Celebrating 60 Years of the Journal of Music Therapy.

Abstract

February 15, 2023 The Journal of Music Therapy (JMT) was first published in 1964, marking 2023 as JMT’s 60th year publishing research in music therapy. As we enter into this milestone year, we feel called to reflect on where we have been and where we are going in the future. In this spirit, we have invited a series of guest editorials, beginning in this issue with a review of the history of the JMT by Dr. Lindsey Wilhelm. She provides us with background on the journal’s inception and its evolution over the past 60 years. In Volume 60 issues 2–4, we will feature additional guest editorials focused more broadly on how research in music therapy has developed from the perspectives of both emerging and established music therapy scholars. Over the past year, we have focused on how to improve journal operations in our limited roles as interim co-editors. For example, we supported an initiative centered on improving the diversity of authors. Oxford University Press joined an endeavor led by Clarivate and the Joint Commitment for Action on Inclusion and Diversity in Publishing to promote diversity of authors in academic publishing. One of the first steps being taken is to establish industry benchmarks by measuring the current diversity of authors in academic journals. As of December 1, 2022, all individuals who log in to our online submission system are invited to provide information regarding their gender, ethnicity, and race. These data will be collected anonymously, will not be tied to an individual’s account, and users can opt out of answering any of the questions. Our hope is that the aggregated data from this tool will help inform us about current representation in the JMT, so that we may work to support better representation and diversity moving forward.