Oh readers, we have once again found ourselves at the end of another successful year. Why is this so important? If you have been a long-time Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) member or reader of this Journal, you might remember the sparse early years of the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA). We had challenges early on trying to find well-written, pertinent articles that would be of interest to readers. And this is why I am supremely thankful that the Journal has had another successful year, with issues of quality, which are filled with interesting and relevant articles. Please consider joining me in celebrating another year of publication. Now, you ask, why is this such an important thing to acknowledge now? Would it surprise you that we sometimes still have challenges finding the right combination of quality articles of interest to dermatology nurses? The JDNA has certainly seen an uptick in manuscript submissions over the years, but as a direct result of everyone involved with the Journal making it priority to solicit authors and manuscript topics.
Every so often, I review my "Wish List" of potential articles for the JDNA. Some of these articles and ideas have come to fruition within the pages of the JDNA, and some are still waiting in the wings. The direct link between what comes from the idea list and what is published is usually someone like yourself, who decides that a particular article topic is "right" for them and then proceeds to write about the topic. I'd love to have you choose a topic of interest to you and then proceed to write about it. We'd love to have more authors, diverse authors, first-time authors. And, as I am sure I've mentioned in the past, we are committed to helping you with the process, even if it may seem daunting to write for the first time. Can I persuade any of you to consider writing for 2023? Maybe some of you will make this your New Year's resolution? If so, please don't hesitate to reach out; I can help to make your goals come true!
Next year, 2023, is also exciting for the JDNA because it will be the 15th year of publication. I always love a good party, and here at the Journal, we think it's important to celebrate our milestones, which to date, have been celebrated every 5 years. It will be no different next year, and we plan to celebrate in several ways. Stay tuned for the updates! Part of the rationale for the celebration is to celebrate JDNA success, but also to serve as a basis for future historians of nursing publications. Kyleen Davis, JDNA's Associate Editor, has been diligently compiling information from the last 15 years-there's more than you think! It is our hope that her retrospective review of the first 15 years of JDNA will serve as a starting point for future dermatology nurses who are interested in the early, formative years of the Journal. Look for her history of the JDNA to be published early in the year. As nurses, we are fortunate to have many nursing journals that have been published for over 50 years. Please consider looking at the International Academy of Nursing Editors Hall of Fame inductees at https://nursingeditors.com/inane-nursing-journal-hall-of-fame/, which highlights some of these long-lived journals. It is my sincere hope that, in 35 more years, the JDNA will be inducted into this illustrious group of Journals. And by then, our history will be even richer, more complex, and more reflective of dermatology nursing. Will you help us to achieve that goal? Would you consider writing an article for the Journal?
Every few months, I am again excited to talk about peer review. I know, I know, probably not a sentence you might hear yourself saying, right? But for me, dermatology nurses who serve as peer reviewers for the JDNA are some of my favorite people. Not only do peer reviewers serve an essential role in hopefully getting our Journal to 50 years as we discussed above, but I like so many of you personally! Some of you have become friends and good colleagues. I'd love to have more peer reviewers for JDNA, and I am asking you to consider becoming involved. As many readers know, the Journal is a peer-reviewed publication, which means each article you see published has gone through a blinded peer review by at least two people knowledgeable about dermatology and dermatology nursing. Here's where I need help: We need more dermatology nurses, because we are nursing journal. I have several physicians who gladly peer review for the publication, but I need nurses to serve as peer reviewers to read and evaluate articles for nursing importance, nursing considerations, and nursing significance. Can you please consider volunteering for this position? If you are interested, please reach out and express your interest. When sending articles for review, I often try to "match" an article's content with a specific interest of a particular peer reviewer. Don't worry, you won't have to review an article about a topic if you are not familiar and comfortable with the content!
I would encourage everyone to read the post from September 6, 2022, on the Nursology.net website (https://nursology.net/2022/09/06/the-joyous-privilege-of-peer-reviewing/), titled "The Joyous Privilege of Peer Review." The article honestly reflects on what a privilege it is to peer review, because this helps guide what is published and reflective of nursing and nursing scholarship. The author, Jaqueline Fawcett, is also realistic that sometimes doing peer review can be "albeit sometimes a bit of a burden." She recognizes that peer review is not always able to be done within the constraints of a schedule and in the context of other commitments. I understand that, and I try to use JDNA's peer reviewers ethically and in a way that helps to continue to make the peer review process fun. I want JDNA's peer reviewers to have as much fun as possible with the process; when it stops being fun, feel free to let me know.
As a reminder, there are a number of resources available to help get you started in peer review. Please look at the resources available at https://journals.lww.com/jdnaonline/Documents/Why%20peer%20review%20(1).pdf. There you will find a listing of resources and articles that will help guide you through the peer review process. The publisher offers resources at https://edmgr.ovid.com/lww-final/accounts/revT.pdf if you want to know more information about the process of submitting peer review through Editorial Manager, the online platform the JDNA uses to manage submissions.
If you are already a peer reviewer for JDNA, thank you. I can't say enough times how important you are to the ongoing success of the Journal. Your efforts are very much appreciated. Melissa Derby, JDNA's Managing Editor, and I are hoping to reach out to peer reviewers in 2023. We'd like to reconfirm the peer reviewers currently listed in the system are still interested in participating. Look for an email to come, asking each person to confirm their ongoing interest in being a peer reviewer and asking each of you to update your list of preferred topics. By updating your list of topics, we'll be better able to select appropriate peer reviewers for manuscript review. Please help us update your choices so we can best match articles to your areas of expertise and interest.
Historically, I have often seen many of you at the annual DNA convention, which allows us time to talk about the Journal and opportunities, discuss article topics, and, in general, learn about everyone's love for dermatology nursing. I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2023 Annual DNA Convention, which is just a few months away. It will be held in Savannah, Georgia, from February 6 to 9, 2023. It is worth clearing your schedule for those few days. Please consider coming and bringing a colleague, too-we'd love to have you participate in this premier educational opportunity!
As always, looking forward to hearing from you,
Angela L. Borger
Editor-in-Chief [email protected]
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