2026 Vol. 12

The Journal of Nursing Doctoral Scholarships (JNDSS) is proud to present its 12th edition. This edition brings together commentaries, literature reviews, concept analyses, and quality-improvement projects led by nursing doctoral students across diverse areas of Nursing. Building on the success of eleven previous editions, this edition introduces three changes designed to strengthen JNDSS as a scholarly platform.

First, we launched a new initiative to expand access to JNDSS articles within the nursing doctoral community. Through the 11th edition, each issue was available only as a single PDF hosted on the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing website. For this new edition, we created a dedicated JNDSS webpage on Manifold, an open-source digital publishing platform, to improve accessibility and support sustainable growth. Our team has also begun the process of having JNDSS indexed, pursuing its inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals.

Second, we introduced a systematic digital workflow for receiving manuscript submissions, assigning peer reviewers, and offering reviewer comments. Previously, all communication about manuscripts and peer review took place manually through the official JNDSS mailbox. Incorporating REDCap into this process streamlined our workflow in tracking manuscripts and peer reviewer comments, creating space for the team to grow in editorial thinking. An editorial assistant also joined the team this year, taking on administrative coordination, social media engagement, and timely communication with authors and reviewers.

Third, we broadened our reach beyond traditional PhD programs by promoting calls for papers and calls for reviewers through our social media accounts (LinkedIn and Instagram) and email outreach. This edition includes submissions from both PhD and DNP nursing programs across the United States. For future editions, we hope to expand JNDSS internationally by welcoming submissions and reviewers from outside the United States, thereby promoting diverse perspectives in nursing scholarship and strengthening global engagement.

In addition, JNDSS continued to host peer-review workshops at both introductory and advanced levels to support our reviewers. We recognize that nursing doctoral students often have limited access to structured guidance and mentorship in developing peer-review skills. Through workshops led by Penn Nursing faculty members, we were committed to helping reviewers feel supported and confident in critically evaluating scholarly work and providing constructive feedback. Many of our reviewers participated in peer review for the first time through JNDSS, highlighting the journal’s role in fostering professional development and creating opportunities for students to engage in the scholarly review process.

We hope JNDSS continues to support the growth of everyone involved in the editorial process:

• Authors who submit their work and respond to reviewer feedback,
• Reviewers who critically evaluate scholarly work and provide constructive feedback to strengthen the quality of manuscripts, and
• Editorial team members who learn to plan an edition, communicate with authors and reviewers, and foster a space for scholarly engagement.

We are proud of the community JNDSS has built and we hope the readers enjoy the articles we published in our 12th edition.

Cover art by: Quynh-Anh Ly Nguyen