Keeping the Editor “In Focus”

Kearney reflects on what she has learned about the role of the editor. Kearney states that she has learned that the vast majority of nurses have little awareness of what the work of journal editing is about. Even among highly accomplished nurse scholars, some wish to avoid the difficult moments of the editor role. Editors must make difficult decisions about which manuscripts merit publication and which are unlikely to make a contribution to the literature. Even papers with brilliant ideas or submitted by highly respected authors and manuscripts written by the editor's own colleagues sometimes must be rejected.