Anxiety, Stress, &
Coping
Featured Journal Interview
According to a recent analysis of
Essential Science IndicatorsSMdata
from
Thomson
Reuters, the journal Anxiety, Stress, &
Coping is having an
increasing impact in the field of Psychiatry &
Psychology. The journal's record in the database
includes 271 papers cited a total of 1,163 times
between January 1, 1999 and April 30, 2009.
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping is published by the
Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Stress and
Anxiety Research Society.
In the interview
below,
ScienceWatch.com
talks with editors-in-chief Joachim Stoeber and Aleksandra
Luszczynska about the journal's publication history and
citation impact.
Did you expect Anxiety, Stress, &
Coping to become highly cited, or is this surprising to
you?
No, this is not surprising. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
(ASC) focuses on publishing new empirical research findings that
make a significant contribution to the psychology of anxiety, stress,
coping, and associated characteristics, outcomes, and processes.
Consequently, research published in ASC is highly relevant for
many areas that investigate how to improve people's quality of life and
help them cope with anxiety, stress, and trauma—which is also a major
aim of psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine research.
How would you account for the increased citation rate of
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping?
"Anxiety, stress, and coping have
long been central issues in psychological
research having high relevance for
psychiatric research."
Starting in 2007, we made a number of important changes concerning all
aspects of the publishing process, from manuscript submission to final
publication. First, regarding manuscript submission, all manuscript
submissions are processed online including all reviews and editorial
decision. This has greatly increased the speed of the review process
(usually authors receive an editorial decision in less than seven weeks
after submission). In addition, once accepted, a manuscript will be sent
directly to production.
Was there a change in policy or editorial direction that
might account for this?
No, there was no change in policy or editorial directions. ASC has
always published high-quality research making a significant contribution to
the understanding of anxiety, stress, and coping across disciplines. But
over the last two years, thanks to the support from Taylor & Francis,
ASC has become faster, more visible, and more accessible.
What historical factors have contributed to the success
of Anxiety, Stress, & Coping?
"Anxiety, Stress, &
Coping (ASC) focuses on publishing new
empirical research findings that make a
significant contribution to the psychology of
anxiety, stress, coping, and associated
characteristics, outcomes, and
processes."
We are not sure if any historical factors have contributed to the increased
success of ASC. Anxiety, stress, and coping have long been central
issues in psychological research having high relevance for psychiatric
research. However, over the last years, ASC has published more
articles related to coping with health problems and with trauma (including
studies that focus on physiological mechanisms). Moreover, in the last two
years, we published more articles related to anxiety disorders.
Have there been specific developments in the fields
served by Anxiety, Stress, & Coping that may have
contributed?
One major development that we are sure has contributed to the increased
success of ASC is the establishment of health psychology as a
major field of applied psychological research.
What, in your view, is this journal's main significance
or contribution in the field of Psychiatry & Psychology?
In our view, the main contribution of ASC is that it is a
psychological journal that provides a platform for researchers from
different disciplines who are interested in furthering our understanding of
anxiety, stress, coping, and associated characteristics, bio-psycho-social
processes, and outcomes to exchange new and exciting findings.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few
years?
For the future, we expect to see a rise in publications related to
neuroscience of anxiety, stress, and coping.
What role do you see for your journal?
Psychology and psychiatry are ever developing fields, and we are sure that
the future will see further exciting developments. In these developments,
anxiety, stress, and coping will continue to be of central interest for
major areas of psychology and psychiatry. We expect that Anxiety,
Stress, & Coping will continue to play an important role in
providing researchers with a platform to publish and discuss their
findings.
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping Joachim Stoeber &
Aleksandra Luszczynska, editors-in-chief
Taylor & Francis Group, publishers on behalf of the Stress and Anxiety
Research Society