Accentuating research scholarship through innovative student opportunities: a mentored approach

The Journal for Advancing Sport Psychology in Research (JASPR) accentuates the development of research scholarship through highly immersive, mentored opportunities for students to first author rigorous student-led research and serve as gatekeepers (i.e., as peer-reviewers and editorial board members) of scientific knowledge through an innovative student-centered publishing platform. First-author publications are considered one of the foremost pinnacles of scientific achievement for research scholars; and, serving as peer reviewers and Editorial Board members of scientific journals are, respectively, considered two of the most valued professional service endeavors in the academic realm. JASPR’s student-centered operations are intended to enrich students’ knowledge of scientific publishing processes, develop and strengthen their scholarship skills, and bolster their abilities and motivation for navigating the complex academic publishing landscape. As the inaugural editors, in this paper, we: (a) call attention to opportunities in the research publishing landscape to involve students through mentored experiences, (b) broadly describe the role of mentorship in student scholarship, (c) introduce ASPiRE which describes the journal’s mentoring activities and guides the immediate, short-term, and long-term student scholarship impacts in a logic model, and (d) provide an overview of opportunities for, and the benefits of, student involvement in the journal. Finally, we conclude with a call for student and faculty engagement in the journal.