The Top Six Resources for Coaching, Mentoring and Peer Support Knowledge and Practice

One of the advantages of the Internet is instant access to unlimited essays, publications, podcasts and sources for information about every possible topic. And one of the disadvantages of the Internet is instant access to unlimited essays, publications, podcasts and sources for information about every possible topic.

With millions of “hits” likely to appear when searching for knowledge, inspiration, or practice ideas in coaching, mentoring or peer support, it’s virtually impossible to determine which hits are credible, readable, innovative, backed by science or expertise, and long-term experience. In addition, some search engines use algorithms that push particular items to the top of the search list with no attention to quality, veracity, or reliability.

Many coaching, mentoring and peer support practitioners have little background to sort out or make judgments about the quality of what they read on the Internet. And many of the pieces found on the Internet make claims that are not backed by credible evidence. In addition, a considerable amount of what is available on the Internet for these three related areas is promotional rather than educational. It may take hours to search through the many “hits” a coach, mentor program leader or peer support worker might find on a particular topic.

How might practitioners and leaders in these three disciplines manage this dilemma and not waste time seeking credible and well-written material? We’ve solved this dilemma. We’ve identified six publications that stand out among the thousands available.

What makes our choice credible you might ask? First, we have been associated with coaching, mentoring and peer support longer than any other published source or organization. So we know the field well. Second, our editorial team has been stable and independent since we began publishing in 1980. Third, we don’t engage in marketing disguised as education. Fourth, since our start-up, we have had a consistent non-profit business model and because we don’t accept advertising, we have never had a conflict of interest. Fifth, we don’t shy away from controversial topics, often challenging larger organizations to improve their practices of policies. And sixth, we take a cooperative rather than a competitive stance with other organizations in the field even to the extent of promoting the works of those who publish similar resources.

(Note: While we review hundreds of blogs and all the newsletters and publications of all related professional organizations or associations, none of them are included in our list of the six best. With few exceptions such publications are strongly self-promotional and may even reject submissions that question or contradict their policies or practices.)

The Six Best

1. choice: the magazine of professional coaching. (Fee-based subscription, print and digital; free sample issues available on site)
2. The Library of Professional Coaching. (Digital only; no-cost access)
3. International Coaching News. (Digital only; free subscription)
4. The Peer Bulletin Magazine. (Digital only; fee-based subscription, free sample issues available on site)
5. The International Journal for Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring. (Free, peer-reviewed journal; digital only)
6. The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring. (Free subscription; digital only)