Many of us mark the beginning of a new year by developing a fresh list of goals that we hope to accomplish. The problem—at least for me—is that I rarely achieve the items on the “old” list and end up feeling overwhelmed by what remains! Editorial Boards feel the same way. Each year PTJ's Editorial Board develops a strategy to answer such questions as:
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Should we go online only?
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How do we best reach our readers?
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How do we attract the best authors?
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Are open-access journals going to put us out of business?
Because the crystal ball that will forecast events in 2012 is still coming into focus, I begin by looking back over the past 90 years. The first P.T. Review was published in March 1921, and it was most likely the only physical therapy journal in existence. Isabel H. Noble, the interim editor in chief, remarked, “As the editorial work is new to us we hope to improve as time goes on. This issue therefore is no criterion, as our aim is to make each copy an improvement over its predecessor.”1(p1) The only other person listed on the masthead was Elizabeth L. Wells, “business manager and assistant editor.”
The first issue consisted of 16 pages, with the bulk dedicated to the American Women's Physical Therapeutic Association Constitution and a directory of members. A review of Mary McMillan's textbook Massage and Therapeutic Exercise concludes that it “should be of great value, not only to the former Reconstruction Aides in Physiotherapy, but also to the physician as a basis for writing proper prescriptions for treatment….”2(p12) By the way, the advertisements for job positions indicate a salary of approximately $100 per month (often with lunch or room and board provided).
Today, the International Society of Physiotherapy Editors (www.ispje.wcpt.org …
