Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2014, 21, 765–766
Editorial: Hello from your new editor
It is a great pleasure to be the new Editor of the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. I am the fourth in the life time of the Journal which is now in its 20th year. The first was Professor Bill Lemmer who led from 1994 to 1997. Bill helped change the profession’s standing in research education and practice. He recognised the importance of changing the profession from within and also how it was viewed externally. The second, Professor Bryn Davis, expertly steered it through a six year term from 1998 and increased the number of articles published in addition to improving their quality. Bryn was eager to give voice to service users and families. Professor Dawn Freshwater followed as Editor between 2004 and 2014. Dawn developed the journal internationally against stiff competition from the expanding global market in academic and professional journals and secured its first impact factor rating in 2008. She expresses her thanks to all the reviewers, board members and Associate Editors who have contributed so much to the journal. Throughout its history editors have sought to strengthen the link between practice and research whilst widening the appeal of the journal. These remain important objectives. However in recent years the landscape has radically changed and this presents new challenges. We are now in a truly global market place which is driven by the demand for new knowledge particularly that which is accessible at the touch of a button. Global events impact on national policies. Within many countries mental health is influenced by economic pressures such as poverty which creates difficult living conditions for those with mental health problems, their families and practitioners who are there to help. The number and range of research studies in mental health conducted world-wide has risen sharply and this in turn shapes research which is conducted in a local setting. There has also been a sharp increase in the number of academic and practice based journals including open access nursing journals. Thus, a key question is how to strengthen the journal’s international standing and make it the natural home for world leading research and debate that impacts on mental health nursing. First, its relevance to practice is critical given we are a professional based journal. Thus, I am particularly keen to have authors think through the implications of their work © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
for practice, policy and service users and this is often recommended as part of the editors’ feedback. In addition we have a responsibility to keep abreast of new developments in mental health whilst not forgetting some of the fundamental aspects of nursing. Looking back on my career I have lived through major changes in mental health including: the closure of mental health hospitals; the increase in mortality and poor physical health of people with mental health problems; and the recovery movement. Mental Health nurses have to respond to these developments and are often, as with recovery, at the forefront of change. As for the fundamental aspects of nursing then one must be the humane relationship which lies at the very heart of nursing. Thus, in our recent revision of the aims and scope of the journal we retained the central focus on mental health nursing whilst keeping abreast of new developments in the profession. Second, we need to continue to improve the quality of the papers that are published in the Journal. This can only be achieved by an editorial policy which values work which builds on the international literature. Our aim is to publish work that pushes at international boundaries and provides new insight on a topic. Of course this work can take place in any country in the world as well as collaborative efforts across national boundaries. Our editorial policy ensures that authors receive feedback which helps them clearly articulate their contribution to knowledge. This policy is only possible through the work of our editorial board and the many reviewers, including Robert Rush our new statistical advisor, who give up their valuable time to referee papers. It is also driven by the hard work of our new dedicated editorial team which comprises Charley Baker (UK), Marie Crowe (New Zealand), and Richard Gray (Qatar) and the team lead by Rosie Hutchinson at Wiley. Third, we need to increase the level of debate in the journal. I will, with help of new Editorial team, and Editorial Board, re-introduce well tried and tested methods of doing so. These include invited editorials and commentaries; virtual and special issues (note: the forthcoming special issue on the topic of coercion); and the use of electronic media. We have already introduced a new form of submission which is the consumer and practitioner narrative that allows more freedom of scholarly expression. In 765
Editorial
addition, we have decided to increase the word limit on all papers from 3000 to 5000. Of course all of this will take time and I hope you will become part of these changes as they unfold. In conclusion, I think that making explicit the relevance to mental health nursing, improving the quality of papers that are published in the journal, and increasing the level of debate will widen the appeal of the journal and in so doing strengthen its position globally. Finally, a bit about me. I took up my present post as professor at Edinburgh Napier University (UK) in 2005. Previously, I trained as a mental health nurse in Glasgow (UK) in 1977 and qualified in 1980. I moved into public
766
health research in the 1990s and have published widely in addictions, sexual health and community nursing. I am particularly interested in families and young people. I have contributed to the strategic development of nursing research throughout my career. I have a long standing relationship with the Journal. I served on the Editorial Board between 2005 and 2012, became an Associate Editor in 2013 and then Editor in June 2014. I hope you will join me in helping the journal move from strength to strength in the coming years. LAWRIE ELLIOTT Editor
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Copyright of Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing is the property of WileyBlackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Editorial: Hello from your new editor
It is a great pleasure to be the new Editor of the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. I am the fourth in the life time of the Journal which is now in its 20th year. The first was Professor Bill Lemmer who led from 1994 to 1997. Bill helped change the profession’s standing in research education and practice. He recognised the importance of changing the profession from within and also how it was viewed externally. The second, Professor Bryn Davis, expertly steered it through a six year term from 1998 and increased the number of articles published in addition to improving their quality. Bryn was eager to give voice to service users and families. Professor Dawn Freshwater followed as Editor between 2004 and 2014. Dawn developed the journal internationally against stiff competition from the expanding global market in academic and professional journals and secured its first impact factor rating in 2008. She expresses her thanks to all the reviewers, board members and Associate Editors who have contributed so much to the journal. Throughout its history editors have sought to strengthen the link between practice and research whilst widening the appeal of the journal. These remain important objectives. However in recent years the landscape has radically changed and this presents new challenges. We are now in a truly global market place which is driven by the demand for new knowledge particularly that which is accessible at the touch of a button. Global events impact on national policies. Within many countries mental health is influenced by economic pressures such as poverty which creates difficult living conditions for those with mental health problems, their families and practitioners who are there to help. The number and range of research studies in mental health conducted world-wide has risen sharply and this in turn shapes research which is conducted in a local setting. There has also been a sharp increase in the number of academic and practice based journals including open access nursing journals. Thus, a key question is how to strengthen the journal’s international standing and make it the natural home for world leading research and debate that impacts on mental health nursing. First, its relevance to practice is critical given we are a professional based journal. Thus, I am particularly keen to have authors think through the implications of their work © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
for practice, policy and service users and this is often recommended as part of the editors’ feedback. In addition we have a responsibility to keep abreast of new developments in mental health whilst not forgetting some of the fundamental aspects of nursing. Looking back on my career I have lived through major changes in mental health including: the closure of mental health hospitals; the increase in mortality and poor physical health of people with mental health problems; and the recovery movement. Mental Health nurses have to respond to these developments and are often, as with recovery, at the forefront of change. As for the fundamental aspects of nursing then one must be the humane relationship which lies at the very heart of nursing. Thus, in our recent revision of the aims and scope of the journal we retained the central focus on mental health nursing whilst keeping abreast of new developments in the profession. Second, we need to continue to improve the quality of the papers that are published in the Journal. This can only be achieved by an editorial policy which values work which builds on the international literature. Our aim is to publish work that pushes at international boundaries and provides new insight on a topic. Of course this work can take place in any country in the world as well as collaborative efforts across national boundaries. Our editorial policy ensures that authors receive feedback which helps them clearly articulate their contribution to knowledge. This policy is only possible through the work of our editorial board and the many reviewers, including Robert Rush our new statistical advisor, who give up their valuable time to referee papers. It is also driven by the hard work of our new dedicated editorial team which comprises Charley Baker (UK), Marie Crowe (New Zealand), and Richard Gray (Qatar) and the team lead by Rosie Hutchinson at Wiley. Third, we need to increase the level of debate in the journal. I will, with help of new Editorial team, and Editorial Board, re-introduce well tried and tested methods of doing so. These include invited editorials and commentaries; virtual and special issues (note: the forthcoming special issue on the topic of coercion); and the use of electronic media. We have already introduced a new form of submission which is the consumer and practitioner narrative that allows more freedom of scholarly expression. In 765
Editorial
addition, we have decided to increase the word limit on all papers from 3000 to 5000. Of course all of this will take time and I hope you will become part of these changes as they unfold. In conclusion, I think that making explicit the relevance to mental health nursing, improving the quality of papers that are published in the journal, and increasing the level of debate will widen the appeal of the journal and in so doing strengthen its position globally. Finally, a bit about me. I took up my present post as professor at Edinburgh Napier University (UK) in 2005. Previously, I trained as a mental health nurse in Glasgow (UK) in 1977 and qualified in 1980. I moved into public
766
health research in the 1990s and have published widely in addictions, sexual health and community nursing. I am particularly interested in families and young people. I have contributed to the strategic development of nursing research throughout my career. I have a long standing relationship with the Journal. I served on the Editorial Board between 2005 and 2012, became an Associate Editor in 2013 and then Editor in June 2014. I hope you will join me in helping the journal move from strength to strength in the coming years. LAWRIE ELLIOTT Editor
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Copyright of Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing is the property of WileyBlackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
