Editorial – Response to the Letter to the Editor

Article Outline

• Copyright

I will use this editorial space to respond to the Letter to the Editor from Dr. Tom Ahern in this issue. I appreciate Dr. Ahern taking the time to write this letter. Obviously, he is a long-term reader of the Journal and passionate about the Journal content. Dr. Ahern comments that there are two major reasons why, in his opinion, the Journal has struggled – one being that it primarily caters to “institutionalized professionals” and the second is the absence of Dr. William Jones and his impact on the Journal. There is no question that every editor develops his style for that publication, and I agree that mine differs from that of Dr. Jones. Dr. Ahern states that the Journal is no longer accessible to the average practitioner; I would argue that there are several places within the Journal of particular interest to the practitioner: the Review article section, Case Reports and, starting in January, the Clinical Techniques section. We invite articles from practitioners for possible inclusion in the Viewpoint section, Letter to the Editor or a special section.

Dr. Ahern's recommendation is to “enlarge the habitat and diversify the food source”; in other words, make the Journal more diverse, practitioner-friendly and include practitioner comments, ideas and discussion items. I admit that other journals may be more practitioner-oriented and appropriate for the type of information that Dr. Ahern has suggested. Furthermore, internet discussion groups and listservs (including ACN, AAEP, etc.) are an excellent means for practitioners to post clinical cases and ideas. However, I take the comments and suggestions of Dr. Ahern seriously and feel it is something that the JEVS Advisory Board should discuss – How user-friendly should the Journal be for the average practitioner?

I invite comments from other subscribers concerning their thoughts on the subject or other directions they might suggest for the Journal. My contact information is: edward.squires@colostate.edu, 970-491-8409.