The University Libraries publishes 10 open access journals for faculty and students associated with Ball State University.  The editors for the Journal for Social Action in Counseling Psychology (JSACP) were interested in having articles indexed in the online resource APA PsycInfo.  According to the American Psychological Association (APA) web site, APA PsycInfo is “the premier abstracting and indexing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology.”  

In September, an application was submitted to APA for inclusion in APA PsycInfo.  In November this year, the good news that the application was accepted was received.  Indexing of JSACP articles will begin 2025.  The rigor of the double-blind peer review process and the implementation of other best practices for open access journal publishing help secure this outcome.  Editors Larry Gerstein, George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology-Counseling, Ball State University, and Giuseppina (Pina) Marsico, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy, were thrilled to learn this news.  

The Journal for Social Action in Counseling Psychology is published by the Ball State University Libraries and the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies and is sponsored by Counselors for Social Justice and Psychologists for Social Responsibility. Having organizational sponsorship helped with the application process. 

The application process was monitored and guided by Katie Bohnert, Open Access Publishing and Web Hosting Specialist, in the University Libraries.  Katie manages the Open Journal System platform where JSACP and 9 other academic journals are hosted.   JSACP and other open access journals are available at https://openjournals.bsu.edu/