Call for reviewers

The Humanistic Psychologist is devoted to reflective inquiry into "humanistic psychologies," broadly defined. It is the official journal of APA Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology).

The journal publishes papers on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research; humanistic, existential, constructivist, and transpersonal theories and psychotherapies; and articles grounded in phenomenological, hermeneutic, critical, feminist, and multicultural perspectives.

Submissions representing both traditional conceptions and contemporary critiques of humanistic psychology are welcomed.

In the context of the journal's commitment to epistemological diversity, contributions representing indigenous psychologies, liberation psychologies, and critical psychology, as well as commentary, essays, book reviews, memorials, and brief reflections are also invited.

We welcome reviewers with expertise in any of these areas and are especially interested in reviewers who could provide quantitative feedback on manuscripts.

Reviewers are vital to the publication process. The editorial team relies on the assessment of experts in humanistic psychology to determine whether manuscripts should be accepted for publication.

Participating in the peer review process has several benefits for reviewers as well:

• gain valuable experience in the peer review and publishing process;
• connect with experts in the field, including Guest Editors leading special issues and sections on important topics;
• improve the quality and integrity of research before it is published;
• stay up to speed on current research;
• improve your own writing and research skills, and gain insight into what Editors and peer reviewers look for in submissions;
• build connections as part of the journal’s community, including opportunities for editorial board membership;
• record and showcase your review history on the Web of Science Reviewer Recognition platformopens in new window;
• advance the journal’s mission to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the research and publishing process; and
• contribute to advancing humanistic, existential, transpersonal, and constructivist psychology

The editorial team considers the following when selecting reviewers:

• Reviewers should have publishing experience, as authors and/or reviewers for peer-reviewed journals. Publishing experience provides a reviewer with the basis for preparing a thorough, objective review; but reviewers with limited experience are still encouraged to apply and can seek training on preparing high-quality reviews. If you are newer to peer review, visit the APA Reviewer Resource Center.
• Reviewers should be readers of The Humanistic Psychologist and/or related journals and humanistic scholarship. Current knowledge of recently published articles provides a reviewer with the knowledge base to evaluate a new submission within the context of existing research.
• In addition to being knowledgeable of the field, reviewers should be capable of evaluating research on humanistic psychology in an equitable fashion. This includes awareness of individual and group biases and the impacts of historical and systemic limitations on full participation in psychological science in order to support the publication of manuscripts with a range of methodologies and types of evidence that serve multiple communities.
• Reviewing a manuscript takes time (1–4 hours per manuscript reviewed). If you are selected to review, please be prepared to invest the necessary time to evaluate the manuscript thoroughly.
• If you are invited to serve as a reviewer, you will be asked to complete a profile identifying your areas of expertise in the journal’s manuscript submission portal. This will help the editorial team match you with papers that best fit your interests and expertise.

 If you are interested in reviewing for The Humanistic Psychologist please complete the reviewer interest formopens in new window or submit your CV via emailopens in new window for the editorial board’s consideration.