The Journal of College Student Development (JCSD)

In the July/August 2011 issue of the Journal of Higher Education, ACPA's premier publication, THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (JCSD) is ranked fourth among 50 Tier One journals in higher education. In a study by Nathaniel Bray and Claire Major, 106 out of 144 respondents reported that they read JCSD, and more than half of them cited JCSD in their work. This report continues JCSD's streak as the highest ranked journal in student affairs.

The Journal of College Student Development (JCSD) is one of the world’s leading journals on higher education. Subscribers include the members of ACPA-College Student Educators International, individuals (subscriptions available through Johns Hopkins University Press), and academic libraries (as JCSD or Project Muse subscribers). JCSD is included in numerous research databases including the Social Science Citation Index, where JCSD is one of only five U.S. and international higher education journals indexed.

Charles L. Lewis served as the first editor of JCSD (then known as the Journal of College Student Personnel) from 1959 through 1964. During its history, JCSD has been led by nine editors and 20 associate editors.

JCSD receives approximately 400 full-length manuscript submissions per year and currently accepts between 7-9% for publication. JCSD receives national and international manuscript submissions from a wide range of academic fields including student affairs, higher education, sociology, psychology, social work, nursing, business administration, and health sciences.

Submissions to the Journal must be masked to facilitate blind review (please refer to the Submissions link and the Guidelines for Authors) and are reviewed by at least two Editorial Board members and the Editor. Approximately 50 Editorial Board members with extensive scholarly expertise and experience in a number of fields review manuscripts for JCSD. Board members are chosen for three-year terms through a nomination and application process (please refer to the Editorial Board link). The ACPA Governing Board selects the JCSD Editor via a nomination and application process. Additional information can be found here.

John M. Braxton, Editor 
Journal of College Student Development
Peabody College
Vanderbilt University