Volume 53 Number 4 December 1996
The production team for the Journal is extensive. It includes the editors, the reviewers, enormous support from the DAA national office, advice from eminent nutritionists, the sponsors and advertisers and, most importantly, the contributors of content for the Journal. While largely unrecognised, all derive a great deal of satisfaction from the continuing development and positive progress of the Journal.
Some individuals and companies should be named for special acknowledgment. The Journal has been edited by Australian dietitians of some renown—Dr Beverly Wood, Dr Lynne Daniels, Ms Nancy Hitchcock and presently Dr Lynne Cobiac. The Managing Editor, Ms Kerry Moir, has been a central part of the team over the 10 years, and the Executive Officer of DAA, Ms Jan Finley has been a tireless supporter over the same period. Abbott Australasia and Mead Johnson have been regular and substantial supporters of the Journal for many years. Other regular and long-standing advertisers include Nutricia, Servier Laboratories, the Australian Ice Cream Association and the Australian Sugar Industry. The Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia and the Sanitarium Health Food Company have regularly sponsored the Journal for a number of years. More recently, Sandoz Nutrition, the Australasian Soft Drink Association Ltd and Goodman Fielder Limited have provided significant support. The interaction of corporate interests is mutually beneficial and is critical to further development of the Journal.
What's in store for the Journal in the next 10 years? Let me wave my hands over the proverbial crystal ball.
It is an exciting period to be involved in the production of a scientific nutrition journal because of the hyperbolic growth of information dissemination technologies, the increasing numbers of Australian dietitians and nutritionists being directly involved in scientific research as well as recognising the need to understand the issues, and the sound and secure management of the Journal which has been achieved by the Board of DAA.
The growth of the Journal is such that larger and more frequent issues will be mandatory, and it is likely that more paid staff will be required to achieve the necessary production schedule. The heavy workload of the Editor suggests that this may become a salaried position, and remuneration to other editorial staff may become necessary.
A comprehensive cumulative index of the first 10 years of the Journal will be produced as a supplement to the June 1997 issue. The contents of volumes 44 to 53 will be indexed by authors' names, title and subjects. It will be a useful reference work for journal subscribers and it is planned to produce such an index every 10 years.
The number of supplements in the Journal has increased in recent years, and will continue to do so. These have been a welcome feature of the Journal, and the supplements vary from single comprehensive background papers written by one expert author, to collections of background papers produced for a specific purpose, or proceedings of meetings on single topics. It is inevitable that the proceedings of DAA conferences and workshops will also be distributed with the Journal for the benefit of readers.
In the early days of DAA management of the Journal, the annual DAA conferences provided an important source of content for the Journal (e.g. volume 44, issue 2, and volume 45, issue 4). While this source of material largely has been replaced by a consistent supply of good quality submissions (supported by an excellent reviewing process), the inclusion of conference proceedings as as supplement, or in addition to the normal June issue is worth considering. The production of such proceedings in the Journal would be an expensive undertaking. However, the advantages are that the information presented at the conference is available to an audience about seven times larger than the number of actual conference delegates. In order to contain the costs of such undertakings, sponsorship will need to be sought.
The Journal now has a web site on the Internet at http://WWW.DAA.Net/AJND.htm. The Internet is no longer new—even in provincial Hobart we have coin operated Internet vending machines where Internet access can be bought in ten-minute parcels. The table of contents and abstracts from each issue now appears in electronic form—as you read this, the electronic version is also available worldwide to anybody with web access. This will be one section of the more comprehensive DAA web site to be developed and which should prove very useful to members and others. Plans for more interactive web developments could include an experimental device to give insight into the publication process. After appropriate permission has been sought, selected submitted manuscripts could be displayed and reviewing comments sought from visitors to the site. The authors would be encouraged to respond to the informal review comments, also on the site. When available, comments from the nominated referees and the Editor could be included with the manuscripts, and in due course, the author's responses to those comments, and the Editor's final decision on the suitability of the manuscript for the Journal. If you don't have access to the World Wide Web, put it on your Christmas shopping list!
The positioning of the Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics is an important consideration in strategic planning. We have evidence from membership surveys that the Journal is valued highly by members of DAA. We aim to ensure that membership satisfaction is maintained and to expand the influence of the Journal within and beyond our own geographic region. The content of the Journal, which undergoes significant expert review, deals with important issues in human nutrition which should be promoted to the wider scientific community and to inform the general public. In the future, reprints of original articles published in the Journal could be made available for use by authors, teachers, industry or other interests. A press release now accompanies the publication of each issue, and a process exists to ensure that the authors of a selected paper are available for media comment. These developments are consistent with other marketing strategies being developed within the organisation of DAA.
In common with other scientific journals, the Journal is experiencing a fall in subscribers who are not members of DAA. This is mainly attributed to rationalisation of institutional subscriptions and changes to methods of information storage and retrieval for institutions. However, the Journal is looking toward expanding the subscriber base as the quality and value of the Journal increases. One avenue is to offer subscriptions to other groups with interests in human nutrition and diet—including the members of the Australian Nutrition Foundation, the Nutrition Society of Australia, and the Home Economics Institute of Australia to name a few. Another avenue is to investigate ways to amalgamate the Journal activities of the DAA with other associations of dietitians in the region. An obvious starting point is the New Zealand Dietetic Association, and discussions are taking place to determine what possibilities exist for combining this resource across the Pacific region.
I find that my own collection
of volumes of the Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics is well-worn,
and contains quite a few marginal notes. This highlights the fact that
I have found the Journal stimulating and useful whether working in a capital
city or in more remote areas. It should be a matter of concern to me because
it is clear that the early issues will become collectors items (if they
are not already) and mine are not in mint condition. However I rest easy
at night in the knowledge that by reading each issue avidly, I have participated
in an activity which belongs to us (as readers and as members of DAA) and
which, in a small way, unites people with an interest in human diet.
A toast to the next ten
years!
Malcolm Riley
Chairperson Journal Management
Committee