About the Journal
Focus and Scope
The Journal of Foster Care (JFC) is a peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication dedicated to the dissemination of quality scholarly works encompassing all areas of foster care, kinship care, and other non-parental custodial environments in the United States. As the only US-based journal specifically focused on this vulnerable population, JFC hopes to act as a change agent for a system in crisis. JFC accepts manuscripts in the areas of health, education, psychology, counseling, treatment, abuse and neglect, transition, legal, policy, career, parental education and training, and outcomes. JFC seeks empirical research studies, critical review, editorials, program and initiative reporting, and professional practice articles to encompass all facets of the foster care system so they may be examined and discussed. JFC continually publishes all papers as soon as they are proofed so that the information is provided to the foster care community as quickly as possible and there are no fees for publication or access. JFC welcomes submissions of the highest quality, reflecting a wide range of perspectives, topics, contexts, and methods, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work.
Peer Review Process
The Journal of Foster Care is committed to peer-review integrity and upholding the highest standards of review. The Editors evaluate all submitted manuscripts for suitability. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, have poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the minimum criteria are normally passed on to at least 2 experts for review.
JFC employs double blind review process, where both the referee and author remain anonymous.
Whenever possible, referees are matched to the paper according to their expertise (and our referee database is constantly being updated). Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript is: original, methodologically sound, follows appropriate research ethical guidelines, has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions, and finally correct references of previous relevant works. Language correction is not part of the peer review process, but referees may, if so wish, suggest corrections to the manuscript.
Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Sponsors
The JRC editorial board would like to thank the following organizations for their support:
