VISTAS Author FAQs
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Do authors have to be ACA members?
The lead author must be a current ACA member.
What is the deadline for VISTAS 2012?
The deadline for a submission to be peer-reviewed and considered for inclusion in the 2012 digital publication is November 1, 2011.
Will there be a print publication of VISTAS 2012?
VISTAS is a refereed electronic monograph produced annually. In 2010, VISTAS became a totally digital publication, presented in the format of an electronic book in the VISTAS Online database. Each VISTAS 2012 article will also be entered as a separate file in the ACA online library.
What are the benefits of publishing my work in VISTAS?
Many VISTAS authors are already well known voices in their fields and have published in multiple venues. They choose to add VISTAS to their repertoire of scholarly outlets for many reasons. The review process is rigorous —a rticles are selected by a peer review panel of ACA professional leaders, scholars, and subject matter specialists; the selection process meets the established guidelines for peer reviewed/refereed publications—but the format is flexible. It is an excellent means for assuring that the knowledge and resources you have presented at a conference reach an audience far beyond those who were able to attend your program.
Many professionals are committed to the practical focus of VISTAS, the counselor as scholar-practitioner focus, and the easy to retrieve format. Additional professional benefits are an opportunity to be included in ACA’s professional counseling online library—the largest and most up-to-date database of counseling resources available—and an annual VISTAS Author reception at the ACA conference which offers excellent networking opportunities.
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 2012.
Will my paper be edited?
Papers accepted for VISTAS 2012 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 2012 . [Similarly, issues are occasionally found in accepted articles which also must be addressed by stated deadlines.]
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 2012 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 2012. ACA Copyright Transfer form
Is VISTAS 2012 a refereed publication?
Yes. All papers included in VISTAS 2012 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 refereed 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 expanded 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 is a refereed electronic monograph published annually by Counseling Outfitters under the leadership of the American Counseling Association.
VISTAS has evolved over time to become an electronic monograph. 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?
VISTAS articles are selected by panel of counseling leaders and professionals through a blind review process.
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. AMHCA, ASERVIC, and AACE are our newest division additions as we strive to reach as many counselors as possible. 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.
Do you provide an acceptance rate for VISTAS?
VISTAS is an ACA product designed to support scholarship in all areas of counseling by counselors in all settings. Since VISTAS’ inception it has been carefully vetted and reviewed by leading practioners, educators, supervisors, and thinkers. It is not, however, to be thought of in the same way that a journal in a particular discipline might be considered. Therefore it poses a dilemma when we are asked to publish a rejection rate associated with publication. Unfortunately, as VISTAS has evolved over the years, this number has been complex to tease out: our process has moved from invited articles, to editorial selection of already accepted conference papers, to dual print/online peer review, and finally to our current electronic monograph peer review panel process. This latter process is our current standard and has been in place for several years.
The annual nature of the VISTAS electronic monograph has condensed what a journal might call a reject and resubmit process; rather we use a provisional process. This allows authors to take reviewer feedback and rework articles, essentially beginning a sub-process that might play out very differently in other venues – and be counted differently. We feel obligated to report a number for our authors who have worked so diligently to add value to counseling scholarship, but we do not feel that this number is an accurate reflection of VISTAS. We could say that over the past years as VISTAS has streamlined into its current form that our acceptance rate could be averaged to a generalized 64% acceptance rate. This number would increase somewhat if we then went back and reworked the numbers to include “provisional” revised and resubmitted papers.
What is the Special “By-Invitation-Only” VISTAS Authors’ Reception?
Each year, ACA recognizes and honors VISTAS authors for the valuable contributions they make to the knowledge base of the counseling profession by inviting them to a special reception at the ACA National Conference. Authors have an opportunity to network with one another and to meet ACA’s current officers and directors. (See photos of previous receptions at http://counselingoutfitters.com/outfitters/VISTAS_News.htm) The invitation is extended to all authors whose papers have been accepted (including those accepted on the condition that requested revisions are completed). Due to the timing of the annual conference, the reception usually occurs before the final editing of the papers has been completed. Being invited to the reception does not guarantee that your paper will be input into VISTAS. For inclusion in VISTAS, you must follow through with changes and/or additional information requested by the editors.
