Editorial—Goals

Article Outline

• Copyright

I must say that, while I enjoy being Editor of the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, writing Editorials is not one of my strong suits. It seems to become more difficult each month. The recent letter to the editor and my response seem to have stirred up some conversation dealing with, “How does the average veterinarian fit into publishing in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science?” Perhaps we have not created a good venue for that.

One of my dear friends who has been associated with the Journal for many years gave me a call and suggested a possible venue for practitioners to publish in the Journal. He suggested a section toward the back of the Journal, possibly titled “Viewpoint: The Voice of Equine Practice.” This would be a non-refereed section in which practitioners could present some of their experiences and recent developments in equine medicine. It may be an area in which a seasoned practitioner provides helpful hints that may ultimately stimulate young scientists to do research in that particular area. Hopefully it would create a dialog with the consumer of the journal, that is, the practitioner.

I have been told by many, and certainly believe it myself, that the Journal needs to be listed on PubMed so that it can be accessed more readily. It has been my goal, since taking over Editorship of the Journal, to be accepted by PubMed, and I hope to achieve it during 2008. I have been waiting for the number of papers published each month to increase and the quality to increase. I think that this is happening and that we will be ready in the next few months to submit an application for acceptance by PubMed.

I would certainly enjoy hearing from the readership regarding content of the Journal and how to create a balance between the academician and the practitioner.