About the Journal 

The Journal of Opportunity, Liberation, and Transformation (JOLT) is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal rooted in social work values, ethics, and practice. JOLT was created to serve as a space for courageous scholarship, critical dialogue, and transformative conversations that challenge systems, uplift lived experiences, and promote meaningful change across communities and professions. Founded by Dr. Christina Barksdale, JOLT was intentionally designed to move beyond surface-level discussions and create room for the difficult conversations often avoided within academia, research, and the helping professions. The journal recognizes that some of the most important conversations surrounding oppression, inequity, trauma, identity, healing, and systemic barriers are often the conversations that receive the least amount of space.  JOLT is grounded in the belief that lived experience is a form of expertise and that scholarship should not only inform practice but also challenge systems, amplify marginalized voices, and create pathways toward liberation and transformation. The journal name reflects the foundation of its mission: 

• Opportunity represents the journal’s commitment to creating accessible academic and professional spaces where diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences are welcomed and valued. 
• Liberation reflects the journal’s dedication to dismantling oppressive systems, encouraging critical consciousness, and promoting scholarship that advances equity, justice, healing, and empowerment. 
• Transformation speaks to the belief that research, dialogue, education, and practice have the power to create lasting change within individuals, communities, systems, and the helping professions. 

As an interdisciplinary journal rooted in social work practice, JOLT welcomes empirical research, critical conversation pieces, practice-based scholarship, and interdisciplinary perspectives that center systemic change, lived experiences, practice readiness, marginalized populations, and individuals experiencing dual marginalization. Through rotating special topics and themed issues, JOLT seeks to continuously amplify underrepresented voices, emerging social concerns, and transformative approaches to research, education, policy, and practice. 

Open Access Statement: 

The Journal of Opportunity, Liberation, and Transformation (JOLT) is a fully open-access, peer-reviewed journal committed to the free and equitable dissemination of knowledge. All content published in JOLT is made immediately and permanently accessible online without subscription barriers or paywall restrictions. 

Copyright and Licensing Statement: 

All articles published in JOLT are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, adaptation, and sharing of the work in any medium or format, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. 

Frequency: 

JOLT intends to publish twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring/Summer.  

Article Processing Charges and Fees Statement: 

The Journal of Opportunity, Liberation, and Transformation (JOLT) is committed to maintaining equitable and accessible scholarly publishing practices. While all published content remains fully open access and freely available to readers worldwide, JOLT assesses a modest author publication fee of $50 per accepted manuscript. This fee is charged only after a manuscript has successfully completed the peer review and acceptance process. There are: 

• No submission fees 
• No peer review fees 
• No fees for rejected manuscripts 
• No reader access or subscription fees 

The publication fee is used solely for the operational maintenance and sustainability of the journal, including website hosting, digital publishing support, archiving, indexing preparation, and administrative functions necessary to maintain journal operations. No portion of the publication fee is distributed to editors, reviewers, editorial board members, or individuals serving the journal. All editorial and peer review contributions are completed on a voluntary service basis in support of advancing interdisciplinary scholarship, critical dialogue, and transformative practice. JOLT recognizes that financial barriers can impact participation in academic publishing. Authors experiencing financial hardship are encouraged to contact the journal regarding a publication fee waiver upon receiving notice of manuscript acceptance. Waiver requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in alignment with the journal’s commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and equitable scholarly participation. 

Disclaimer 

The Journal of Opportunity, Liberation, and Transformation (JOLT) accepts no liability for the content of research or writing published in the articles of this journal, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. Any views or opinions published in this journal are exclusively those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial committee.