What makes a good journal great? - Editorial

AORN Journal, Dec, 2002 by Nancy J. Girard

Hello to all AORN members from your new Journal editor. As I take on this position, I want to assure you that your AORN Journal will continue to serve your needs for information, guidance, and entertainment. It has been an award-winning journal that recently was led by Brenda S. Gregory Dawes, and she set the bar high. As did my predecessor, I will write an editorial column each month--one that I hope will interest and stimulate you or at least irritate you. I invite comment, consent, and complaint to these columns.

INITIATION AS A WRITER

As I contemplated this new task, I thought about good journals, such as the AORN Journal, and the role they have played in my career. My first interaction with this journal came as I was finishing my bachelor of science in nursing program many years ago. An impressive nurse who was a perioperative supervisor unknowingly became a role model for me.

In my senior year, I was completing a clinical rotation in the OR with this nurse as my preceptor. She assigned me a project to complete a preoperative home visit for a patient undergoing cholecystectomy. I then would plan and implement the patient's intraoperative nursing care according to my findings. This was when cholecystectomy called for a major open incision and included hospitalization for at least five days. That she wanted me, a perioperative nurse, to go to a patient's home that long ago demonstrates how progressive and ahead of her time she was.

I made the home visit, and then I wrote the report for her. She read the report and said, "Well, that's fine, but now you need to send it to the AORN Journal." I was not a member at that time and had not heard of the Association, let alone the Journal. Nevertheless, the thought of having my words printed for anyone to read sent stark terror into my heart. "I couldn't possibly do that," I whined. "Of course you can--and you will! I will help you," she replied. Well, I did, and she did, and so my very first article was published in the AORN Journal. That was the beginning of my love affair with the Journal, with AORN, and with the power of the professional nurse to influence the career path of another nurse. The name of this fantastic nurse was Barba Edwards, RN, and she later became president of AORN.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE JOURNAL

With this reflection, I asked myself what makes a good journal great, and I decided that it is the people. People such as the writers who sweat blood to get their words in print. They write, rewrite, and then worry that it still is not right. They worry whether it is too boring, too basic, or too difficult. They worry that it is not good enough and will be rejected. If it is accepted, they worry that it now will be published, and people actually will know what they think. Writers are the heroes of the Journal. In spite of all the work and worry, they write.

Then there are the people who volunteer to share their valuable time and expertise by serving on the editorial board, as section editors, and as reviewers. They provide guidance about content, solicit manuscripts, and ensure manuscripts are accurate. You can recognize these dedicated people because you will see them reading manuscripts on their lunch break. You also may see them reading while waiting for meetings to start, on airplanes, or anytime there are a few spare minutes. You may not see them on weekends because most of their spare time is spent reviewing manuscripts. They are the unsung heroes of the Journal.

There also are the people who actually produce the Journal. They take all the raw material and put it together into a cohesive whole. They make sure the quality of the print and the process remains intact. They work day in and day out, quietly and behind the scenes, to ensure that the Journal is on time and complete. They are the lifeblood of the Journal.

Finally come the most important people of all--the readers of the Journal. Without people to read the Journal, all the rest of the people are inconsequential. Readers decide what they want or need to see in print, what they will read, how much is read, and what is done with the information after it is read. They are the heart and soul of the Journal.

C. P. Scott wrote about the duty of a newspaper in the Manchester Guardian. I think his outlook also can apply to the AORN Journal. He said,

   [The newspaper's] primary office is the gathering of news. At the peril of
   its soul it must see that the supply is not tainted. Neither in what it
   gives, nor in what it does not give, not in the mode of presentation, must
   the unclouded truth suffer wrong. Comment is free but facts are sacred. (1)

The AORN Journal has been great because it always has been true to its soul. I want to maintain that soul and continue the exceptional service the Journal has provided. All the people who work to make this Journal great still will be needed, but we especially need the heart and the soul to help us. You, the readers, must let us know what you want, need, and think. Talk to us, e-mail us, or call us. I can be reached at 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, Tex, 78284-7948, by telephone at (210) 567-5841, by fax at (210) 567-1719, or by e-mail at girardn@uthscsa.edu. With the combined efforts of all of us, this Journal will remain great.