Mentoring Journal Manuscript Reviewers Using a Competency-Based Approach: The Next Developmental Stage for the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings.

ABSTRACT

Founded in 1994, The Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings (JCPMS) has paralleled the development of psychology's role in health care as well as contributing to its growth in science, services, and education in medical settings. JCPMS provides an essential, unique publishing outlet for health service psychology as represented by the recognized psychological specialties in those settings. At this point in its development, The Journal has turned its attention to generativity and contributing further to the field by helping prepare the next generation of journal manuscript reviewers and future psychological scientists. A brief developmental history of The Journal and its relationship to the evolution of health service psychology is offered followed by a description of a task-specific mentoring process for a new generation of manuscript reviewers. Building on work by other authors, a competency-based model is used to rearrange previously published guidance into categories of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become a competent manuscript reviewer. General competencies are described within each of those categories as well as specific behavioral anchors that a mentee must master in order to carry out a competent review.