Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC)

The Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC) is an official publication of the Military and Government Counseling Association (MGCA), a division of the American Counseling Association. This journal upholds the highest academic and professional standards using a peer review process. The journal is published multiple times a year, and publishes articles on all aspects of practice, theory, research, and professionalism related to counseling and education in military and government settings.

The mission of the journal is to promote reflection and to encourage, develop, facilitate, and promote professional development for administrators, counselors, and educators working with all members of the Armed Services and their families, whether active duty, guard, reserve, retired, or veteran; civilian employees of the Department of Defense; first responders including EMS, law enforcement, fire, and emergency dispatch personnel; and employees of Local, State and Federal governmental agencies.

The journal aims to highlight engaged scholarship and to conduct and foster professional monographs to enhance individual human development and increase recognition of humanistic values and goals among the members and within the agencies where they practice. The journal thus attempts to develop and promote the highest standards of free intellectual inquiry among administrators, counselors, and educators working in these environments.

Current and back issues of the JMGC

JMGC Guidelines for Authors

Manuscripts submitted to the JMGC should be relevant to counselors, psychologists, social workers, and related professionals as well as students and educators. Manuscripts must be submitted in accordance with the guidelines that follow. Manuscripts that do not meet these specifications will be returned to the authors before any review for publication formally takes place.

The following are examples of the types of submissions that are encouraged:

Practice. These manuscripts focus on innovative approaches, counseling programs, ethical issues, and training and supervision practices. They are grounded in counseling or educational theory and empirical knowledge. Some evidence of effectiveness in practice is provided.
Theory. These manuscripts provide a new theoretical perspective on a particular issue or integrate existing bodies of knowledge in an innovative way. A review of the literature, one type of conceptual piece, provides a critical overview of existing conceptual and empirical knowledge in a particular area. All theoretical pieces include implications for counseling practice.
Research. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are published in JMGC. In these manuscripts, the review of the literature provides the context and need for the study, logically leading to the purpose and research questions. The methodology includes a full description of the participants, variables and instruments used to measure them, data analysis, and results. The Discussion section includes conclusions and implications for future research and counseling practice.
Assessment & Diagnosis. These manuscripts are focused on broad assessment and diagnosis issues that have direct relevance for the practitioner. In general, the JMGC does not publish developmental work on individual scales or tests.
Profiles. These manuscripts are focused on one or more persons who have made significant contributions to the profession through scholarship, leadership, and/or innovative practices.
Trends. These manuscripts are designed to provide readers with information about significant counseling-related literature (i.e., journal articles or special issues) not published and distributed by ACA. Half of the manuscript should be devoted to a review of the material selected and half devoted to implications for counselors and/or the counseling profession.
Best Practices. This differs somewhat from the Practice and Theory sections in that manuscripts addressing best practices are generally shorter pieces that focus on counseling interventions based on outcome data. A “Best Practices” manuscript is defined as one that uses evidence-based data to address one or more aspects of Gordon Paul’s famous 1967 question (paraphrased): What works best for this particular client with this particular problem with this particular counselor in this particular setting? Manuscripts could include but are not limited to data-based outcome studies, meta-analysis, reviews of the literature, overviews, and practical considerations of the research on a topic.

Manuscripts should be grounded in theory, practice, or research. Manuscripts whose sole intent is to present an opinion or partisan political perspective are not appropriate for this journal. Specific guidelines are listed below:

All manuscripts will adhere to the guidelines presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition).
As an exception to standard APA 7th format; some language, such as Soldiers, Sailors, Marine, Airmen, Veteran, Service Members, Family Members, and Civilians (when they are acting as government employees), will follow Department of Defense accepted usage, and applicable style guide usage of individual service branches.
Manuscripts should be double-spaced with one-inch margins and adhere to a 25-page limit. This does not include title page, abstract, and references.
All manuscript submissions of original research must submit documentation of IRB approval, or documentation of approval and oversight of the study by an external body that focused on the ethical processes of a study that involved human subjects, before the manuscript will be reviewed.
- If the manuscript contains original research, there must be a clear statement within the manuscript of the IRB, and/or oversight of the study by an external body that focused on the ethical processes of a study that included human subjects.
- The general dates of the original research (IRB approval, oversight approval, dates of data collection, etc.) must be clearly stated in the manuscript.
Each file must contain a separate title page with title, author(s)’ name and affiliation and contact information. No identifying information should be contained in the remainder of the manuscript. The second page of each manuscript should contain an abstract of not more than 150 words.
Figures and tables should follow the reference section and should comply with APA (7th ed.) style and guidelines. Tables and figures should be used only when essential. No more than three tables and two figures with each manuscript will be accepted.
Manuscripts should adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 requirements and techniques. This is particularly important regarding tables, images, and figures used in the manuscript.
Do not use footnotes. Most footnote material can be incorporated into the body of the manuscript.
Bias in language regarding gender, sexual orientation or identity, nationality, ability/disability, age, spirituality, religion, social class, race and ethnicity is not acceptable.
Submission of a manuscript implies intent to publish in the Journal of Military and Government Counseling and requires compliance with all ethical and legal standards of the American Psychological Association and American Counseling Association regarding publication and treatment of research participants.
Manuscripts published previously or those submitted to more than one source simultaneously are not eligible for consideration.
Any possible conflict of interest, financial or political, related to the submitted work must be clearly indicated in the manuscript and in a cover letter accompanying the submission.
Written copyright permission must be submitted when using lengthy quotations (300-500 words) tables or figures (or adaptations thereof).
If the identity of clients or community members may be inferred by the content of the manuscript (e.g., quotes, etc.) signed written permission must be obtained by those individuals including clear informed consent that is understandable to the consentee.
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically as an e-mail attachment in Microsoft Word or Rich Text format.

Manuscripts will be reviewed through a masked, peer review process. Inquiries regarding editorial policy, and manuscript submissions should be directed to the editors at JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org

Manuscript submissions to the JMGC are edited in a uniform style for minor revisions of correctness and consistency of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Manuscript submissions requiring major revisions of APA (7th ed.) style, grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be returned to the authors for revision before any review for publication formally takes place. In some cases, portions of manuscripts will need to be reworded for conciseness and clarity of expression. We strive to not edit writing style and to preserve the authors voice(s) in each manuscript.

Following acceptance of a manuscript for publication, minor changes may still be requested of the author(s). Changes at this stage must be limited to correcting inaccuracies and typographical errors. Authors bear the responsibility for the accuracy of references, tables, and figures. On publication of an article, all authors will be notified through the corresponding author.