As 2014 quickly comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on another exciting and productive year for the Journal of Dental Hygiene, as well as look forward to the promise and potential of 2015. The past year was busy, productive and full of plans for positive change with the Journal. In 2014, we continued to receive a high number of submissions from authors across the globe, leading to some high quality manuscripts that helped reinforce the need for transformation in our profession. Due to increasing demand, the Journal continues to publish bi-monthly, and is showing no signs of slowing down. All of this is possible in part to our partnership with HighWire Press. This past year was our first full calendar year publishing the Journal of Dental Hygiene online with the HighWire team, and they have ensured that our publication can be read anywhere at any time, and providing us the freedom to work on additional content.
The next year will continue to be a busy time for the Journal of Dental Hygiene, and it all starts in February with the a special supplement – the Proceedings from the 3rd North American/Global Dental Hygiene Research Conference. This supplement will include the many wonderful presentations and discussions that participants of this conference heard in October of this year. In addition to a special print version, there will be an expanded online version which will include a wealth of information that researchers will find invaluable.
Shortly after this issue, a co-branded supplement, published by the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) and the Journal of Dental Hygiene, will feature a White Paper authored by ADHA members. This White Paper will focus on the current state of dental hygiene education, and provides a wonderful opportunity to see how far our profession has come, and where it can go in the future.
Finally, we are pleased to announce the return of the special Journal of Dental Hygiene CLL Supplement. This print supplement will be available to attendees of the 92nd Center for Lifelong Learning in Nashville, and will highlight the most outstanding research published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene, including our expanding awards program. The 2014 Sigma Phi Alpha Journalism Award winners will be published in this issue. In addition, we will once again offer the Journal of Dental Hygiene second annual Best Paper Award, which highlights the best research paper published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene during the preceding year. Any research manuscript published in 2014 is eligible to be considered for the award.
An exciting change will be implemented for authors and journal reviewers in 2015 with the adoption of the BenchPress system for all manuscript submissions. This automated process will allow authors to easily submit manuscripts to the Journal, and will increase the speed at which manuscripts are reviewed and published. It is changes like these that will allow the Journal to stay on the cutting edge and offer the most timely and impactful research.
Believe it or not, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have many more changes planned for 2015, and I cannot wait to share them with you. As the dental hygiene profession begins its process of transformation, so too does the Journal of Dental Hygiene. Here's to a Happy New Year, and to an exciting and wonderful road ahead for the Journal!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Wilder, RDH, BS, MS
Editor–in–Chief, Journal of Dental Hygiene
- Copyright © 2014 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association
