Making Time to Read
1
E DITORIAL MAKING TIME TO READ Claire Johnson, MSEd, DC Editor S taying current with practice and research trends not only helps us to be better at what we do but also helps the profession. Thus, one of the goals for the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) is to reach as many people in the profession as possible. This particular issue welcomes a new group of subscribers to our readership. The American Chiropractic Association has arranged for its members to receive the JMPT (either free or at a discount depending on membership category) as a membership benefit. In addition, the American Chiropractic Association now recognizes the JMPT as its scientific peer-reviewed journal. The JMPT will continue to remain independent and free from political influences. The National University of Health Sciences, owner of the journal, upholds the journal’s compli- ance with the high standards of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org) and World Associa- tion of Medical Editors (www.wame.org) guidelines, which expressly support editorial freedom and best publication practices. We will continue to strive to provide the best scientific information that impacts practice and future research. However, for us to do this successfully, it is up to the readership to participate by reading the contents. Making the time to read information, which would best serve our patients or impact future research, is not easy. However, staying abreast of what is happening in our field is an important part of what we do to sustain ourselves and impact our future. It has been suggested that our profession is at a crossroads. 1 Each of us has the opportunity to make a difference on which direction our profession takes. As a child, I would watch my father return home from working at the hospital, pick from his stack of specialty journals, and read. Reading was part of his expectation of being a professional. He was not a researcher, but a practitioner, and yet even after a long day at work, he still found the time to read his journals. Unfortunately, many in practice have not been formally trained how to read scientific journals. During preclinical or clinical training, many of us were not acculturated with how to make consuming research a normal part of our lives. Therefore, we must make a choice to implement reading into our regular routines. Many would agree that reading provides a variety of benefits. However, there may be others who find no value in reading. Some may have the misconception that we only need science to prove that bchiropractic worksQ or that journals should be accessed only when one needs them for evidence of the efficacy of chiropractic. 2 And, there may be others who think that reading intellectually challenging journal articles may dilute our thinking processes, undermine our enthusiasm, damage our practice management strategies, or harm the profession. Although I do not have a double-blind controlled trial to support the counter argument to these statements, I suggest that regularly reading scientific journals will have a positive impact on the profession, strengthen future research, and ultimately improve patient care. However, to accomplish these, each of us needs to create the time to read sound scientific material and do so with an analytical eye. To support our readers to include reading as part of their regular routine, we provide several easy ways to access the JMPT. In addition to receiving the print copy of the journal, JMPT subscribers have online access to all online back issues. Go to www.mosby.com/jmpt, and you can search a topic of interest or author or browse the back issues. The pdf file function allows you the option to view articles on the computer as they are found in the print journal. You may print these articles and take them with you, perhaps to read during breaks. In addition, the JMPT provides a free table of contents service to anyone who wishes to sign up (www.mosby.com/jmpt). As soon as the latest JMPT issue is published, the table of contents will be sent to the e-mail of your choice so that you may select which articles you wish to read. This free service provides a friendly reminder that it is time to catch up on reading the latest in chiropractic research. Making the time to read has both personal and profession- wide impact and is one of our professional duties. Whether you choose to dip your toe in the water by reading only the titles, wade in by skimming the abstracts, or dive in by reading the journal from front to back, I welcome all readers to join us in making reading the scientific literature a part of our profes- sional lives. REFERENCES 1. Meeker WC, Haldeman S. Chiropractic: a profession at the crossroads of mainstream and alternative medicine. Ann Intern Med 2002;136:216 - 27. 2. Keating Jr JC, Green BN, Johnson CD. bResearchQ and bscienceQ in the first half of the chiropractic century. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1995;18:357 - 78. 1 J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005;28:1. 0161-4754/$30.00 Copyright D 2005 by National University of Health Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2004.12.012
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Transcript of Making Time to Read
EDITORIAL
MAKING TIME TO READ
Claire Johnson, MSEd, DCEditor
Staying current with practice and research trends not
only helps us to be better at what we do but also helps
the profession. Thus, one of the goals for the Journal of
Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) is to
reach as many people in the profession as possible. This
particular issue welcomes a new group of subscribers to our
readership. The American Chiropractic Association has
arranged for its members to receive the JMPT (either free or at
a discount depending on membership category) as a membership
benefit. In addition, the American Chiropractic Association now
recognizes the JMPT as its scientific peer-reviewed journal.
The JMPT will continue to remain independent and free
from political influences. The National University of Health
Sciences, owner of the journal, upholds the journal’s compli-
ance with the high standards of the International Committee of
Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org) and World Associa-
tion of Medical Editors (www.wame.org) guidelines, which
expressly support editorial freedom and best publication
practices. We will continue to strive to provide the best
scientific information that impacts practice and future research.
However, for us to do this successfully, it is up to the readership
to participate by reading the contents.
Making the time to read information, which would best
serve our patients or impact future research, is not easy.
However, staying abreast of what is happening in our field is an
important part of what we do to sustain ourselves and impact
our future. It has been suggested that our profession is at a
crossroads.1 Each of us has the opportunity to make a
difference on which direction our profession takes.
As a child, I would watch my father return home from
working at the hospital, pick from his stack of specialty
journals, and read. Reading was part of his expectation of being
a professional. He was not a researcher, but a practitioner, and
yet even after a long day at work, he still found the time to read
his journals. Unfortunately, many in practice have not been
formally trained how to read scientific journals. During
preclinical or clinical training, many of us were not acculturated
with how to make consuming research a normal part of our
lives. Therefore, we must make a choice to implement reading
into our regular routines.
Many would agree that reading provides a variety of
benefits. However, there may be others who find no value in
J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005;28:1.0161-4754/$30.00Copyright D 2005 by National University of Health Sciences.doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2004.12.012
reading. Some may have the misconception that we only need
science to prove that bchiropractic worksQ or that journals
should be accessed only when one needs them for evidence of
the efficacy of chiropractic.2 And, there may be others who
think that reading intellectually challenging journal articles may
dilute our thinking processes, undermine our enthusiasm,
damage our practice management strategies, or harm the
profession. Although I do not have a double-blind controlled
trial to support the counter argument to these statements, I
suggest that regularly reading scientific journals will have a
positive impact on the profession, strengthen future research,
and ultimately improve patient care. However, to accomplish
these, each of us needs to create the time to read sound scientific
material and do so with an analytical eye.
To support our readers to include reading as part of their
regular routine, we provide several easy ways to access the
JMPT. In addition to receiving the print copy of the journal,
JMPT subscribers have online access to all online back issues.
Go to www.mosby.com/jmpt, and you can search a topic of
interest or author or browse the back issues. The pdf file
function allows you the option to view articles on the computer
as they are found in the print journal. You may print these
articles and take them with you, perhaps to read during breaks.
In addition, the JMPT provides a free table of contents service
to anyone who wishes to sign up (www.mosby.com/jmpt). As
soon as the latest JMPT issue is published, the table of contents
will be sent to the e-mail of your choice so that you may select
which articles you wish to read. This free service provides a
friendly reminder that it is time to catch up on reading the latest in
chiropractic research.
Making the time to read has both personal and profession-
wide impact and is one of our professional duties. Whether you
choose to dip your toe in the water by reading only the titles,
wade in by skimming the abstracts, or dive in by reading the
journal from front to back, I welcome all readers to join us in
making reading the scientific literature a part of our profes-
sional lives.
REFERENCES
1. Meeker WC, Haldeman S. Chiropractic: a profession at thecrossroads of mainstream and alternative medicine. Ann InternMed 2002;136:216-27.
2. Keating Jr JC, Green BN, Johnson CD. bResearchQ andbscienceQ in the first half of the chiropractic century.J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1995;18:357-78.
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