A history of the journal of chiropractic education: twenty-five years of service, 1987-2011.

PURPOSE

The Journal of Chiropractic Education celebrates its 25th anniversary in the year 2011. The purpose of this article is to chronicle the history of the journal, which is unreported at this time.

METHODS

The entire collection of the journal was reviewed and information pertaining to important events and changes in the format, personnel, and processes of the journal were extracted. This information was used to create a chronology of the journal. The chronology was complemented with information obtained from people who were involved in the evolution of the journal and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational Conferences.

RESULTS

Starting as a humble newsletter in 1987 and produced for a small cadre of readers primarily from the United States, the journal is now a full-sized and bound peer-reviewed international journal. Initially cataloged by the Index to Chiropractic Literature and MANTIS, the indexing expanded to interdisciplinary indexing systems such as CINAHL and ultimately PubMed. The journal has grown to serve the needs of chiropractic educators from around the world with representatives on the editorial board from 39 colleges and universities from 15 different countries. The journal has grown in tandem with the profession's leading education and research conference and has been the primary repository for the scholarship of chiropractic education.

CONCLUSION

The history of the journal represents a significant milestone in the development of the chiropractic profession, particularly the discipline of chiropractic education. The journal has had an interesting history and the future promises to bring more opportunities and challenges to the field of chiropractic education and to the journal.