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September 2013, Volume 40, Number 5
Editorial
Anne Katz,
RN, PhD • Editor
Behind the Scenes
Each year in July, during the
week before the Oncology Nursing Society’s (ONS’s) Leadership Weekend meetings,
the editorial advisory boards (EABs) of the Oncology Nursing Forum and the
Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON) meet for two days of reflection and
planning. I always look forward to meeting with the talented and hard-working
associate editors who make up the EAB and, of course, it also is an opportunity
to meet with ONS staff, particularly those who work on the publications.
For me, the meetings this
year were so very different compared to last year. I had just started my tenure
with the journal in 2012 and, frankly, I was slightly terrified! I have copious
notes from those meetings—I think I was so afraid of missing something
important that all people saw was the top of my head as I scribbled away in a
brand new notebook purchased particularly for the occasion. I do recall that,
on my flights home, it felt as if my head was going to burst!
I returned to Pittsburgh this
year with a much better sense of the workings of the journal and greater
confidence in my ability as editor. My time started with a brief but intense
meeting with CJON Editor Deborah Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN;
Elizabeth M. Wertz Evans, PhD, RN, MPM, CPHQ, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FACMPE, executive
director of Professional Practice and Program and publisher; Bill Tony, BA,
CQIA, our new director of Publications; and Leslie McGee, BA, managing editor
of the journals. We discussed strategic issues related to journal publishing
and, as usual, there was a lot to learn. So much more goes into journal
publishing than the printed version you now hold in your hands or the articles
you see online. For example, advertising revenues dictate page budgets, which,
in turn, influence whether an article is published in print or as an online
exclusive. And advertising itself is related to general trends in advertising
sales or new drug and device approvals. In addition, the group dreamed and
schemed about the upcoming Connections: Advancing Care Through Science
conference November 8–10 in Dallas, TX, and how we could enrich attendees’
experiences and maximize our own learning regarding how to meet the needs of
our readers.
Later that afternoon, the
members of the two EABs met to discuss ideas and opinions about a wealth of
topics, including the use of social media in promoting the journals and the
potential for these platforms to connect us more closely with our readers. A
highlight of the joint meeting was a short video filmed by Leslie McGee at the
printing press where this journal is produced. Did you know that the full color
cover is comprised of just four colors?
One of my favorite parts of
the EAB meeting is the opportunity to meet informally with the copy editors of
the journal. These are the people who make me look better on the page and who
help our authors polish and refine their articles. Their work is detailed and
painstaking and, given that they are not nurses, can be challenging at times.
They create tables and help figures make sense, and overall make a significant
contribution to the success and readability of this journal.
The individual EAB meeting
for each journal took place the next morning. This is the only opportunity we,
the members of the EAB, have to meet face-to-face each year and to review and
reflect on where we have been and where we plan to go or dream to be in the
upcoming year. Although we have a formal agenda, my intent is to always have a
free and open exchange of ideas.
As readers, you will see the
changes we decided on starting in January 2014 (Volume 41, Issue 1). Some
features—as we call the columns—will be changing. We may add a new feature (I’m
going to leave you in suspense over this!) or reformulate an existing one. Some
changes may be obvious and others more subtle; however, we don’t make change
for change’s sake. Each decision is carefully considered and undertaken to make
this journal the best that it can be.
But, of course, the work of
the journal is really a year-round process. For the copy editors, our editorial
assistant Natalie Aitken Tooch, the managing editor, the director, and myself,
this work is a daily effort. Yes, it is paid work, but it also is a source of
great pride. I hope that you find this journal and its contents one of the most
important benefits of membership to ONS and a source of relevant information
and evidence. Ultimately, that is why we do what we do.
Anne Katz, RN, PhD, is a
clinical nurse specialist at the Manitoba Prostate Centre, an adjunct professor
in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba, and a sexuality
counselor for the Department of Psychosocial Oncology at CancerCare Manitoba,
all in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Katz can be reached at ONFEditor@ons.org.
