Jacqueline Owens, PhD, RN, COHN-S
Associate Editor, OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues In Nursing (since 2007)
First year of Editorial career - 2003
First year in INANE - 2008
Editor position prior to your current editorial position - OJIN Editorial Assistant (started in 2003)
Other Position - Assistant Professor of Nursing - Ashland University, 2003 to present
Which editing accomplishment is the one about which you feel most proud?
I am proud of the opportunity to be a part of the growth of OJIN and to develop my editorial skills by working with the team that publishes this journal. With a goal of becoming an editor for a nursing journal, I started in 2003 as the first Editorial Assistant for this journal as a master's student at Kent State University (Kent, OH) and became Associate Editor in 2007. I continue to enjoy learning how to facilitate sharing the knowledge of nurses with the world!
What is the best thing about being an Editor?
It is wonderful to become so well read on important issues concerning the nursing profession and health care in general. So many OJIN articles are authored by leaders in the nursing profession. Other submissions are from first-timers. The chance to communicate and collaborate with each author is truly a privilege and a joy.
What is the worst thing about being an Editor?
Deciding when, and if, extensive guidance of revisions of a poorly written manuscript on a topic very important to nursing outweighs the value of editorial time. Most of the time, it does, but sometimes one has to draw the line to focus on other important topics.
Share an amusing story about editing.
My calling as an editor arose in part from my experience as a parent. I was once the proud parent of a 5th grader, walking the halls of the elementary school to search out a science project on display for parent's night. One can only imagine my very public mortification (amusing in hindsight, now that she is a budding master's candidate!) upon locating my child's scholarly project, The Incest Wheel, a lovely compilation of facts about INSECTS. I immediately realized the critical nature of editing on a very personal level.
Which three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
My guess: perseverant, intellectual, humorous
What is the strangest request a potential author has ever made of you?
Nothing too strange yet.
How do you relax?
Frankly, I don’t relax well, but when I do it's by traveling and taking photos. Often that travel includes a beach.