This issue marks our 115th year of consecutive publication-no small feat, considering the vast number of journals that have come and gone over the years. The rise of Web-based and mobile technologies has led to a tumultuous time for the publishing industry. Besides traditional print, publishers now offer digital formats, and many have made forays into add-ons like multimedia, e-zines, and social media channels. The goal is to provide information whenever and however readers want it. But is that information worth readers' time? Can readers trust its accuracy?
A hundred years ago, in observation of this journal's 15th anniversary, then editor-in-chief Sophia Palmer wrote, "As time passes we find, more and more, groups of younger graduates who have no knowledge of [AJN's] inception and development and who are unable to discriminate between this journal, with its professional standards and ideals, and the strictly commercial magazines, which exist solely as financial enterprises." That concern remains timely. Faced with innumerable sources of nursing information, readers often don't look critically at who is providing that information, and why.
Many of today's nursing students and recent graduates have rarely visited their school libraries, instead using online sources or accessing required readings via e-mail or internal university Web sites. They might know how to use Google, but not how to search the scholarly literature. We see the results in many of the student papers and project reports we receive, in which supporting "evidence" comes from articles and Web sites sponsored by commercial entities. It can be hard to discern the real source of information. An apparently unbiased consumer advocacy site might be backed by a commercial company that cherry-picks the data in order to present its products more favorably. E-newsletters and Web sites offer "free" information-but information is never really free. Someone is paying for its development and distribution. Knowing who that might be is essential to understanding the potential bias.
For 115 years, AJN has been appearing in readers' mailboxes, disseminating information to help nurses provide patient care and communicate about the issues of an evolving profession. That remains our aim. In this Information Age, sources can be overwhelming in scope, and many offer contradictory or confusing content. We curate what we publish, editing and fact-checking to ensure that it's accurate and unbiased. And we cover all facets of nursing-from original research, QI reports, and the latest news about clinical trends and professional issues to pieces that reflect nurses' experiences and honor achievements. Article collections, podcasts, and videos give readers even more ways to access what they need.
The range of what AJN offers is exemplified by this month's issue. Consider the vastly different CE features. One launches a series on holistic nursing, looking at how hospitals are integrating alternative and complementary approaches to care. The other covers cardiac ablation, potential complications, and postprocedural care; it's the first in a series by nurses at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania highlighting nursing best practices. Other articles provide insight into areas such as care coordination for vulnerable populations and the developing roles of adjunct faculty and preceptors. A timeline showcases the development of the NP role in honor of its 50th anniversary; and there's a special feature presenting the experiences of two nurses, a mother and a daughter, each a pathfinder. All this, as well as regular monthly columns such as In the News, Drug Watch, Journal Watch, Art of Nursing, and Reflections.
Like our profession, AJN has evolved and matured. Today the journal reaches a broad U.S. and global audience; our Web site and social media, in particular, have a significant international readership. Indeed, AJN reaches more nurses than any other nursing journal. Sophia Palmer launched this journal in October 1900, with an ambitious commitment: "It will be the aim of the editors to present month by month the most useful facts, the most progressive thought, and the latest news[horizontal ellipsis]. It will be the policy of the magazine to lend its pages freely to the discussion of subjects of general interest, presenting every question fairly and without partisanship." Though the world is vastly different now, that commitment holds. Wherever nurses practice, they can continue to rely on AJN to deliver accurate, evidence-based, and timely information.