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Radiography 17 (2011) 267

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Radiography

journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate/radi

Editorial

I am going to highlight three key topics in this edition’s editorial.Firstly, the importanceof researchwhichhasbeena recurrent themeinpreviouseditorials. Secondly, to alertyou toournexteditionwhichwill appear in February 2012 which will focus on cancer. Thirdly, toannounce a special on-line edition on radiation protection.

Researchmust be at the core of anyprofession if that profession isto make a meaningful contribution to society as a whole. It is themeanswherebynewknowledge is discoveredplus theongoingeval-uationof evidence toensurewhat is beingdone is efficient andeffec-tive. On a personal level, of course, it is where an individual candiscover much about themselves and their ability to focus ona problem and find a solution. It is also themeanswhere individualscan gain recognition for their achievements, for example, byUniver-sity awards. Groups of researchers can gain recognition for theirresearch capacity and achievements as will be the case in the UKwith the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Other countrieshave similar exercises such as The Excellence in Research forAustralia (ERA) in Australia and in New Zealand the PerformanceBased Research Fund (PBRF). Such exercises illustrate the impor-tance that governments place on research. Below governmentallevel of course there are organisations with initiatives to promoteand develop research. The Society and College of Radiographersthrough its Research Strategy and its Industrial Partnership Scheme(CoRIPS) is no exception. In this edition we feature a guest editorialby Heidi Probst, Helen Gallagher and Rachel Harris from the Collegeof Radiographers research group which gives further thoughtfulconsideration on the College’s research strategy.1

Wehave for some timebeenplanning a special on-line edition oncancer but following discussion among the editorial team wedecided that we should dedicate the February edition in 2012 tothis important subject. It will feature a number of key articlesincluding developments in diagnosis and treatment. The edition isbeingedited byHazel Colyer oneof our associate editorswhowrites:

“There has been a technology-led step change in the diagnosisand management of cancer over the past ten years. In bothimaging and radiotherapy these improvements are enablingfaster, more accurate diagnosis, greater precision in locating anddefining planning target volumes (PTVs) and radiotherapyprescriptions that incorporate complex dose escalation withinthe PTV. This fusion is nowhere more apparent than in the latesttomotherapy equipment, inwhich IGRTand IMRTare integrated.

Radiography will be exploring some of these issues in our nextedition. The specially-commissioned articles will include

1078-8174/$ – see front matter � 2011 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsedoi:10.1016/j.radi.2011.08.005

a primary care perspective on early diagnosis of cancer andimaging, new techniques in interventional radiology and adap-tive radiotherapy in routine tomotherapy. Thepatients’ voicewillbe represented in an article from Breakthrough Breast Cancer andthere will also be evaluations of how these developments intechnology and integrated working are affecting radiographeraccountability and impacting on the pre-registration curriculumfor both diagnostic and therapeutic radiography.”

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is something which uni-tes all health professionals and particularly our own branches ofradiotherapy and diagnostic radiography. I hope you will find theedition both interesting and challenging.

In the meantime there is much to offer in this edition witharticles covering a wide area of interest including mammog-raphy, musculoskeletal interpretation, foetal dose, patients’experiences and diagnostic accuracy. If you have a comment ora point to make about any article in this edition please dropme a line.

Radiation protection is a subject the concerns all of us in oneway or another. In December Radiography will be publishinga virtual special on-line edition on the subject. This will be a collec-tion of published papers accessible by electronic link and with animportant lead editorial by Peter Hogg and Ian Honey. We antici-pate that the collection will be an extremely valuable resource forour readers.

Finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge the contributionto this Journal of Pat Williams who has stepped down from theEditorial Board after many years service. Pat was one of the originalmembers of the Board and also of the College of Radiographers’Research Group; she was also a panel member of a previousResearch Assessment Exercise. Pat’s contribution to the EditorialBoard will be sorely missed.

Reference

1. College of Radiographers. Research and the Radiography Profession: A Strategy forResearch 2010–2015. London: College of Radiographers; 2010.

Richard Price*University of Hertfordshire, School of Health & Emergency Professions,

College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL5 1HF, UK

* Tel.: þ44 0 1 707 284962.E-mail address: radiographyjournal@sor.org

Available online 9 September 2011

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