Authors

  1. McGroarty, Natalie

Article Content

The online revolution has hit nearly every aspect of our lives. Not since the invention of the telegraph and telephone have we seen such an explosion in usage and widespread adoption of the technology we call the Web. The Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA) is also a part of this revolution. The new journal will be published in print and online beginning February 2009. This exciting new era will allow the Dermatology Nurses' Association the flexibility to disseminate information that is current, reliable, and based on your input, meaningful to the membership.

 

The Web houses much information, both reliable and unreliable. The information ranges from soup to nuts, and everything you can imagine in between the two. Inherent in this quagmire of information is the misinformation often posted. This aspect concerns many of us who utilize the Web in their everyday lives. It has become a part of daily life, whether finding a better way to perform a procedure or looking for a job.

 

The Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association recognizes the importance of providing the latest and most up-to-date information on evidence-based practice in dermatology care. That is why JDNA is pleased to provide you with a trusted source of data on the Web for your daily research and practice needs.

 

The dynamic new Web site JDNAonline.com will allow you the opportunity to create a personalized experience. This means you can create your own collection of articles, subscribe to RSS feeds, review the current table of contents, or view articles that are published ahead of print.

 

The site will have enhanced search capabilities. With the advanced search, you can search the entire site by keyword or content type, whether it is an article, podcast, or image, or you can search within a search. You can then save the results in your own personal area and refer to it later. The features give you the ability to mark favorite pages or even manage your subscription. Other helpful functionality includes, "Did you mean?" which will attempt to help you narrow your search.

  
Figure. No caption a... - Click to enlarge in new windowFigure. No caption available.
 
Figure. No caption a... - Click to enlarge in new windowFigure. No caption available.

There are tools to allow you to manage your content. This means you can save articles or e-mail an article or podcast to a colleague. If you are doing research, you can export images or bibliographic data into your favorite citation manager. You can also access, view, and search videos, images, or tables in the image gallery.

 

Other features include "Quick Polls" on important topics or you can peruse the "Most Viewed," "Most Cited," or "Most Emailed." The "Editor's Picks," "Editor's Collections," "Featured Articles," "Upcoming Topics," "Publish Ahead of Print," and "Browse by Topic" are also valuable in determining which information is most important to you.

 

The framework of the e-journal platform, known as myLWW, is a direct result of intense interaction with societies and readers of the journals. Jenn Brogan, vice president, Nursing Journals, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, stated,

 

Current trends indicate practitioners will increasing rely on online usage and it is our responsibility to ensure the pool of available data is reliable and published by a trusted source in the format most usable to the reader and end user.

 

The structure of the online journal is very flexible. In addition to the print journal content, editors can choose to post the most relevant current data. Cynthia R. King, PhD, NP, MSN, RN, FAAN, the JDNA editor, said,

 

This is a very exciting time for the society and the publishing world. It is very cutting edge and changes daily. We are proud to be a part of this transformation.

 

Cynthia looks forward to the talented members of the Dermatology Nurses' Association contributing in different ways. She invites members to participate in some capacity, whether reviewing columns, articles, and products; serving on the editorial board; or writing a short article on important dermatology developments. Input from membership is an essential part of making the journal, both print and online, a valuable resource.