AORN Journal takes on a new look - Editorial

AORN Journal,  July, 2003  by Nancy J. Girard

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Welcome to the new look of the AORN Journal. This redesign occurred because it is what you, the members of AORN, asked for. In addition, the last Journal redesign occurred nine years ago in July 1994. Most journals are updated about every five to seven years so it was time for a facelift for the Journal.

A different look requires time to accomplish, however. It also takes the creative work of many people. Armed with readers' suggestions and ideas of their own, a small band of editorial staff members, outside design consultants, and members of the marketing and design departments met for hours during a six-month period to hash out changes for the Journal. We discussed which aspects of the design did and did not work, what we wanted to see, and what you, the readers, have asked for during the past few years. The designers took these ideas and created new design elements for the group to evaluate. More discussion led to additional changes until group consensus led to the new design you see today.

The objectives for this redesign were to

* make the Journal easier to read and more reader friendly,

* bring more color and graphics into the Journal,

* make the reference style more consistent with other journals of this type, and

* create a more free-flowing and less rigid design.

One of the most frequent requests we heard was to change the size and look of the type. Now, some of you may say we increased the type size because our members are getting older, and we did hear pleas from a number of members about how difficult it was to read the old, smaller type. Increasing the size makes the Journal more readable for everyone. You also will see more graphics and a new style and placement for headings and subheadings.

Another change was in our style of referencing in articles. It was clear the style we were using had to go. More research articles are published in the Journal now than in the past. The number of and rigorous quality control necessary for these research articles required some changes to make their presentation more consistent with the citation demands of readers and future researchers. In this issue, you will see that we have adopted a style that has the common attribute most often seen in journals (ie, one number for one reference). This will make article references easier to cite and find in indexing systems.

We also have added a new design element that we call a "floating column" on the outside edge of a number of pages in the Journal. In this column, you will find information, such as home study event and session numbers, logos, photos, disclaimers, and other information. This floating column also will be used to give the AORN Journal more room for tables and photos in feature articles. In addition, we have changed the abstract boxes and the location of the date and page numbers at the top and bottom of the page to make it easier for readers to find specific articles. These items now are on the outside edge of the page, which allows readers to find the information they are seeking more easily. All of these features give the Journal a new and contemporary look.

Although the majority of the changes occurred because of reader input, some have been made to update and refresh the Journal. As with any changes, you may have to get used to these, especially if they involve some of your favorite columns and departments. Please be patient if there are changes that affect how you read, browse, or skim the Journal. I believe you will come to see that this redesign makes the AORN Journal easier for you to use.

Although we are making these changes now, your input is always welcome. Let us know what you think, what you like and do not like, and what you would like added or removed. You can e-mail us at Journal@aorn.org with your comments and concerns, or you can call us at (303) 755-6304 x 278. We think this new look for the AORN Journal is great, and we hope you enjoy it too.

Editor's note: I would like to thank Nancy Kuehl, senior editor, AORN Journal, and Liz Leaver, associate editor, AORN Journal, who helped with the content for this column.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group