April 23, 2007
New journal serves rehabilitation professionals
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The first issue of a new journal aimed at providing practical information for those who work in the rehabilitation field rolls off the presses later this month.
The "Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal" will contain peer-reviewed research, feature articles, news, university profiles, guest columns, editorials, and book and software reviews among other topics twice each year.
"Our hope is that eventually we will end up being a quarterly," said Co-Editor D. Shane Koch, director of addictions studies for Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Rehabilitation Institute and editor of the "Journal of Teaching in the Addictions."
The idea for the new journal arose when members of the Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Association responded to a survey of member needs. Ray Feroz, professor of special education and rehabilitative sciences at Clarion University and the association's founder, asked Koch to join him in putting the journal together.
"He was my mentor in my graduate program — how could I say, 'No'?" Koch said, laughing.
Koch said the new journal and the one for which he already serves as editor-in-chief have created opportunities for his own graduate students.
"Quintin Boston and (D.) Gent Dotson, both first-year doctoral students, are working as assistant editors, and two master's students, Brian (C.) Ercoline and Warren (G.) Bowles (III), are editorial assistants — I don't think that happens very much, " Koch said.
"Without their help, I couldn't do this. And they get to know everybody and get publishing experience. It's very cool."