and practical wisdom of presenters at the 2004 ACA Annual Convention in Kansas City. It remains a dynamic project as we navigate the expanding opportunities offered by technology. The goal of VISTAS, as described in VISTAS: Perspectives on Counseling 2004 (Walz & Yep, 2004, p. ix) is to build a, “user –driven ACA-sponsored database of counseling resources that will capture the best ideas and practices of ACA members.” We further defined VISTAS on our homepage as “an innovative publication produced for ACA by Counseling Outfitters, LLC (Garry R. Walz and Jeanne C. Bleuer) as a means of capturing the ideas, information, and experiences generated by the annual ACA conventions.” We are excited to announce that in 2010 we will expand VISTAS to include papers not based on program presentations.
We are always working to streamline and improve the VISTAS submission and review process as well as the nature of the database of counseling resources that has been developed. Therefore, small variations in procedures have occurred from year to year in the past – and will probably continue in the future.
Is VISTAS a book, a journal, a database?
VISTAS 2004 and 2005 existed primarily as a print publication. In 2006, a smaller print publication was produced, but was supplemented by additional online-only selections. In 2007, an online-only publication was produced; while in 2008 and 2009, both a book and online-only articles were selected. VISTAS has never existed as a print journal and does not have the narrow topical focus common to most journals. It can also be viewed as a database reflecting topics of interest as gleaned largely through annual convention presentations. Contributors are primarily professional counselors in all settings, counselor educators and supervisors, graduate students, and program administrators.
How are VISTAS articles selected?
Due to the dynamic nature of VISTAS, the selection process has varied by year. Most articles have been solicited from ACA annual conferences. As VISTAS has evolved, we have also been able to solicit annual NCDA conferences as well as biennial ACES conferences. VISTAS 2004 articles underwent a rigorous peer-review process. Papers from 2005 – 2007 underwent editorial selection and, thus, can be compared to having a chapter included in an edited book. In 2008 - 2009, the combination of print and online-only articles continued while the review process increased in rigor to a blind peer-review process. This process is now our standard procedure.
