World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
H-index 15

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

0735-7028

Published by: American Psychological Association

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/pro

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 446 101 98 15

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 112
Documents by Best Scientists*: 103
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 3
SCIMAGO H-index: 106
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.784
Impact Factor: 1.5

Overview

Top Research Topics at Professional Psychology: Research and Practice?

The topics of Psychotherapist, Clinical psychology, Medical education, Psychiatry and Nursing are the focal point of discussions in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. The study on Psychotherapist presented in it intersects with the topics under Professional ethics. More specifically, the research on Clinical psychology in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice is related to Psychological testing.

Discussions in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice are anchored in the subject of Medical education and the similar topic of Pedagogy. Psychiatry works presented in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice have a specific focus on Mental health. The research on Mental health discussed in the journal draws on the closely related field of Psychological intervention.

The work on Nursing tackled in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice brings together disciplines like Health care, Managed care and Family medicine. Health care research is concerned with Health policy in particular.

  • Psychotherapist (20.28%)
  • Clinical psychology (18.50%)
  • Medical education (13.40%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • An effect size primer: A guide for clinicians and researchers. (1837 citations)
  • A meta-analysis of psychotherapy dropout. (900 citations)
  • A conceptual framework for clinical work with transgender and gender nonconforming clients: An adaptation of the Minority Stress Model. (706 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Professional Psychology: Research and Practice:

The published papers mostly deal with topics like Clinical psychology, Psychotherapist, Mental health, Social psychology and Psychiatry. The featured Clinical psychology studies in the most cited publications mainly concentrate on Psychological intervention but also cover areas of interest in Intervention (counseling). The study of Psychotherapist in the published articles encompasses disciplines such as Professional ethics, as well as fields such as Pedagogy, all of which overlap with one another.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Law
  • World War II
  • Social psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Psychotherapist, Mental health, Medical education, Clinical psychology and Intervention (counseling) are among the topics commonly tackled in the journal. It facilitates discussions on Psychotherapist that incorporate concepts from other fields like Situational ethics and Psychopathology. The journal addresses concerns in Mental health which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Context (language use), Distress, Language access, PsycINFO and Stigma (botany).

The research on Medical education tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Multidisciplinary approach and Tele education. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice holds forums on Clinical psychology that merges themes from other disciplines such as Masculinity, Young male, Well-being and Depression (differential diagnoses). In addition to Intervention (counseling) research, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice aims to explore topics under Evidence-based practice, Human Females and Lesbian.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Help-seeking for depression as a stigmatized threat to masculinity. (3 citations)
  • Challenging assumptions about what men want: Examining preferences for psychotherapy among men attending outpatient mental health clinics. (3 citations)
  • Psychologists in Long-Term Care (PLTC) Guidelines for Psychological and Behavioral Health Services in Long-Term Care Settings. (3 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Patrick H. DeLeon (29 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Samuel Knapp (26 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • John C. Norcross (23 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Rafael A. Rivas-Vazquez (23 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Michael C. Gottlieb (22 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Veterans Health Administration (68 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • American Psychological Association (41 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Washington (36 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Iowa (34 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Harvard University (31 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 57.81% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 22.22% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 11.11% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 11.11% of all publications and 55.56% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Education and Training of Authors from Top-Ranking Institutions

An intriguing factor in the exploration of psychology research topics is understanding the qualifications, exposure, and level of training the chief authors possess. Recognizing the places of study or alma mater of these authors can provide insights into the standard of the research work as well. Therefore, an understanding of which universities or colleges are fostering this cutting-edge research can be of great value to those aspiring to take up psychology as their field of study.

Considering the contributions of top-ranking institutions to the field, it is evident that the successful authors show a diverse array of educational backgrounds. A significant percentage of these contributors have earned their qualifications from some of the good colleges for psychology in New Hampshire. These schools are renowned for their rigorous academic training and exclusive focus on research and practice, giving their alumni a distinct advantage in professional psychology.

These authors, equipped with robust academic knowledge and comprehensive training, have significantly influenced the discourse in this journal and have contributed to the enhancement of the field at large. In sum, for those considering a career in psychology, pursuing education from respected establishments can lead directly to opportunities to contribute significantly to the field.

Top Publications

  • Cognitive biases, heuristics, and logical fallacies in clinical practice: A brief field guide for practicing clinicians and supervisors.

    Shauna M. Bowes;Rachel J. Ammirati;Thomas H. Costello;Candice Basterfield

    (2020)
    65 Citations
  • Evidence-based clinical psychological assessment (EBCPA): Review of current state of the literature and best practices.

    (2022)
    54 Citations
  • Enhancing Mental Health Treatment for the Firefighter Population: Understanding Fire Culture, Treatment Barriers, Practice Implications, and Research Directions

    Candice C. Johnson;Luzimar Vega;Alicia L. Kohalmi;Jennifer C. Roth

    (2020)
    49 Citations
  • Providing a lower-bound estimate for psychology’s “crud factor”: The case of aggression.

    Christopher J. Ferguson;Moritz Heene

    (2021)
    44 Citations
  • Help-seeking for depression as a stigmatized threat to masculinity.

    James R. Mahalik;Michael Di Bianca

    (2021)
    41 Citations
  • Like this meta-analysis: Screen media and mental health.

    Christopher J. Ferguson;Linda K. Kaye;Dawn Branley-Bell;Patrick Markey

    (2021)
    38 Citations
  • The predicted future of psychotherapy: A decennial e-Delphi poll.

    (2021)
    33 Citations
  • Practical guidance on the use of the MMPI instruments in remote psychological testing

    David M. Corey;Yossef S. Ben-Porath

    (2020)
    29 Citations
  • “No ragrets”: Public perceptions of tattooed mental health professionals.

    (2021)
    27 Citations
  • Bridging the Gap Between Practice Guidelines and the Therapy Room: Community-Derived Practice Adaptations for Psychological Services with Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults in the Central United States.

    (2022)
    24 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Pursuing a psychology degree online offers diverse career paths, from clinical roles to social services. Students often look for affordable options, making the cheapest online psychology degree programs a popular choice for budgeting without sacrificing quality.

For those interested in helping individuals and communities on a broader scale, earning a masters in social work online programs is a practical path. These programs tend to be accessible and prepare graduates for vital social support careers.

Clinicians seeking to deepen their expertise might consider a psyd psychology online degree, which combines advanced training with the flexibility of distance education to advance professional licensure.

Additionally, those focused on family dynamics and therapy can explore marriage and family therapy online programs accredited by recognized bodies to ensure quality education and smooth licensure pathways.

Each degree offers unique opportunities to specialize and grow in the psychology field, tailored to individual career goals and life circumstances.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles