The title of this editorial conveys one of the challenges for the launch of the European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) by the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS): Abstracts of every article will appear in the major languages represented in our title. In adopting such a policy, EJPT and the ESTSS show they have faced the challenge head on and succeeded by virtue of adopting this policy in accommodating the needs of their intended readership. As well, while all articles will appear in English, authors may choose to also submit their paper in their own language, which will be made accessible as supplementary material directly from the English version.
This policy is laudatory and acknowledges the reality that both the effects of and interest in traumatic stress have no national, global, or regional boundaries. The “et al.” in our title communicates the same message as that phrase communicates in a reference citation: others made important contributions to the final product but there is just not enough room to list everyone. Similarly, though our title does not reflect all of the languages that will eventually comprise the output of EJPT, the panoply of languages that will carry the peer-reviewed content of this new journal makes a clear statement. It documents that there are contributions to the field of traumatic stress studies to be made by many scholars, clinicians, historians, social scientists, and others from many different cultures and countries. The subject matter will contain important messages about the effects of traumatic exposure on many topics including treatment, policy, health, and welfare.
The Journal of Traumatic Stress was launched in 1988. At that time journal operations used paper and surface mail for interchange between authors and JTS staff and editors. A generation later, the launch of EJPT reveals just how much has changed in scientific communication. First, before it has even appeared, authors can go to the website, http://www.eurojnlofpsychotraumatol.net, and peruse the Aims and Scope, the Editorial Team (which is outstanding), and find out how to submit a manuscript. Second, EJPT will have no print version. Third, EJPT will be an open access electronic journal. The ability to have worldwide impact from the very first issue is remarkable testimony to just how much has changed in methods of dissemination as well as how much the field of traumatic stress has grown and expanded.
The inaugural issue of JTS contained an article by the founding Editor, Charles Figley (1988, p. 3), suggesting that “a new field of study is emerging.” The masthead reveals that the journal was published for the Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. The editorial board comprised 54 scholars; of those, North Americans numbered 49, and all 54 were from Western cultures. Since that beginning, the society has grown and become the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, recognizing the growth of the field and the necessity of appreciating the added value of including those interested in and working actively in the field of traumatic stress from countries and cultures around the world. The launch of EJPT shows that there is a need and desire for an outlet with the ability to focus and be responsive to a global region.
There are some things that JTS and EJPT share in common and some that will differentiate the two publications. Neither list is exhaustive and perhaps not what others would highlight. The journals share a commitment for sponsorship by professional societies dedicated to the study and dissemination of knowledge about traumatic stress. They share the commitment to be scholarly in that both are peer-reviewed. They share the commitment to be cognizant of the international character of the field in that both intend to have abstracts in languages other than English available online. They share the commitment to be inclusive in that both are open to submissions from anywhere in the world. Finally, they share the commitment to be respectful of their readerships in that both seek to provide the content that their audience has indicated they want and need to be better clinicians and researchers.
The journals will differ in content: they have distinct, even if partially overlapping, constituencies who seek somewhat dissimilar content. The journals will differ in accessibility: JTS is available to readers with knowledge of English but with little or no access to digital technology. The journals will differ in emphasis on contributions aimed toward practical assistance for clinicians: EJPT aims to have more content appropriate for helpers of the ever-growing population of those injured by exposure to traumatic stressors, both in the nature of reviews and the presence of case study material of more local relevance. Finally, the journals will differ in the trajectories they will follow: the scope of goals and objectives of their sponsoring societies are in harmony, but not in unison.
ESTSS's journal uses the term psychotraumatology to characterize its core focus and in so doing marks its European heritage. In 2002, JTS published Weisaeth's instructive and interesting exposition of the European history of the term. It describes the dialectic between attention to external conditions and internal psychological reactions in the context of the “cultural, social, economic, and political forces [that] have influenced scientific development” (p. 443). By selecting this term, EJPT makes clear that psychological aspects of the response to traumatic stress are a central matter. We could not agree more.
We are enthusiastic about the launch of EJPT. We want to express our support for the effort to provide to European authors a forum for work that might not appear otherwise in a non-European periodical, thereby providing European readers with content that is most relevant for them. We look forward to following the growth and development of this journal.
Daniel S. Weiss, Editor-Elect, Journal of Traumatic Stress
Paula P. Schnurr, Editor, Journal of Traumatic Stress
References
- Figley C. R. Toward a field of traumatic stress. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 1988;1:3–16. [Google Scholar]
- Weisaeth L. The European history of psychotraumatology. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2002;15:443–452. doi: 10.1023/A:1020909620364. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]