An 18-year-old Memorial University journal is getting spruced up.

The Canadian Journal of Career Development (CJCD) has a redesigned website, a new editorial advisory board and an interactive, digital submissions and editing platform to help grow a stronger base of international contributors and readers over the next three years.

The CJCD is a peer-reviewed, open-access publication focusing on career-related academic research and best practices from Canada and around the world.

The planned revamp is thanks to a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) award of $72,750 for the journal’s editors based at the Marine Institute (MI). The SSHRC funding is a first for MI.

Career development and career-related issues

Dr. Rob Shea, MI’s associate vice-president of academic and student affairs, is the journal’s founding editor, while Diana Boy is associate editor.

“The SSHRC award allows us to improve the journal as a vehicle for academics, scholars and graduate students to continue to publish their research in a multi-sectoral approach to the field of career development and career-related issues,” said Dr. Shea.

“It will also enable us to nurture the research and publication efforts of first-time authors and graduate students.”

The funding will also support staff training on marketing and reader engagement.

“The Canadian Journal of Career Development is honoured to receive the SSHRC Aid to Scholarly Journals grant,” said Ms. Boyd. “This grant will assist the journal over the next three years to adapt to and compete in the changing market, grow both our readership and authorship and create a strong base to so we can continue to provide career-related research into the future.”

Decision-making by Indigenous women

The journal has explored issues such as skills needed for the 21st century; career identity development among “dependent” immigrant women; and employment outcomes of post-secondary students with learning disabilities.

Ms. Boyd says the fall edition of the journal will feature an article focusing on career decision-making by Indigenous women. The author  examines five themes leading to career achievements: focusing on a career direction; pursuing further education and training; overcoming and learning from adversity; relational experiences that influenced career decisions; and connection to Indigenous community as part of career decision-making.

“This is the first article our journal has received focusing on Indigenous women in Canada and it is a much-needed topic area in career development today,” she said.

Published twice a year by Memorial, the journal is supported by the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling and The Counselling Foundation of Canada. It is Canada’s only peer-reviewed journal in career development.