10 Years of research in the journal: What's next?

Article Outline

• Changes
• Announcing a new section: Research and Treatment Bulletin (RTB)
• Now in each issue of the journal: continuing professional development
• A word about those who undertake research, and those who support them
• Copyright

With the publication of this issue, the journal has arrived at its 10-year anniversary. What started a decade ago as an ambitious postgraduate student project driven by enthusiasm, strong coffee and an old computer has gradually evolved into an international publication of record for the whole profession. Some Australian and New Zealand readers may vaguely recall a white and maroon covered booklet that arrived in their letterboxes without fanfare in September 1997. Since that first issue there have been many improvements in both content and presentation. We have moved from a printed letterhead and postage stamp correspondence system into one relying entirely on e-mail; and then three years ago onto a complete online system that manages manuscript submission, tracking, reviewing and correspondence. We started out storing spare copies of each issue in cardboard boxes stashed in a leaky garage, but now enjoy the full benefits of 24-h online electronic access and archiving via ScienceDirect. Although there have been many technological enhancements in journal publication over the last 10 years, it has been the commitment of people, who have sustained the journal to this point. On the 10th anniversary it is timely that we offer our thanks to all those contributors, reviewers and subscribers who have committed time, effort and financial support in order to advance the aims of the journal.

In many ways we can all celebrate this anniversary achievement; yet at the same time we as editors have never been more aware of the challenges that face the profession – especially in relation to the development of a specific scientific basis for osteopathic medicine. The next 10 years will be a crucial phase for research within osteopathy and we intend to continue developing the journal to support the readers, regulatory bodies, academic institutions and researchers who require a publication directly targeting osteopathy in which to communicate their work.

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Changes 

In this issue, we report on some changes in personnel and also the implementation of two new initiatives that are intended to directly benefit journal readers. Firstly, we farewell our UK Editor, Janine Leach, who has worked very hard over the last two years to increase awareness of the journal as well as encourage and guide potential authors toward publication. Fortunately for us, Janine will continue to be involved on the Editorial Board and provide her expertise for the continued development of the journal. On behalf of the Editorial Board, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Janine for helping to establish a secure base for the journal, and for her contributions in thought, time and energy. Janine has prepared a thought provoking editorial for this anniversary issue on page 1–2.

We are pleased to welcome Steven Vogel as the new Editor, based in the UK. Steve will be known to many osteopaths in the UK, and is the Head of Research at the British School of Osteopathy. He has collaborated and published widely on topics such as chronic pain, psychological risk factors for chronic pain, attitudes towards pain amongst different professional groups, fear avoidance behaviour, patient education as an intervention, and attitudes of practitioners towards prescribing rights. We first came to know Steve in 2002 after he co-authored a paper for this journal on Research at the BSO, and later as he accepted a position on the Editorial Board. Steve is an advocate for the patient, as readily evidenced by his research interest in the experience of patients and practitioners and the interaction between them. He is an advocate for osteopaths, and has been a frequent promoter of the idea that the editorial board should attempt to broaden the range of content within the journal to increase its usefulness for readers. Over the last six months we have worked with Steve to achieve this aim with the introduction in this issue of the Research and Treatment Bulletin, discussed below.

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Announcing a new section: Research and Treatment Bulletin (RTB) 

We are pleased to announce the introduction of a new section within each issue of the journal to be known as the Research and Treatment Bulletin (see page 34–38). The RTB will consist of 4–5 pages in each issue of carefully selected article reviews and commentary from a broad range of journals relevant to osteopathic practice. The RTB has evolved from an initiative of staff at the BSO Research Department, who for several years produced a bulletin for practitioners and students with the aim of communicating research findings of particular interest. Paul Blanchard of the BSO will act as Section Editor to oversee the development of the RTB within the journal.

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Now in each issue of the journal: continuing professional development 

With each issue of the journal we will now be providing a continuing professional development activity that relates to content included in the issue. Each regulatory jurisdiction will treat this activity differently in terms of the CPD points allowed, so check with your organisation to clarify what type of CPD this activity fulfils (see page 39–40 in this issue for your CPD activity). For many practitioners, this will be classed as self-directed learning and will require that practitioners keep a record of their completion of the activity for audit purposes. We recommend that readers photocopy and complete the CPD activity page, and then store it in a secure filing system for future reference.

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A word about those who undertake research, and those who support them 

Communicating research through the pages of the journal would not be possible without the ongoing commitment and support of professional organisations that appreciate the importance of promoting research, and provide access to the literature for their members. We therefore warmly acknowledge those in leadership positions within the profession who have continued to support the journal over the last 10 years. The readership continues to enlarge, and we would like to extend a welcome to members of the Ontario Association of Osteopaths, and publicly acknowledge the foresight and support of those in leadership positions who have chosen to promote an osteopathic research culture directly within their own association, and indirectly, in the profession as a whole.

We are pleased to present this 10th anniversary issue to you. Research is hard work and the communication of findings is an important and necessary task that relies on the goodwill of many people. To all those who have contributed their time and support to the journal over the last 10 years we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation.