FROM THE EDITOR

Peer Review VersusContinuing Education

This journal has always sought a bal-ance between peer-reviewed equine re-search papers and articles designed toteach and inform. This is done with thepremise that the equine practitioner needsexposure to both.

This is not a new concept. Most col-leges of veterinary medicine hold annualshort courses that focus on both continu-ing education and reports of research.The specialty colleges, such as TheAmerican College of VeterinarySurgery, hold annual forums designed toserve as continuing education, ratherthan report new research projects, al-though they generally have a section forresearch reports. The AmericanAssociation of Equine Practitioners(AAEP) designed their annual conven-tion, in the beginning, to be continuingeducation for practitioners rather thanreports of various research projects.Today, many of the papers presented arebased on recent or ongoing research re-sults.

The academicians continually pushfor sessions at continuing educationmeetings where researchers can reporttheir latest findings in a format that willcount for a publication. Although thesereports are always less popular at thevarious continuing education meetings,there is a place for them in most meet-ings these days.

Aside from the need to “publish orperish,” there is a need to document theresults of research that seeks to provethe hypotheses that form the basis ofpractice. Over time, practice proceduresand concepts are changed because of re-search that supports or rejects traditionalconcepts.

William E. Jones, DVM, PhD, Editor

466 Journal of Equine Veterinary Science November 2003