Next year, we will publish the 15th volume of the Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology [SJCAPP]. We are pleased to see the continued development of the journal and the steady interest from authors around the world.
From the beginning, when the idea for the journal was shaped in the Norwegian mountains, the Swedish forests, and during summers in Denmark, the aim has been to develop a journal dedicated to child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology. The journal remains the only one in the Nordic countries with this specific combined youth psychiatry and psychology focus. Much of the work has been carried out by a small group of editors, working voluntarily and in their spare time. At the same time, the journal is supported by a strong international editorial board, which has been important for its academic development and international profile.
We are grateful to the authors who continue to submit manuscripts to the journal on a regular basis. We are also grateful to the reviewers who contribute their expertise and time, without whom the journal could not function.
This year, the journal's impact factor increased by 40%. We have also entered into a new agreement with our publisher, Paradigm. This agreement gives the journal and its authors better support and clearer services. A development plan has been agreed upon, with a focus on increasing the impact factor over time and adding the journal to further indexing databases.
As SJCAPP develops, we will continue to priorities rigorous peer review, methodological quality, clinical relevance, and accessibility for researchers in the field.
We will also be able to offer authors free English-language editing, and we expect the editorial process to become smoother and faster. As a result of these changes, the article processing charge will increase to 800 euros from August 1st. The increase is intended to support concrete author services, language editing, technical production, indexing work, and a more efficient editorial process.
The new article processing charge remains lower than many comparable journals. The editorial work and peer review continue to be unpaid. Our aim is to keep the article processing charge as low as possible while continuing to develop the journal and its services. We will also be able to offer a limited number of APC waivers.
The journal is built on voluntary academic work and a shared wish to support child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology in the Nordic countries and internationally.
The need for high-quality research in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology remains clear. Many children and adolescents in the Nordic countries and internationally struggle with psychological and psychiatric problems, and journals such as SJCAPP have an important role to play in supporting and disseminating research in the field.
Our aim is to develop SJCAPP further while keeping its core identity: a clinically relevant and methodologically serious journal with a Nordic base and an international outlook. We want the journal to remain a place where research can be published and read by those working close to children, adolescents, and families.
We hope that authors, reviewers, and readers will continue to support SJCAPP in this next phase of its development.