Abstract
Vision in Action
We assumed responsibility as the Editors-in-Chief of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ) in July 2016 with a vision for the work ahead: to maintain and enhance the quality of the articles published and the stature of NVSQ in the field; to encourage a diversity of quality scholarship—by discipline, methodology, and geography; to promote the development of the field and of emerging scholars; and to advance knowledge mobilization by connecting research with practice. With an Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) conference and production of this second issue as the Editorial team under our belts, we move beyond planning for a strong future for the journal: We must now deliver on our commitments.
Three things are key to implementation of our vision. The first is the strategic guidance of a strong and engaged editorial board. The new 45-member editorial board embodies the diversity that we seek to promote in NVSQ scholarship: They represent a variety of disciplines, research interests, approaches, and experiences, including several members who are leading nonprofit practitioners. International perspectives are essential to NVSQ’s global reach, and we are pleased to have board members from 13 countries. Gender representation is roughly even, and precisely equal when the Managing Editors are included. More than being representative, however, we count on the board to be strategic counsel. The Editorial team will meet on a regular basis with the board to work through some of the critical issues facing scholarly publishing such as data management and access, timely review processes, and enhancing impact in all its forms. Please see the inside cover or the NVSQ website to learn more about this distinguished group of scholars and professionals who are so deeply committed to advancing nonprofit, philanthropy, civil society, and related research.
Our second important task is to connect research to practice: to learn from professional practice and to make the quality research published in NVSQ relevant and useful to practitioners and policy makers. To assist with this, we have created a new position on the board, a Research-to-Practice (R2P) Editor. Following an international search, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Tracey Coule as NVSQ’s first R2P Editor. Tracey is Reader, Nonprofit Governance and Organization, Sheffield Business School, and co-lead of the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research, Sheffield Hallam University, in the United Kingdom, who in addition to her academic career has had experience in both the voluntary sector and government.
With Tracey’s guidance, NVSQ will be much more engaged in social media, including our new twitter account (@NVSQuarterly) and a blog site (https://nvsquarterly.org). We will encourage and reach out to NVSQ authors and readers to engage with both so as to put your research and ideas to wide use. Working with the ARNOVA board and staff, we have launched ARNOVA Talks, short videos in which NVSQ authors can share your research and what it might mean for policy and/or practice. The videos will be featured in a video library on the ARNOVA website and in other social media activities. To take part in this new opportunity, please contact the ARNOVA office. We will also be seeking out authors of some published articles to write an accessible, one-page abstract that would be of value to practitioners in gaining a quick understanding of your work, which they may explore in more depth in the journal. A robust and smart editorial board and meaningful, mutual exchange between the academic and practice communities directly feed back to the quality and stature of NVSQ to the field.
Finally, we are listening. We want to hear from you as contributors, readers, or even detractors of NVSQ as to how we can make the journal more impactful and relevant. Please share your ideas with us: