Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome
General Information
The Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome (RIPPPO) is an online, open-access, peer reviewed journal published by Italian Area Group of the Society for Psychotherapy Research. Its aim is to promoting a fruitful communication between the Italian and International communities, enriching clinicians and researchers’ mutual collaboration.
It welcomes submissions from international contributors and researchers concerning a variety of topics (e.g., psychotherapy process and outcome, diagnosis and assessment, psychopathology etc.), with different formats (e.g., reviews, empirical studies, methodological works, clinical studies) and from different epistemological, theoretical and methodological perspectives of the contemporary research in psychotherapy.
Particular attention is paid to works sensitive to the close interconnection between psychotherapy process and psychopathology, as well as theory and clinical practice; the focus on intensive case analysis; the study of the psychotherapies delivered within the different institutional settings and with attention to the interdisciplinary dialogue.
RIPPPO provides immediate Open Access to its contents, on the basis of the principle that making research results freely available to researchers and practitioners supports a better exchange of knowledge.
RIPPPO adopts a two-phase peer review procedure, for which only papers written in English are allowed and considered. The submitted manuscript is read by the Editors to verify its consistency with the aims, and the formal and content standards of the journal. Then, if the paper is suitable for publication, Editor submits it to blind peer reviewing phase, strictly following the ICMJE recommendation on Roles and Responsibilities of Authors, Contributors, Reviewers, Editors, Publishers, and Owners and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA)
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The process of reviewing is intended as an opportunity to promote scientific exchange designed to guarantee a high scientific standard for the journal, as well as to provide Authors with the chance to improve the quality of their manuscripts.
Brief history
SPR Italy is ethically involved in the creation and dissemination of knowledge and good practice in the clinical field between Academics and Professionals in the Psychotherapy field, which is why we decided to publish an own scientific journal.
Firstly published in 1997, until 2008 the journal has been published as "Ricerca in Psicoterapia" (ISSN 1592–8543). In 2009 it was transformed in an online journal with the name "Ricerca in Psicoterapia / Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome" (ISSN 2038–0046). Since 2011, the Journal's name has been changed in “Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome" (ISSN 2239–8031), publishing exclusively articles in English.
In 2016, the online version was entrusted to the publisher PAGEPress, with whose management the current format has started, with a new, easy shaped and interesting layout. PAGEPress is provider of more than 90 open access scientific publications in a variety of fields, and is the Italian publisher with the highest number of open access journals indexed by DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journal).
Indexing
The Journal is indexed by:
- EMBASE
- SCOPUS
- DOAJ
- PSYCINFO
Improving the scientific level
The first step taken in order to improve the scientific level has been the reorganization and redefinition of the review system, introducing a new, sharper form for the double blind peer review, with fixed ethics/scientific/methodology items, plus a field for additional comments for each sensitive item.
Moreover, since 2016, to improve the quality level of RIPPPO, some decisions were made that defined the editorial line of the following years, up to now:
- process-outcome research papers have been joined by works on more general topics, such as the training of psychotherapists and the evaluation of its effectiveness;
- the presence of research that refers to different theoretical models of psychopathology and therapeutic technique has been favored: from psychodynamic to cognitive behavioral approach, also welcoming for interdisciplinary perspective;
- in addition, to the research on adult psychopathology and related treatments, works about samples of children and adolescent were requested and published;
- attention paid to group treatments has widened and papers on this topic have been added to the works on individual treatments;
- each volume includes a special issue, derived from a thematic call for papers, and free articles submitted by colleagues from all over the world.
The progressive trend of SPR-Italy Area Group about its training activities was also kept in mind to program the journal issues increasing the quality of the audience, no longer composed only of academics, but also of private psychologists, psychiatrists and employees of the National Health Service, who have shown interest in research projects and activities.
Internationalization
Our Mission to spread knowledge also within the health care and psychologist professionals, arise the process of internationalization further implemented, in particularly since 2016, by the following initiatives:
- calls for papers were addressed to foreign colleagues, to increase the number of reports about clinical experiences in countries other than Italy;
- Introduction in the scientific board of several very expert colleagues, coming from other countries then Italy;
- Each paper was revised almost by one foreign colleague.
Since 2017, RIPPPO audience becomes prevalently not Italian.
Recent Call for papers and issues:
The issue includes a Special Section on Clinical High Risk for mental illness
Vol 23 No 1 (2020) To be Published: 20-04-2020
The issue includes a Special Section on The role of psychotherapy research in psychotherapy training: mutual influences and relations
Vol 22 No 3 (2019) Published: 2019-07-31
The issue includes a Special Section on The legacy of Jeremy Safran (part II).
Vol 22 No 1 (2019) Published: 2019-04-19
The issue includes a Special Section on The legacy of Jeremy Safran (part I).
Vol 21 No 3 (2018) Published: 2018-12-19
The issue includes a Special Section on Mentalization process and its implications.
Vol 21 No 3 (2018) Published: 2018-12-19
Archives
Special issue on Sidney Blatt
Vol 20, No 1 (2017)
Published: 2017-04-13
Special issue on Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: part 2Vol 19, No 1 (2016)
Published: 2016-04-18
Special issue on Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: part 1Vol 18, No 2 (2015)
Published: 2015-12-23
