Nov 23 2009
Interview: The International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy
The International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy is an excellent professional journal. I have asked the editor of the journal, Rhiannon Harris, to tell us about the journal’s history, content and goals.
Please tell us about the IJCA
The International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy started in 2004 at the initiative of myself, Bob Harris and John Kerr. We perceived a need in the aromatherapy world for an evidence-based journal that was aimed at aromatherapy practitioners working with essential oils in clinical environments or those therapists looking to deepen their understanding and extend their experience of aromatherapy in the clinical domain. No other aromatherapy journal worldwide has this practically applicable science-based focus.
The IJCA has an additional unique feature in that each issue is themed, thus providing the reader with a wealth of information concerning a specific topic in each volume, written by experts with their own perspective on the theme in question.
Feedback from subscribers includes comments that the journal inspires confidence in clinical areas and is of sufficient scientific content to be used within medical environments. This feedback is further confirmation that our initial goals for the journal are being met as the leading clinical aromatherapy publication, encouraging and promoting effective and safe practice of essential oils in clinical settings.
Who are your subscribers?
Our subscribers are predominantly aromatherapists working in clinical settings along with those who are interested in exploring clinical applications. This includes therapists working within (or alongside) hospitals, hospices, geriatric care facilities, schools, naturopathic clinics and private practice. We also have an increasing number of aromatherapy colleges and university subscribers who place the journal in their library for student access and who promote the IJCA to their students as the lead journal. Doctors and pharmacists also figure in our subscriber-ship. A recent (2009) UK poll of aromatherapists attending a clinical aromatherapy conference rated the IJCA as the main publication that they subscribe to.
What countries are your subscribers from?
Our subscribers are spread across the globe with the majority being resident in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. We have increasing numbers of subscribers from Asia and South America as well of course, France, where the journal is published and other European countries. The IJCA editorial board and authors are also truly international, with each issue including differing perspectives and aromatherapy styles from a range of countries that further adds to the richness of the publication.
What have been the topics of the previous issues?
The journal is published twice a year. Back issues are always available. Previous themes have been:
2004: Pain and Palliative Care
2005: Women’s Heath and Child Care
2006: Dermatology and Wound Care
2007: Respiratory and Ear Nose and Throat and Dental
2008: Aromapsychology and NeuroEndocrine Immunology
2009: Rest, Repair, Recovery and Rehabilitation
Themes for 2010 include:
Infection and Inflammation
How do you find authors for the articles in the journal?
My long-standing international connections in the aromatherapy and scientific world means that a certain number of articles are commissioned by myself from authors that specialize in a particular aspect of clinical aromatherapy. Members of the editorial board assist with peer review and sourcing articles. Other articles and case studies are submitted independently by subscribers, researchers, former clinical aromatherapy students and colleagues. I particularly welcome submissions from practitioners and am available to guide authors through the process from their initial draft to seeing their final paper in print. Sharing information with the wider aromatherapy community via the IJCA is a rewarding experience and may serve as a platform for further writing and publishing opportunities and….its fun!
Where do you hope to see the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy in a few years?
The plan for the IJCA is to expand its readership in both reader numbers and worldwide coverage and to firmly establish its place as the lead aromatherapy journal for all those who desire that this powerful therapy be increasingly accepted as an important health care modality. To achieve this goal, we need all the help we can get! We rely on subscribers to encourage other colleagues to subscribe as well as to help us source appropriate material for publication.
To subscribe the journal you can visit the IJCA website.
I have been reading the IJCA since it’s first publication as I am lucky enough to be able to read English even if it’s scientific. This is the most rewarding read if you educate nurses and naturopaths in clinical aromatherapy. I myself wrote the first text book about the safe and responsible use of essential oils in a clinical setting almost 15 years ago and it’s success showed me how important this kind of knowledge is. To quench the thirst of German readers in that direction I have been writing my blog in German language for a bit more than a year and this is also very well accepted. I am independent from any essential oil company so I have the freedom to recommend only the best oils of the German speaking countries.
Thank you for this precious revision I will recommend it to my readers and hope that a few will have the patience to translate it for themselves. I was even considering to ask Rhiannon to translate the IJCA but I wouldn’t have the time to do it…. Kind regards from Ireland where I have been living for 10 years and growing many delicate essential oil plants (just for the fun of it and for teaching purposes). Eliane
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