Peer reviewers are critical to the publishing of quality manuscripts in the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA). For JDNA, the double-blind peer review is a component of the publishing process. Done before acceptance of a manuscript for publication, peer review is the examination of articles by subject matter experts. For JDNA, this means that every article has been reviewed by dermatology nursing experts, before its acceptance for publication.
These peer reviewers are knowledgeable about dermatology nursing and are often subject matter experts for the particular manuscript topic for which they are invited to review. As Editor-in-Chief my job is to review manuscripts after submission to JDNA to determine who will complete an effective peer review. To the best of my ability, I try to match manuscripts with reviewers who are most appropriate. I have several peer reviewers for JDNA who have reviewed just one manuscript-they were a subject matter expert on a topic for which we had the appropriate manuscript. And I have one peer reviewer who, to date, has reviewed 104 manuscripts. Many of you know Ted Scott, FNP, DNCP, a longtime member of DNA and previous JDNA Editorial Board member. As he was leaving the Board, he promised he would remain active with JDNA, and he has. With his breadth of expertise and experience, he is often able to give a clear review for many types of manuscripts. He says, "I enjoy reviewing articles because it keeps me up to date on the field of dermatology nursing. I also find it interesting when my understanding of an issue is different from what the author is submitting. It forces me to research the issue and improve my understanding of the issue." Another reviewer, Lisa Bonsall says, "It's hard to believe how much I've learned from reviewing for JDNA. I feel so 'cutting-edge' to be among the first people to read a manuscript. My personal knowledge of dermatology, nursing, and writing has grown exponentially!"
The job of a peer reviewer is to provide constructive feedback about the manuscript to the author(s). This allows the author(s) to make changes on the manuscript that will create a stronger article for publication. The peer reviewers' job is also to provide guidance to the Editorial Staff about which manuscripts should be selected for publication. I am not an expert on all areas of dermatology nursing and look to the JDNA's peer reviewers to guide my decision making about what should be published in our Journal. Lastly, the purpose of the peer-review process is to safeguard the discipline. Quoting from the newly developed document "Conducting a Successful Peer Review for the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association" by Kiki Samko, "The service reviewers provide ensures the scholarly content of an author's work that is disseminated to the scientific community is timely, relevant to advancing the field, and free from error or scientific misconduct" (March 2013).
Part of my job as Editor is to recruit new peer reviewers. Would you consider serving the JDNA as a peer reviewer? Being a peer reviewer for JDNA allows you to help in the process of shaping the current state of dermatology nursing and nursing practice. You have a voice in sharing what is important to dermatology nurses. As mentioned in the last paragraph, there are new, written guidelines for being a peer reviewer. This new document, in a clear, step-by-step fashion, outlines the components of a good review and even provides a checklist in the Appendix to help you organize your comments. JDNA uses the online submission program called Editorial Manager. As a peer reviewer, after you have read the manuscript assigned to you, you enter your comments directly into the system.
The new peer-review guidelines are accessible on the JDNA Web site at http://journals.lww.com/jdnaonline.
Again, would you consider becoming a peer reviewer for JDNA? All you have to do is email me at the address below-tell me your name, email address, and the manuscript topics you would be interested in reviewing. Our journal will benefit from your expertise in dermatology nursing, and you will be contributing professionally to a field so many of us love.
Speaking of love, two of my newest love interests are my new niece Natalie Claire (6 months old), whom I may just have to write more about later because she is one of my favorite persons, and Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com). I am sure many of you have heard about Pinterest, the online tool that allows you to create "boards" where you "pin" and "repin" photos, ideas, or images based on categories that you create. According to the Pinterest Web site, "Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love" (Pinterest, 2013). I thought it only appropriate then to create a "DNA & JDNA" Board. At the time of this writing, I only have eight pins to the Board. I don't know how this Board will develop over time or how it might benefit the Journal, but either way, I wanted to personally invite those of you on Pinterest to consider following the Board. Also, please contact me if you think you'd be interested in joining as a Pinner-maybe we can have a group Board if anyone else is interested.
I started a Skin Cancer Board as well, because many of us in dermatology nursing are acutely aware of the impact skin cancer has on our patients. On the Skin Cancer Board, you will see, among others, pins referencing both the Don't Fry Day events, which are promoted by the DNA and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, but also pins from organizations of DNA members such as the Children's Melanoma Prevention Foundation and SunAWARE.
Do you have a Pinterest Board that relates to skin or your dermatology practice or area of expertise? Are you using Pinterest in a novel way to advertise your practice or the services of your practice? Are you using Pinterest to educate patients or to educate the public? Let us know-we would love to share novel uses in the dermatology nursing community.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Angela L. Borger
Editor-in-Chief
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