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The Wisconsin Counseling Journal (WCJ) is the official journal of the Wisconsin Counseling Association. The WCJ welcomes papers using diverse methodologies, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The WCJ places emphasis on original research, but will consider conceptual articles (e.g., position papers, innovative program development, case studies). Relevant topics include descriptions of techniques, strategies, skills, and activities that have been developed and/or implemented by counselors. Manuscripts are also welcome that focus on ways in which counselors can continue to enhance their professional identities or outline contemporary issues that Wisconsin counselors may face.



Manuscripts are accepted on a rolling deadline and can be submitted via our WCA Email at wisconsincounseling@gmail.com. WCJ is published on a yearly basis and is indexed by EBSCO. We are currently accepting manuscripts for the 2025 WCJ.

Author Guidelines

General

All manuscripts should use 12-point Times New Roman font, be double spaced including references and extensive quotes, allow 1" margins on all sides, and include an abstract of 50-100 words.


Authors must use the guidelines established by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) as the manual for style and manuscript format, including style for all figures, tables, and references. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references, tables, and figures.
Authors are encouraged to use active rather than passive voice whenever possible. Moreover, authors are encouraged to use guidelines to reduce bias in language against persons on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic group, disability, or age by referring to the seventh edition of the Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association.
Lengthy quotations (300-500 words) require written permission from the copyright holder for reproduction. This permission must accompany the manuscript.

Manuscripts must be 3,000-5,000 words.

Title

A separate first page of the document should include the title(and no identifying information).

Abstract

A separate second page of the document should include an abstract describing the article in 50-100 words.

Body

  • All manuscripts begin with an untitled introduction, which should include a rationale that supports the significance and/or clarifies how the manuscript contributes to the field of professional counseling. It may consist of a statement of the major questions or issues addressed and their importance. This is followed by a brief review of the pertinent literature and a statement regarding how the current article addresses questions and ambiguities that the literature has not answered.
  • Empirical studies will continue with detailed method sections, followed by results/discussion (including limitations and suggestions for future research).
  • Innovative methods manuscripts will continue with descriptive method sections, followed by a discussion section (including limitations), and an implications or practical application section.
  • Position papers will continue with various section headings to be determined by the focus of the paper, followed by a discussion section, and an implications or practical application section. Some position papers may focus on a review of the literature regarding a given topic or theme.
  • References found in the body of the manuscript should follow APA guidelines. Some examples follow; underlines represent examples and would not be used in an actual manuscript. References cited at the end of a sentence use the author-date method of citation, inserting the author’s surname and year of publication (Jackson, 2001). Authors should use “and” when there are two or more authors cited within a sentence, according to Anderson and Wilson (2009); however, authors should use an ampersand (&) for parenthetical citations in text (Anderson & Wilson, 2009). If a work has more than two, list only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the date. For more reference information, refer to the APA Publication Manual.



References


  • References should be listed in alphabetical order on a separate page titled “References” immediately following the body of the manuscript. Be sure all references are cited in both the text and the reference list.
  • Names of author(s). List names of all authors with surnames first followed by the initials for the first and middle names. Use an ampersand (&) when there are two or more authors and use a comma to separate the names.
  • Date of Publication (in parentheses).
  • Article title. Capitalize only the first word of the title and of the subtitle. Do not underline or use quotation marks.
  • Journal title and publication information. Italicize the full title and volume number of the journal. Always include page numbers in references to quotations or specific sections of a book. For more reference information, refer to the APA Publication Manual.

Figures & Tables 


  • Include each figure and/or table on their own page within the manuscript. Adaptation of tables and figures also requires reproduction approval. It is the author’s responsibility to secure such permission. A copy of the publisher’s permission must be provided to the journal Editor immediately on acceptance of the article for publication.


Biographical Statement(in separate document)

 

  • In a document separate from the manuscript, include the following:
    • Name, Location, Affiliation
    • Then include a biographical statement for each author that describes professionally related information, for example: job title, work setting, professional counseling related interests, and any specializations or expertise.

*Author information will be excluded for the review process.