I founded Advances in Nursing Science (ANS) in 1978. It seemed like a good idea since there were very few nursing journals at the time that published research articles, and even fewer that even considered other kinds of scholarly work. I had no idea that the journal would still be thriving 30 years later, and would not have dreamed that I would still be its Editor!
From the beginning, my intention was to publish articles that challenge the status quo. I thought then, as I do now, that journal articles in particular should prompt reader to think about new ideas and possibilities beyond what we have been taught, or assume to be “true.” At the same time, a scholarly journal’s content should be of the highest quality and meet the very best standards of the discipline. These two goals — challenging kinds of creativity and maintaining a high standard of scholarship – may seem at odds with one another. But in fact, throughout the history of ANS, we have consistently demonstrated that in fact they go hand in hand.
In my editorial in our recent issue focused on the topic “State of the Discipline” I reflected on this connection: “The idea of “discipline” has been on my mind recently, having spent some extended time with two different sets of toddlers and their parents over the past several weeks. Of course each set of parents deals with discipline in entirely different ways, but their balancing act is the same – the ever-present tension between constraint and freedom.
It occurred to me that in fact, this is the same tension that could be thought of as characterizing the different but related concept of a scientific discipline. The discipline is distinguished by the social and cultural constraints that are imposed both externally and internally. The definition of the science, the phenomena on concern, the group’s collectively accepted knowledge, the accepted methods and practices — all form a structure, without which the discipline would be indistinguishable.
At the same time, if these constraints were sufficiently restricting of the freedom to explore, to respond to societal change, and to propose and act on cutting–edge inspirations, the discipline would wither and die. The group can only sustain itself over time if there is a considerable value placed on the work of those who demonstrate the creativity and the capability to branch out into uncharted territory, and explore that which at first lies outside the accepted norms.” (Chinn, From the Editor, ANS 31:1)
If you have not already become acquainted with ANS, I invite you to browse through some of the issues. Don’t assume this is a journal only for students and other academic folks! We address the most pressing issues of the profession, and publish articles that have a broad interest for nurses and health care professionals in all disciplines.
If you have comments or questions, post them here! I would be delighted to be in touch!
