One hundred issues over 25 continuous years: The editorship of Chance and Peters

Purpose: To examine the 100 journal issues edited by Chance and Peters with a view to providing a descriptive analysis of the published elements that not only describe the quality of their work but also demonstrate the Journal is indeed a worthwhile vehicle for continuing practitioner education and a responsible voice within the discipline of chiropractic. Methods: Hand-search of the author’s library to locate and order all issues of the Journal of the Australian Chiropractors’ Association from and including December 1983 and all issues of the Chiropractic Journal of Australia from March 1991 to and including September 2008. Pre-identified items of content were entered into an electronic spreadsheet for grouping, counting and further analysis. Results: During the 25 year period of this review the 100 issues edited by Chance and Peters included 1,232 individual articles not including advertisements, news reports, reprints of abstracts and contact data relating to the professional association. The journal has strengths in the fields of clinical research (113 papers), history (94 papers) and case reports (52 papers). The Journal includes papers on research in chiropractic education and on the philosophy of chiropractic and has provided a rich forum for professional debate through its “Letters” and “Reply” column. Other key elements of a quality journal are evident including many reviews of new books relevant to the discipline and a consistently strong Editorial page. Discussion: Mary Ann Chance and Rolf Peters have given the profession a bountiful legacy of their own writing and the priceless legacy of a journal with sufficient breadth to respect and value the history of chiropractic as equally as its science. It is also apparent they have invested in the future of the profession and are owed a significant legacy for this part of their life’s work. Chance and Peters have nurtured the art of writing as there are 29 authors in addition to themselves who have each published in the Journal as first author six or more times during this 25 year period. Conclusion: The 25-year Editorship of Mary Ann Chance and Rolf Peters stands as a remarkable testimony to two remarkable people. Their record of 100 consecutive journal issues is unheard of and their legacy unquestionable