Editorial
Promoting Professionalism by Publishing in PEPonline
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811 

“Letting the self emerge is the essential task for leaders.  It is how one takes the step from
being to doing in the spirit of expressing, rather than proving.” – Warren Bennis 

In the dense fog of an early morning driving to work, it occurred to me how easy it would be to take the wrong road.  The fog was extremely heavy and the lack of sleep just hours before wasn’t helping.  Simply missing a turn would mean not getting this article posted on time.  Obviously, it wouldn’t be a tragic mistake.  Right!  Maybe it is about being responsible to the readership.  After all, the 400 plus clicks per month on the Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline (PEPonline) is a convincing interest in the professional issues of exercise physiology.  But, frankly, if the number of clicks was 10 per month I would feel the same passion to do exactly as I have done since I started the electronic journal.  

The truth is I’ve written most of the articles published in PEPonline.  That is okay.  Why?  Because even though every editor knows how important it is to publish articles with diverse opinions, there comes a time when a person’s beliefs are measured by his performance.  If nothing else, at least the 300 articles I’ve written since 1998 says something about my conviction [1].  Each article is a real-life commitment to exercise physiology as a healthcare profession.  What lies at the heart of my work is the hope that others will be inspired and they, too, will publish their thinking in PEPonline.  Having hope is imperative.  Anyone with any background in leadership and organizational development understands that engaging others to think differently is an uphill battle.  However, hope is the centerpiece of expectancy.  At the core of my determination is the belief that others will step up to the plate.  History shows that one person can make a difference.  

You are equally important to every exercise physiologist.  Yes, if you would write an article on behalf of exercise physiology, you may attract new members to the American Society of Exercise Physiologist.  Why not “break some rules?”  However odd it might feel, the door is open to publish your work with PEPonline.  As editor, I would like to publicize your ideas and beliefs and, most importantly, give you a chance to be part of the new exercise physiology.  In other words, why not let others know about your real-life work in the field?  Why not help them get at the heart of exercise physiology as a profession?  Or, you may want to talk about your undergraduate education.  Perhaps, digging deeper, you may want to ask questions, such as the following: 

1. Does the employer understand what exercise physiologists do at work?
2. Do other employees have an issue with exercise physiologists not having licensure?
3. Do you have the educational background (including hands-on laboratory skills) to do your work?
4. Does the employer seem happy to have you as part of the staff?
5. Is there another employee who is not helpful in making you feel good about yourself at work?
6. Are you financially compensated as well as the other employees?
7. Is your work part-time or full-time employment?
8. Is the employer familiar with the Exercise Physiologist Certified credential?
9. Does the employer and/or other colleagues ask about academic accreditation of exercise physiologists?
10. Is licensure a professional issue or concern at your work?

These questions help to measure the exercise physiologist’s feelings about work and the profession.  At first glance, these questions may appear too basic to be meaningful, but let us see if that is the case.  First, how would you answer the questions?  Second, with a little reflection, how can your answers (and just imagine if you had answers from 20 to 30 exercise physiologists in your community) help with matching the reality of your work conditions with the perception of satisfying jobs in exercise physiology?  Okay, why not write your findings in the form of an article?  Send it to me to publish it in PEPonline.  It’s that easy to become a published author.  If you haven’t published in a journal before, you should know that every journal has submission guidelines.  PEPonline does, too.  Follow the guidelines to format your article [2].  Or, if you don’t want to read the guidelines, follow the same format I’ve used in this article.  It can’t get any simpler than that!  

1. Notice the bold used to highlight the title.
2. If you find a quote that you think says something about the content or purpose of your article, place it at the top of the first page as I’ve done.  Of course you don’t have to use a quote.
3. Don’t indent the first paragragh of the article or after another quote or a listing of any kind (such as the numbers 1-10 above).
4. The first line of all subsequent paragraphs should be indented (either 3 or 5 spaces).
5. Use [for references] in the text of the article, not ( ).
6. Use center headings, side headings or both to change major content theme of your article. 
7. Notice that I’ve used a side heading below this listing, and it is in bold.
8. The style for references is exactly the same as used in this article.  Note it is not APA.
9. Save the document in Microsoft Word. 
10. Send the article as an attachment to an email to me, tboone2@css.edu

The Grand Irony
This isn’t meant to be negative, just the truth as a colleague and I concluded several days ago.  Just as the college teachers are gatekeepers (meaning, have control over what their students think), non-doctorates in the field are gatekeepers too.  This simply means that they also have the power to influence the profession.  The irony is that the bachelor and master prepared exercise physiologists aren’t making their thoughts known.  Perhaps the most obvious example is in not submitting articles for publication.  Understandably, it isn’t easy to do research or to write an article and publish it when working eight hours day after day.  However, it shouldn’t be an excuse for not doing so.  The trick is to make it a goal to be a published author.  If not, college teachers will continue to ignore you.  It is plain and simple.  In virtually all professions, publishing is expected of the members.  So how do you get started?  How about bringing an end to the grand irony by: 

1. Trusting your instincts.  If you have an idea for an article.  Act on it.  It is no exaggeration to say some of the most important ideas are instinctual.  Things that you experience, colleagues you encounter, and your feelings shape your inner thinking. 
2. Learning to be proactive.  An important first step to acquiring professional behaviors begins with sharing your ideas and beliefs.  Sharing in the form of publishing an article is an excellent second step.
3. Becoming a professional.  Working in the field provides unique opportunities to grow in maturity and self-knowledge; both are important ingredients to writing an article to influence the thinking of others.
4. Overcoming fear.  Nothing is likely to change until you come to understand that it is okay to fail.  You must teach yourself this truth if you are to unlearn the conventional pattern of thinking.

My paradigm, then, is “you” can make a difference.  It is all about people who care, not credentials, and people who believe exercise physiology is a healthcare profession, rather than a group of specialists or trainers.  Becoming a published author is synonymous with risk taking, but this also underscores the importance of rebelling against exercise science as an academic major.  There isn’t a market explosion of jobs for exercise scientists.   The goal of increased certification of fitness instructors and personal trainers is misdirected.  There is the potential for great jobs in the public sector as a healthcare professional.  This is exactly why exercise physiologists must work on who they believe they are, and what they believe they do.

The Power of Writing
Writing is an excellent way to get at what you actually think.  For many, writing is a powerful outlet of emotions.  It gives the writer the opportunity to talk about ethics, philosophy, and standards of practice for exercise physiologists.  So, why not write a paper about your beliefs and principles that underpin exercise physiology versus exercise science?  Why not share with the readership your views of exercise physiology?  Why not write about your experiences in the field, and how the experiences have helped or hindered you from becoming yourself?  

Don’t be overly concerned with making a mistake.  Anyone who is trying to change things will make mistakes.  Failure is not a problem.  It is part of the solution.  Failing to try is the problem.  Writing is both magic and opportunity.  It is not a problem even if you should say something a little differently than you meant to.  So withhold nothing.  Sum up your experiences and put them in a paper and send them to me.  Remember, you can change the landscape of exercise physiology, but first you must become a lead exercise physiologist.

 “Unless you’re the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” – author unknown

 
References

1. American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2005). PEPonline Archive. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/fldr/pro1.html
2. American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2005). Guidelines for Submission. Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline.  [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/pep.html