SESSION OVERVIEW
The Publisher’s Information Session at the 2026 Annual Council for the Study of Community Colleges Conference was moderated by Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and featured three publisher panelists representing journals focused on community colleges:
- Yu Chen, Louisiana State University, Community College Review;
- Amanda Latz, Ball State University, Community College Journal of Research and Practice; and
- Sue Kater, Idaho State University, New Directions for Community Colleges.
The panel also discussed a fourth journal, the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College (JARCC)
The session provided a great overview of considerations when exploring possible journals for submitting your work, including the following:
- Who is the publisher?
- Who comprises the readership?
- What is the typical acceptance rate?
- What are length and content guidelines?
- What type of publications are typical in terms of focus and
- What is the typical time to hear a decision? Time to publication?
- How is AI impacting reviewing and publishing scholarly papers?
- What are suggestions regarding style Guidelines
In addition, the session included discussion of broad themes related to dissemination, including the following:
- Impacts of AI
- Open access
- Dissemination strategies for making your work accessible
- Scholarly vs. practitioner perspectives
- Anonymizing institutions, projects, and individuals
Here is some background on these journals based on their websites.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE REVIEW
Community College Review (CCR) is published by Sage Publication in association with North Carolina State University. CCR Vision is “To be the national leader in publication of scholarly, peer-reviewed research and commentary on community colleges”.
Journal metrics from the CCR website indicate the following:
- First decision - 5 days
- Peer review - 109 days
- Submission to acceptance - 254 days
- Acceptance rate - 19.1%
- APA Style 7th edition
- Typical length - 25 to 30 pages double-spaced
- Submission types: qualitative and quantitative research reports, critical literature reviews, scholarly essays, and book reviews
- Open Access or Fees - No fees to submit or publish. Open access options available.
- Sample article with STEM focus:
- Navigating STEM Major and Transfer Destination Choices: Community College Student Experiences through the Lens of Practice Theory by Dana G. Holland Zahner
The Community College Journal of Research and Practice (CCJRP) is published by Taylor & Francis and has the state goal to be a “Forum for researchers and practitioners in higher education focusing on community college issues by exchanging ideas and empirically tested innovations.”
Journal metrics from the CCJRP website indicate the following:
- Submission to first decision - 42 days
- Acceptance to online publication - 24 days
- Acceptance rate - 25%
- Style - APA 7th edition
- Typical length
- Submission types
- Open access/fees - hybrid open access provides the option to publish open access. The Taylor & Francis open access cost finder produced a sample fee of $3,565 for publishing a research article in CCJRP for an author from the United States.
- Sample articles relevant to S-STEM projects:
- How Organizational Partnerships Spark Information Sharing in a Quest for Sustainable, Institutional Changeby Amy Jo Richardson, David B. Knight, and Walter C. Lee.
- Investigating Dynamic Transfer Processes Among STEM Majors by Heather Thiry.
- How Organizational Partnerships Spark Information Sharing in a Quest for Sustainable, Institutional Changeby Amy Jo Richardson, David B. Knight, and Walter C. Lee.
NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES
New Directions for Community Colleges (NDCC) is published by Wiley, supported by Jackson College, and edited by Susan T. Kater. NDCC “publishes practical recommendations on current trends in the field of community college education and includes contributions from community college leaders and researchers through evidence-based and research-oriented accounts that shape policy and practice”.
- Submission to first decision - 80 days
- Submission to acceptance - 144 days
- Acceptance to publication - 16 days
- Acceptance rate - 89%
- Open access/fees - If the author selects an open access option, there will be a fee of $3,124 if the submission is accepted and published in the journal.
- Sample article with STEM focus:
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The Journal of Applied Research in the Community College (JARCC) is sponsored by San Diego State University and published by Montezuma Publishing. The vision for the JARCC is
“To provide a forum for equity minded scholarship and practice briefs to be shared with community college practitioners and researchers in order to enhance institutional effectiveness, inclusive campus environments, reflexive leadership and equitable student outcomes.”
- Accepts Research Articles and Practice Briefs
- Style Guide - APA 7th edition
- Next call for manuscripts deadline - August 1, 2026
- Sample articles with STEM focus:
- Retaining Upward-Transfer Women in Computing Majors, by Jennifer M. Blaney, Northern Arizona University
- Family Matters: An Asset- Based Approach to How Families Shape Engineering Identity for Community College Students, by Brian D. Le, Sarah L. Rodriguez, and Maria L. Espino.
- Retaining Upward-Transfer Women in Computing Majors, by Jennifer M. Blaney, Northern Arizona University
The panelists encouraged audience members to explore options for publishing their work, as well as contributing through other means such as serving as a reviewer or writing book reviews.
They emphasized the importance of getting to know each journal to explore the right fit and reading the instructions for submissions carefully.
Regarding AI, it is imperative to be transparent and cite any use of AI as a research or writing tool. They advised against using AI as a ghost writer. They mentioned this resource as informative: the
Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) YouTube video which features Yale University library staff discussing AI tools in research.
When discussing scholarly vs. practitioner perspectives, some panelists felt this was a false dichotomy. Others framed the distinction as scholars are those who do research on community colleges as their job, whereas a practitioner may work in or adjacent to a community college and be sharing best practices or institutionally embedded research.
The overarching message was there are lots of ways to disseminate your findings. Reflecting on your goals, intended audience, timeline, and preferences regarding open access, may help you pick a journal that aligns well with your objectives.
REFERENCES
Blaney, M. J. (2021). Retaining upward-transfer women in computing majors. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 28(1), 125-144.
Blaney, J. M., Barrett, J., & Choi, Y. H. (2022). Diversifying STEM pathways: A look into upward transfer students’ sense of belonging in computing. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2022(198), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20511Holland
Zahner, D. G. (2023). Navigating STEM Major and Transfer Destination Choices: Community College Student Experiences through the Lens of Practice Theory. Community College Review, 51(4), 538–566. https://doi-org.ezproxy.augsburg.edu/10.1177/00915521231182119
Le, D. B., Rodriguez, L. S., & Espino, L. M. (2021). Family matters: An asset- based approach to how families shape engineering identity for community college students. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 28(1), 145-154.
Richardson, A. J., Knight, D. B., & Lee, W. C. (2026). How Organizational Partnerships Spark Information Sharing in a Quest for Sustainable, Institutional Change. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2026.2630345
Thiry, H. (2026). Investigating Dynamic Transfer Processes Among STEM Majors. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 50(1), 71–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2025.2505056
This article was provided by Rebekah Dupont, Augsburg University.