About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health (CJCMH) provides an important forum for Canadian scholars and practitioners within the areas of positive mental health and effective, recovery oriented practices and systems. The Journal is evolving as a key resource in furthering the transformation of mental health systems and services in Canada.

Accordingly, priority topics for the Journal are best and promising, recovery oriented practices including psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) approaches, mental health reform and transformation to effective, community mental health services and systems, and evaluation and quality improvement. 

In addition to original research, the Journal publishes high quality literature reviews and meta analyses as well as articles addressing major health and mental health policy issues. The Journal also has a Practice Innovation Section which accepts manuscripts on innovative and promising practices.

The Journal is interdisciplinary as well as bilingual.

Peer Review Process

The Senior Editor or a designated Associate Editor will assume responsibility for overseeing the peer review process and for communicating with the corresponding author.   

The assigned Editor selects a minimum of two reviewers based on their knowledge of, and their experience in, the subject of the manuscript. Although authors are invited to suggest reviewers who are competent to examine their manuscript, the assigned Editor is not limited to such suggestions. Reviewers are invited to comment on the quality of the manuscript and its relevance to CJCMH and to make a recommendation for publication of the manuscript. The reviewers are asked to make one of four recommendations: accept, minor revisions required, major revisions required, do not accept. The assigned Editor retains full responsibility, however, for all decisions regarding the manuscript.

The assigned Editor’s decision will be communicated by email to the corresponding author. In all cases, the corresponding authors are provided with copies of the reviews received from the peer reviewers. In those cases where revisions are requested, the corresponding author will be provided with a description of changes required or recommended for the manuscript, in addition to the copies of the reviews received from the peer reviewers. Authors should attempt to address all the objections raised by reviewers. Manuscripts requiring major revisions are sent for a second review by the peer reviewers. Minor revisions are overseen by the assigned Editor. Once the assigned Editor decides that the revised manuscript has met his or her approval, the assigned Editor will inform the corresponding author that the manuscript is considered accepted for publication in CJCMH.

Publication Frequency

4 issues per year.

Journal History

Since 1982, the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health has provided an important forum for Canadian research and practice in community mental health. The journal is interprofessional, bilingual and normally published four times a year with an average of 6 articles per issue. Publication is fully electronic with on-line access for subscribers. Since 2020, the journal has been Open Access to all articles, following a 12-month embargo.