Exploring the Landscape of Community Engagement and Scholarship Journals

The growing emphasis on community engagement within higher education institutions has fostered a wealth of scholarly activity. This article explores a curated list of journals dedicated to disseminating research, theory, and best practices in community engagement, service-learning, and related fields. These journals serve as vital platforms for faculty, staff, students, and community partners to share their work, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and the strengthening of university-community collaborations.

The Rise of Community-Engaged Scholarship

There has been growing scholarship on community engagement that is shaping the field and can help inform your community-engaged teaching, research, and service. This movement recognizes the importance of integrating teaching, research, and community engagement to address critical problems identified through a community-participatory process. Several journals have emerged to cater to this growing field, providing venues for publishing community-engaged scholarship.

Key Journals in Community Engagement and Scholarship

Here's an overview of prominent journals in the field, highlighting their focus and scope:

Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES)

The Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES) is a peer-reviewed international journal through which faculty, staff, students, and community partners disseminate scholarly works. The JCES integrates teaching, research, and community engagement in all disciplines, addressing critical problems identified through a community-participatory process. The editors and editorial board strive to make the JCES a leading journal of community engagement scholarship, one that is read, comprehended, and appreciated by both professional scholars and lay people. Board reviewers are supplemented by a diverse range of additional reviewers, including community partners and students, approved by the editor. The publication aims to unite teaching, research, and community engagement. The journal welcomes diverse forms of writing, analysis, creative methods, and methodologies.

Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE)

The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE) functions as the leading, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publication that promotes the advancement of theory and practice concerning various types of outreach and engagement initiatives between higher education institutions and communities. This includes highlighting innovative endeavors; critically examining emerging issues, trends, challenges, and opportunities; and reporting on studies of impact in the areas of public service, outreach, engagement, extension, engaged research, community-based research, community-based participatory research, action research, public scholarship, service-learning, and community service. The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE) is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal for the advancement of theory and practice related to all forms of outreach and engagement between higher education institutions and communities. The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement recently published its latest issue, Volume 24, No.

Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning

The Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning is an open access, peer-reviewed journal with authors and readers around the world. This open-access journal focuses on research, theory, pedagogy, and other matters related to academic service-learning, campus-community partnerships, civic engagement, and engaged/public scholarship in higher education.

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: A Journal for Engaged Educators

The Journal for Engaged Educators, Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education explores experiential education through concepts, practices, and scholarly works. The editorial board encourages submissions that delve into the study, application, and impact of experiential learning in higher education, catering to a diverse audience and covering a broad spectrum of topics.

Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement

Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement focuses on how theories and practices can inform and improve such partnerships, connections, and collaborations. Partnerships recognizes that successful engaged learning depends on effective partnerships between students, faculty, community agencies, administrators, disciplines, and more. The articles in this peer-reviewed journal focus on how theories and practices can inform and improve such partnerships, connections, and collaborations.

Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement

Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and EngagementOnline journal published by University of Technology-Sydney's Shopfront and Loyola University-Chicago's Center for Urban Research and Learning.

Undergraduate Journal of Service-Learning and Community-Based Research

Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research is a refereed, multi-disciplinary, online undergraduate journal dedicated to publishing exceptional intellectual and reflective work by undergraduates on service learning and community-based research and all related curriculum- and/or research-based public community engagement activities. Published work will advance knowledge in these subject areas. Undergraduate Journal of Service-Learning and Community-Based ResearchOnline journal published by the Center for Service Learning and Community-Based Research at Pennsylvania State University--Berks.

Read also: Engaging Science Education

The International Undergraduate Journal For Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social Change

The International Undergraduate Journal For Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social ChangeOnline journal published by Governors State University. Accepts work that discusses the development of a service-learning project and impact on the community served. Includes case studies and reflections on service-learning and the development of personal leadership.

The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education is an on-line, refereed journal concerned with exploring community engagement and community-based learning perspective, research, and practice. It publishes accounts of a range of research focusing on practical and theoretical insights and understanding, in higher education and across the disciplines and professions.

Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice

Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, sponsored by the University of Miami and Rutgers University. It is a site for sharing research and practice emanating from university-community collaborations.

Resources for Finding Relevant Literature

Several databases provide access to a wide range of education literature, including articles on community engagement:

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): Provides access to education literature and resources from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. The database contains more than 1,194,000 records and links to more than 100,000 full-text documents from ERIC.
Education Source: Education Source is the world's largest full-text research database designed for education students, professionals and policymakers. It provides full text, indexing and abstracts for thousands of education journals, books and education-related conference papers.

Initiatives Fostering Community-Engaged Research

Several initiatives support and promote community-engaged research:

Read also: Planning Education Research

Community-Engaged Teaching and Research (CETR): Community-Engaged Teaching and Research supports faculty, students, staff, and partners in collaborations which research issues related to service and community engagement or who pursue research questions identified by community members or organization. The CETR team can meet with interested faculty and community partners to consult on ongoing or interested engaged-research projects. We can offer resources, connections with community-based partners, and research design, and more. Led by CETR faculty members Rebekah Moore, Amanda Lawrence, Shan Mohammed, and other campus collaborators.
Research Development: Research Development supports and promotes Northeastern’s research enterprise, attracting and securing external research funding, bringing interdisciplinary teams together, and developing and implementing strategies that increase institutional competitiveness. Northeastern is an ALLIANCE Member, which allows our network free individual memberships.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Community Impact

A new collaboration between the College of Arts, Media & Design; College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Bouvé College of Health Sciences; and the School of Law to generate needed knowledge of the role of the arts in advancing racial and health equity in the City of Boston. At the core of this project is the belief that research examining creative practice may foster and promote community empowerment, equitable governance, and public health. Inclusive participation in the arts, ranging from music, dance, and theatre to visual arts and expressive writing can be an effective public health intervention, which could inform just governing structures for building inclusivity and trust.

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