- Email: [email protected]
2012 Journal Reader Survey Results
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS Business of Dietetics
2012 Journal Reader Survey Results
T
HE PAST YEAR WAS ONE OF significant changes for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Like the organization we represent, we changed our name in January, and then in March we unveiled a completely new look with the first total redesign of the Journal in nearly a decade. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our commitment to bringing Journal readers the best in dietetics research, practice information, and Academy news, and that’s reflected in the results of our 2012 Reader Survey.1 You and your colleagues have once again chosen the Journal as the most relied-upon peer-reviewed research journal for dietetics-related information. Every 2 years, Readex Research, an independent research company in Stillwater, MN, surveys Journal readers to discover not just what you think about the Journal, but also who you are, what you do, and what you’re interested in as a dietetics practitioner. Data for the 2012 survey were collected from a sample of 5,000 of the 59,748 domestic, non-library Journal recipients with e-mail addresses during the period of September 4 to September 18, 2012. The survey was closed for tabulation with 1,523 usable responses, a 31% response rate, with a margin of error of ⫾2.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. That means that we can be confident 95% of the time that responses from the entire population of Journal recipients will not vary from our survey results by more than 2.5% in either direction.1 Some of most interesting and informative highlights from the survey are presented in this article. Check them out to learn more about your fellow readers and their opinions of the Journal.
This article was written by Ryan Lipscomb, editor at the Journal, Chicago, IL. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.12.005
© 2013 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
RECIPIENT PROFILE Are you a typical Journal reader? If so, you’re a highly educated veteran practitioner. In terms of education, a slightly higher percentage of readers have an advanced degree, with 45% earning a bachelor’s degree compared to 42% who have completed master’s degrees and 6% with doctorates. When it comes to professional experience, 55% of survey recipients had been working for 10 or more years, including 20% with 30 or more years of experience.
Practice Area One category for which there’s definitely no such thing as a “typical” Journal reader is practice area. Survey recipients indicated 23 different practice specialties as their primary areas of focus, which is up from 19 different practice areas reported in 2010. As in years past, clinical nutrition leads with way at 18%, followed by community nutrition (9%), education (7%), and food and nutrition management and administration (6%) as the only categories above 5% (Figure 1).
Internet Use Internet use has increased since the last Reader Survey, with 95% of recipients using the Internet for professional purposes, averaging 13.8 hours a week for those currently employed in dietetics, as compared with 93% of recipients and 11.5 hours per week in 2010. Approximately half (49%) of recipients have visited the Journal website, with 36% visiting via Eatright.org, 4% going directly to andjrnl.org, and 9% using both modes of access. The most popular reasons given for visiting the Journal site were to read Journal content (86%), to use search features (43%), to review back issues (39%), to read Academy Position Papers (38%), and to access article collections (25%) (Figure 2). And those who have visited the website have a positive opinion of it, with recipients giving the site a 3.4 or higher rating on a 5-point scale in the categories of comprehensiveness,
speed of access, provision of new information, application to personal needs, and ease of use. When asked what resources they’d be interested in seeing on the Journal site, respondents listed additional original content, industry and product information, and more audio and video podcasts as their most sought after resources. Surprisingly, of those survey recipients who did not visit the website, nearly half (45%) reported being unaware of it, up significantly from 23% in 2010. This dramatic shift in awareness of the site, along with a slight decline in the percentage of readers visiting the site, is most likely due to the changes to the Journal’s name and web address.
READERSHIP AND USE OF THE JOURNAL Having established who Journal readers are, we can move on to how and why they use the Journal and what they think of it. Survey recipients were asked a variety of questions about their engagement with the Journal, from how often they read it, to which topics and articles types they prefer, to their opinions about what they’d like to see from the Journal in the future.
Reader Engagement Overall, survey recipients are engaged with the Journal. The average reader has read or looked through 2.2 of the last four issues and spends 49 minutes with a typical issue; 27% have read all four, 84% have read at least one, and only 13% haven’t read any of the last four issues. About a third of recipients spend an hour or more with a typical issue, including 6% who spend 2 hours or more, and while only 2% of recipients read each issue cover to cover, 71% read articles of interest and another 23% give it at least a quick skim. In general, more educated and experienced recipients read the Journal more often and spend more time reading each issue (Figure 3). However, readership frequency among those with
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
205
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS 18%
clinical nutrition, general 9%
community nutrition 7%
education
6%
food/nutrition mgmt
5%
consultation/private practice
5%
long-term care
4%
diabetes care
4%
wellness/prevention weight management
3%
business/industry
3%
renal nutrition
3%
research
3% 3%
pediatric nutrition support
2%
school nutrition
2% 8%
other*
16%
not currently employed in dietetics
0%
10%
20%
30%
Figure 1. Practice area in which Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey recipients currently spend the most time.
to read Journal content
86%
to use the search features
43%
to review back issues
39%
to read Academy Position papers
38%
to access Article Collections
25%
to download PowerPoint decks/pdfs
8%
to read Journal Sites in Review
4%
to access a podcast
2%
to take the Quick Poll
2%
for author information
2%
to review the advertisements
2%
other
4% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 2. Reasons given for visiting the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website among site visitors as reported in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
bachelor’s degrees and fewer than 10 years experience in dietetics has increased since 2010. Differences in practice area account for differences in readers’ engagement with the Journal. The most avid Journal readers work in education and re206
search, followed closely by practitioners in community nutrition, whereas those in clinical nutrition and consultation and private practice read the Journal somewhat less often (Figure 4). Delving deeper into readers’ use of the Journal revealed which depart-
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
ments’ recipients read most frequently (Figure 5). All of the 22 regularly appearing Journal departments are read at least sometimes by a minimum of 53% of recipients. As in 2010, Academy Position Papers were the most frequently read department, February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS AT LEAST 3 OF 4 ISSUES READ
61%
30+ yrs experience 46%
20 - 29
42%
10 - 19 32%
5-9
37%
<5 0 / never worked in dietetics
36%
71%
Doctoral 48%
Master's Bachelor's
34% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 3. Number of last four issues read by years of experience and education among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. AT LEAST 3 OF 4 ISSUES READ 41%
employed in dietetics
40%
not employed
37%
clinical nutrition, general
47%
community nutrition
53%
education/research 39%
food/nutrition management
43%
long-term care
38%
consultation/private practice 1 HOUR+ READING 30%
employed in dietetics
31%
not employed
clinical nutrition, general
29%
community nutrition
29% 42%
education/research 31%
food/nutrition management
27%
long-term care consultation/private practice
0%
22%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 4. Number of last four issues read/time spent reading by employment status and practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. with 87% of recipients reading at least sometimes, followed by the Table of Contents (86%), Topics of Professional Interest (85%), and articles designated for Continuing Professional Education credit (82%). February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
As it was with frequency of reading recent issues, practice area is also correlated with readership of Journal departments (Table 1). Survey recipients in education and research were once again more avid readers (at the
level of always or most of the time) of the Table of Contents, Academy Position Papers, Research and Practice Innovations, Research and Professional Briefs, and Reviews than those in other practice areas. As it was in 2010,
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
207
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS New Products and Services was once again a popular section among Journal readers. And like last year, 11% of survey recipients reported that they had contacted a company as a result of reading this section. That represents more than 7,000 readers when projected out to the Journal’s total circulation. In addition to contacting companies due to the New Products and Services section, 81% of recipients also reported taking other actions as a result of something they read in the Journal, including discussing and article with others (46%), using it as a resource (44%), and filing an article for future reference (35%). Just less than half of readers have also taken actions, including visiting websites, making recommendations, or purchasing a product or service, in response to advertisements they saw in the Journal.
Academy Position Papers
87%
Table of Contents
86%
Topics of Professional Interest
85% 82%
CPE articles
80%
Research
76%
Research and Practice Innovations
75%
Research/Professional Briefs
73%
New Products/Services
70%
Review Practical Solutions
68%
Professional Opportunities
68%
Public Policy News
68%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 5. Frequency of reading departments at least sometimes among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
Reader Opinions After inquiring about how readers are using the Journal, the next part of the survey asked for their feedback on how well the Journal is performing. Recipients ranked their satisfaction with the coverage of topics in the Practice Applications, Research, and From the Academy sections of the Journal on a scale from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). About half of all recipients were satisfied with each section, rating it a 4 or 5, and only 8% to 10% reported low satisfaction (1 or 2), with the remaining
Table 1. Frequency of reading departments always or most of the time by practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey Frequency of departments read: always/most of the time
Clinical nutrition
Community nutrition
Education/ Research
Food/Nutrition Management
Long-Term Care
Consultation/ Private practice
4™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™ % ™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™3 Table of Contents
58
65
78
57
52
57
Academy Position Papers
39
38
50
38
37
43
Research
25
31
57
23
24
29
Research and Practice Innovations
22
32
51
24
25
27
Research and Professional Briefs
21
30
49
20
19
28
Review
18
24
34
17
13
19
Business of Dietetics
11
15
12
24
9
19
208
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
51%
Practice Applications
50%
Research
44%
From the Academy
coverage of practice content
47%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% rating a 4 or 5
Figure 6. Satisfaction with coverage in each section of the Journal among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
recipients giving each section a 3. Similarly, nearly half of all recipients gave the practice content in the Journal a positive rating (Figure 6). Comparing satisfaction ratings by recipients’ practice area shows that while most practice areas followed the pattern of approximately half of recipients expressing moderate to high satisfaction, some practice areas stood out. Those in Community Nutrition, Education/Research, and Food/Nutrition Management were particularly positive about the Practice Applications section, and the Education/Research area also provided the highest approval rating for the Research section of the Journal. On the other hand, those in LongTerm Care were slightly less satisfied than average with both the Practice Applications and Research sections (Table 2). In addition to measuring readers’ satisfaction with what has appeared in the Journal, the survey also asked them what they’d prefer to see in the future. Asked which topics they would like to see covered in future issues, 78% of recipients indicated significant interest (rating of 4 or 5) in clinical nutrition, with community nutrition, education, and research also drawing interest from approximately two thirds of readers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, less than half of recipients had interest in seeing food and nutrition management coverage in the future (Figure 7). Most recipients were in agreement, however, in their desire to see more Journal supplements, with 60% expressing strong interest, and without substantial deviation across all levels of experience, education, and area of practice. Finally, recipients were asked perhaps the simplest question of all: “The
Table 2. Satisfaction with coverage of practice content by practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey Satisfaction: % rating 4 or 5
Clinical nutrition
Community nutrition
Education/ Research
Food/Nutrition Management
Long-Term Care
Consultation/ Private practice
4™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™ % ™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™3 Practice Applications
45
59
Research
42
52
68
47
35
46
From the Academy
38
52
51
44
41
41
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
57
57
43
46
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
209
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS mission of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is to be ‘the premier source for the evidencebased practice and science of food, nutrition, and dietetics.’How much do you agree or disagree that the Journal has measured up to this standard over the last 12 months?” Overall, recipients felt the Journal measured up to its mission very well, with 70% giving it a positive rating and only 9% who disagreed. But of course 70% isn’t perfect, so the Journal will continue working to improve on its strengths and eliminate areas of weakness, responding to both readers’ opinions and the ever-changing landscape of the dietetics profession to ensure that every issue provides the best in dietetics research and practice information.
78%
clinical nutrition
community nutrition
64%
education
64%
research
63%
consultation/business practices
51%
food/nutrition management
44%
60%
supplements 0%
Reference 1.
210
Readex Research. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. Stillwater, MN: Readex Research, 2012.
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% rating 4 or 5
Figure 7. Interest in seeing topics in future issues of the Journal among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
2012 Journal Reader Survey Results
T
HE PAST YEAR WAS ONE OF significant changes for the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Like the organization we represent, we changed our name in January, and then in March we unveiled a completely new look with the first total redesign of the Journal in nearly a decade. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our commitment to bringing Journal readers the best in dietetics research, practice information, and Academy news, and that’s reflected in the results of our 2012 Reader Survey.1 You and your colleagues have once again chosen the Journal as the most relied-upon peer-reviewed research journal for dietetics-related information. Every 2 years, Readex Research, an independent research company in Stillwater, MN, surveys Journal readers to discover not just what you think about the Journal, but also who you are, what you do, and what you’re interested in as a dietetics practitioner. Data for the 2012 survey were collected from a sample of 5,000 of the 59,748 domestic, non-library Journal recipients with e-mail addresses during the period of September 4 to September 18, 2012. The survey was closed for tabulation with 1,523 usable responses, a 31% response rate, with a margin of error of ⫾2.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. That means that we can be confident 95% of the time that responses from the entire population of Journal recipients will not vary from our survey results by more than 2.5% in either direction.1 Some of most interesting and informative highlights from the survey are presented in this article. Check them out to learn more about your fellow readers and their opinions of the Journal.
This article was written by Ryan Lipscomb, editor at the Journal, Chicago, IL. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.12.005
© 2013 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
RECIPIENT PROFILE Are you a typical Journal reader? If so, you’re a highly educated veteran practitioner. In terms of education, a slightly higher percentage of readers have an advanced degree, with 45% earning a bachelor’s degree compared to 42% who have completed master’s degrees and 6% with doctorates. When it comes to professional experience, 55% of survey recipients had been working for 10 or more years, including 20% with 30 or more years of experience.
Practice Area One category for which there’s definitely no such thing as a “typical” Journal reader is practice area. Survey recipients indicated 23 different practice specialties as their primary areas of focus, which is up from 19 different practice areas reported in 2010. As in years past, clinical nutrition leads with way at 18%, followed by community nutrition (9%), education (7%), and food and nutrition management and administration (6%) as the only categories above 5% (Figure 1).
Internet Use Internet use has increased since the last Reader Survey, with 95% of recipients using the Internet for professional purposes, averaging 13.8 hours a week for those currently employed in dietetics, as compared with 93% of recipients and 11.5 hours per week in 2010. Approximately half (49%) of recipients have visited the Journal website, with 36% visiting via Eatright.org, 4% going directly to andjrnl.org, and 9% using both modes of access. The most popular reasons given for visiting the Journal site were to read Journal content (86%), to use search features (43%), to review back issues (39%), to read Academy Position Papers (38%), and to access article collections (25%) (Figure 2). And those who have visited the website have a positive opinion of it, with recipients giving the site a 3.4 or higher rating on a 5-point scale in the categories of comprehensiveness,
speed of access, provision of new information, application to personal needs, and ease of use. When asked what resources they’d be interested in seeing on the Journal site, respondents listed additional original content, industry and product information, and more audio and video podcasts as their most sought after resources. Surprisingly, of those survey recipients who did not visit the website, nearly half (45%) reported being unaware of it, up significantly from 23% in 2010. This dramatic shift in awareness of the site, along with a slight decline in the percentage of readers visiting the site, is most likely due to the changes to the Journal’s name and web address.
READERSHIP AND USE OF THE JOURNAL Having established who Journal readers are, we can move on to how and why they use the Journal and what they think of it. Survey recipients were asked a variety of questions about their engagement with the Journal, from how often they read it, to which topics and articles types they prefer, to their opinions about what they’d like to see from the Journal in the future.
Reader Engagement Overall, survey recipients are engaged with the Journal. The average reader has read or looked through 2.2 of the last four issues and spends 49 minutes with a typical issue; 27% have read all four, 84% have read at least one, and only 13% haven’t read any of the last four issues. About a third of recipients spend an hour or more with a typical issue, including 6% who spend 2 hours or more, and while only 2% of recipients read each issue cover to cover, 71% read articles of interest and another 23% give it at least a quick skim. In general, more educated and experienced recipients read the Journal more often and spend more time reading each issue (Figure 3). However, readership frequency among those with
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
205
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS 18%
clinical nutrition, general 9%
community nutrition 7%
education
6%
food/nutrition mgmt
5%
consultation/private practice
5%
long-term care
4%
diabetes care
4%
wellness/prevention weight management
3%
business/industry
3%
renal nutrition
3%
research
3% 3%
pediatric nutrition support
2%
school nutrition
2% 8%
other*
16%
not currently employed in dietetics
0%
10%
20%
30%
Figure 1. Practice area in which Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey recipients currently spend the most time.
to read Journal content
86%
to use the search features
43%
to review back issues
39%
to read Academy Position papers
38%
to access Article Collections
25%
to download PowerPoint decks/pdfs
8%
to read Journal Sites in Review
4%
to access a podcast
2%
to take the Quick Poll
2%
for author information
2%
to review the advertisements
2%
other
4% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 2. Reasons given for visiting the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website among site visitors as reported in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
bachelor’s degrees and fewer than 10 years experience in dietetics has increased since 2010. Differences in practice area account for differences in readers’ engagement with the Journal. The most avid Journal readers work in education and re206
search, followed closely by practitioners in community nutrition, whereas those in clinical nutrition and consultation and private practice read the Journal somewhat less often (Figure 4). Delving deeper into readers’ use of the Journal revealed which depart-
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
ments’ recipients read most frequently (Figure 5). All of the 22 regularly appearing Journal departments are read at least sometimes by a minimum of 53% of recipients. As in 2010, Academy Position Papers were the most frequently read department, February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS AT LEAST 3 OF 4 ISSUES READ
61%
30+ yrs experience 46%
20 - 29
42%
10 - 19 32%
5-9
37%
<5 0 / never worked in dietetics
36%
71%
Doctoral 48%
Master's Bachelor's
34% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 3. Number of last four issues read by years of experience and education among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. AT LEAST 3 OF 4 ISSUES READ 41%
employed in dietetics
40%
not employed
37%
clinical nutrition, general
47%
community nutrition
53%
education/research 39%
food/nutrition management
43%
long-term care
38%
consultation/private practice 1 HOUR+ READING 30%
employed in dietetics
31%
not employed
clinical nutrition, general
29%
community nutrition
29% 42%
education/research 31%
food/nutrition management
27%
long-term care consultation/private practice
0%
22%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 4. Number of last four issues read/time spent reading by employment status and practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. with 87% of recipients reading at least sometimes, followed by the Table of Contents (86%), Topics of Professional Interest (85%), and articles designated for Continuing Professional Education credit (82%). February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
As it was with frequency of reading recent issues, practice area is also correlated with readership of Journal departments (Table 1). Survey recipients in education and research were once again more avid readers (at the
level of always or most of the time) of the Table of Contents, Academy Position Papers, Research and Practice Innovations, Research and Professional Briefs, and Reviews than those in other practice areas. As it was in 2010,
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
207
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS New Products and Services was once again a popular section among Journal readers. And like last year, 11% of survey recipients reported that they had contacted a company as a result of reading this section. That represents more than 7,000 readers when projected out to the Journal’s total circulation. In addition to contacting companies due to the New Products and Services section, 81% of recipients also reported taking other actions as a result of something they read in the Journal, including discussing and article with others (46%), using it as a resource (44%), and filing an article for future reference (35%). Just less than half of readers have also taken actions, including visiting websites, making recommendations, or purchasing a product or service, in response to advertisements they saw in the Journal.
Academy Position Papers
87%
Table of Contents
86%
Topics of Professional Interest
85% 82%
CPE articles
80%
Research
76%
Research and Practice Innovations
75%
Research/Professional Briefs
73%
New Products/Services
70%
Review Practical Solutions
68%
Professional Opportunities
68%
Public Policy News
68%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 5. Frequency of reading departments at least sometimes among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
Reader Opinions After inquiring about how readers are using the Journal, the next part of the survey asked for their feedback on how well the Journal is performing. Recipients ranked their satisfaction with the coverage of topics in the Practice Applications, Research, and From the Academy sections of the Journal on a scale from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). About half of all recipients were satisfied with each section, rating it a 4 or 5, and only 8% to 10% reported low satisfaction (1 or 2), with the remaining
Table 1. Frequency of reading departments always or most of the time by practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey Frequency of departments read: always/most of the time
Clinical nutrition
Community nutrition
Education/ Research
Food/Nutrition Management
Long-Term Care
Consultation/ Private practice
4™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™ % ™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™3 Table of Contents
58
65
78
57
52
57
Academy Position Papers
39
38
50
38
37
43
Research
25
31
57
23
24
29
Research and Practice Innovations
22
32
51
24
25
27
Research and Professional Briefs
21
30
49
20
19
28
Review
18
24
34
17
13
19
Business of Dietetics
11
15
12
24
9
19
208
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
51%
Practice Applications
50%
Research
44%
From the Academy
coverage of practice content
47%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% rating a 4 or 5
Figure 6. Satisfaction with coverage in each section of the Journal among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
recipients giving each section a 3. Similarly, nearly half of all recipients gave the practice content in the Journal a positive rating (Figure 6). Comparing satisfaction ratings by recipients’ practice area shows that while most practice areas followed the pattern of approximately half of recipients expressing moderate to high satisfaction, some practice areas stood out. Those in Community Nutrition, Education/Research, and Food/Nutrition Management were particularly positive about the Practice Applications section, and the Education/Research area also provided the highest approval rating for the Research section of the Journal. On the other hand, those in LongTerm Care were slightly less satisfied than average with both the Practice Applications and Research sections (Table 2). In addition to measuring readers’ satisfaction with what has appeared in the Journal, the survey also asked them what they’d prefer to see in the future. Asked which topics they would like to see covered in future issues, 78% of recipients indicated significant interest (rating of 4 or 5) in clinical nutrition, with community nutrition, education, and research also drawing interest from approximately two thirds of readers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, less than half of recipients had interest in seeing food and nutrition management coverage in the future (Figure 7). Most recipients were in agreement, however, in their desire to see more Journal supplements, with 60% expressing strong interest, and without substantial deviation across all levels of experience, education, and area of practice. Finally, recipients were asked perhaps the simplest question of all: “The
Table 2. Satisfaction with coverage of practice content by practice area among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey Satisfaction: % rating 4 or 5
Clinical nutrition
Community nutrition
Education/ Research
Food/Nutrition Management
Long-Term Care
Consultation/ Private practice
4™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™ % ™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™3 Practice Applications
45
59
Research
42
52
68
47
35
46
From the Academy
38
52
51
44
41
41
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2
57
57
43
46
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
209
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS mission of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is to be ‘the premier source for the evidencebased practice and science of food, nutrition, and dietetics.’How much do you agree or disagree that the Journal has measured up to this standard over the last 12 months?” Overall, recipients felt the Journal measured up to its mission very well, with 70% giving it a positive rating and only 9% who disagreed. But of course 70% isn’t perfect, so the Journal will continue working to improve on its strengths and eliminate areas of weakness, responding to both readers’ opinions and the ever-changing landscape of the dietetics profession to ensure that every issue provides the best in dietetics research and practice information.
78%
clinical nutrition
community nutrition
64%
education
64%
research
63%
consultation/business practices
51%
food/nutrition management
44%
60%
supplements 0%
Reference 1.
210
Readex Research. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey. Stillwater, MN: Readex Research, 2012.
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
% rating 4 or 5
Figure 7. Interest in seeing topics in future issues of the Journal among recipients of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2012 Reader Survey.
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
February 2013 Volume 113 Number 2