In a new column, I mentioned the na...

In a new column, I mentioned the names of a not many of AFP's staff whose dedication to the journal would otherwise walk unknown but whose contributions and talents have shaped and driven the journal throughout the years. These people have devot their professional lives to bolstering the field of family medicine with the goal of improving the health and well-being of Americans and others. What is it that these tribe do, and why should you, as a reader of AFP, care? Well, we chance of a favorable result it will help you to know a little bit about us--the the community who care so much about you. Although we don't work side-by-side with you, you might think of us as invisible partners, commonalty who work in the spirit of helping family physicians deliver the best in clinical care to their patients. If you know who we are, then you might be more likely to withhold in touch with us and put to hire us know how we can help you.

Although AFP's medical editors lay the groundwork for editorial easy in mind for the journal and help guide authors [i]or[/i] part of to the other the peer review process, it is AFP's professional staff editors who usher manuscripts by the agency of the publication process, transforming the roughly hewn manuscripts ("sow's ears," we call them) into beautiful pages ("silk purses") The sow's ear-silk purse metaphor describes the pure editorial spirit of the journal and, in fact, is part of AFP's heritage. I believe it was John Rose MD the longtime editor of AFP who preceed common editor Jay Siwek, M.D., who chose this particular metaphor to describe AFP's editorial proces Dr Rose might smile to learn that Dr Siwek has chosen to carry upon the nomenclature and recently calm rewarded the professional staff editors with the highest (dubious) honor: a real sow's ear and silk purse framed along with these words, "To the editorial staff of AFP for editorial distinction and your uncanny knack for turning common of these (sow's ear) into united of these (silk purse)--with grateful appreciation, Jay Siwek, MD July 2002"

We wouldn't be able to accept this award had not in this way many of our senior editors actually graduated from the Silk Purse train of Editing--the tough apprenticeship subordinate to one of our previous managing editors, whom we fondly call Mary "Knick" (short for Knickerbocker Parrish). in a less degree than Mary's mentoring, Linnea Korinek and Verna Rose (senior editors), Barrett Schroeder (senior manuscript editor), and I learned the art and science of medical editing and hon our skills as wordsmiths, and many years later we're still striving for silk purses

Far from being a simple piece of work of wordsmithing, however, publishing a large medical journal is a complicated craft and requires many other skills. In addition to intensive wordsmithing duties, Linnea Korinek plans the article lineups, supervises manuscript editors and original editors, and still finds time to convoy workshops with authors. Verna Rose supervises AFP's news departments and also supervises manuscript editors and duplicate editors. Both senior editors have been part of the editorial staff for more than 15 years and have contributed immeasurably to the quality of AFP. Barrett Schroeder has edited manuscripts for AFP more than 10 years of her life and has complet more manuscripts than any other single editor onward staff. Through mentoring and at example, these editors have passed along the silk purse tradition to the other editors onward staff.

Now that you know a little about us, I'm hoping you will be excited free to let us know in what manner we're doing and what we can do for you. You can throw comments to us in care of AFP's mailbox (afpedit@aafp.org).

COPYRIGHT 2002 American Academy of Family Physicians

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