- Email: [email protected]
Overview of the Publication Process at the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
Overview of the Publication Process at the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Daniel D. Moos, EdD, CRNA
A MANUSCRIPT represents the author’s own unique contribution to the literature. You, as the author, worked long and hard to write and polish your manuscript to be considered for publication and have re-read each word one final time. Along the way, you accessed ‘‘Information for Contributors’’ for the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing at http://www.jopan.org/authorinfo. While writing, you inserted headings and subheadings to organize concepts and to logically separate information. You thoroughly described nursing actions with specific details about how to perform the action. You avoided uncommon abbreviations and adhered to the Journal’s parameters for manuscript length and format. The prerequisite three to four ‘‘keywords’’ have been added to help researchers, students, and authors to locate your article when conducting their own literature searches. Citations and references are in accordance with the American Medical Association (AMA) style, this Journal’s designated format. You reviewed the Journal’s guidelines for presenting artwork and tables at http://elsevier.com/artwork.1 You avoided common issues that ‘‘drive editors nuts’’ and included what an editor would like to see in a submitted manuscript that Froman2,3 discussed in her editorials. Finally, you’ve saved your manuscript as a Microsoft Word document.1 At last, your manuscript is ready to submit. What happens next? It’s time to review the publication process for the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing (Fig 1).
include a combination of methods.4 The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing primarily uses a web-based submission system that can be easily located at the publisher’s Web site (http://ees.elsevier.com/jopan/) or the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Web site (http:// jopan.org). If you are new to the Web site, you will need to register. Once registered, you will be able to log in as an author. The program will prompt you through a series of steps to submit your manuscript. You will need to indicate the article type, title, author, and coauthor information, and additional comments you would like to communicate to the editorial office. Next you will upload the following documents: cover letter, title page, manuscript (including summary/abstract), figures, and tables. A PDF will be created, which, as the author, you must review and approve before actual submission. You still have the opportunity to edit or remove the submission. One final step is to read and accept the ‘‘Ethics in Publishing’’ statement found on the web page.5
Manuscript Received
The use of web-based submission systems is increasing. A number of systems may be used including manual methods for tracking manuscripts, custom designed systems, commercial desktop software, or alternative approaches that
Once a manuscript is submitted to the publisher, an editor is assigned. This generally occurs 7 to 8 days after submission.6 Most editors of scholarly journals (66.6%) will review the manuscript submission to ensure that it reflects the journal’s mission and the overall manuscript quality is adequate.4 This is an important step because editors value their role in maintaining the quality of their content.7 Dr. OdomForren and Dr. Hooper strive to publish manuscripts that benefit their target audience. They believe content in the Journal represents current practice of professional perianesthesia nursing and are of interest to the readership. Accurate and high-caliber articles are essential.8
Daniel D. Moos, EdD, CRNA, is a Staff Anesthetist, Kearney Anesthesia Associates, P.C. Kearney, NE, and Adjunct Faculty Bryan/ LGH College of Health Sciences, Lincoln, NE. Address correspondence to Mr Daniel Moos, Kearney Anesthesia Associates, PC; Bryan/LGH College of Health Sciences, Anesthesia, 4615 Avenue F, Kearney, NE 68847; e-mail address: [email protected]. Ó 2010 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses 1089-9472/10/2502-0014$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2010.01.014
Editors of journals determine which manuscripts require peer review. It is the standard to send original manuscripts involving research through.4 The policy of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing is to send all manuscript submissions through the review process. It takes approximately 18 days for the editor to contact the first reviewer.6 In general, the editor will select up to three reviewers based on each reviewer’s area of expertise
Submitting a Manuscript
124
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 25, No 2 (April), 2010: pp 124-126
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
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Figure 1. Publication process at the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. This figure is available in color online at www.jopan.org.
and interest. Most journals (83%) maintain a list of reviewers, whereas others may use members of the editorial advisory board, or select reviewers based on scholarly expertise within the academic community. Appointment of reviewers for the majority of nursing journals (77%) may be for an undefined period of time and based on the editor’s decision on whether to retain a reviewer. A minority of journals (19%) will use a reviewer for a specified time period but this position is renewable. It has been reported that reviewers are blinded to the authors in 96% of the journals and the author has been blinded to the reviewer for 98%.4 The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing uses a double-blinded process for manuscripts, where both reviewer and author are blinded. Reviewers selected for a particular manuscript have a predetermined amount of time to accept the invitation and review the manuscript or to decline the opportunity to serve as a reviewer. Reviewers for this journal generally respond to accept or decline the invitation within seven days and then take another 11 days to comment on the manuscript. The vast majority of the reviewers complete their assignment before the due date.6 A reviewer who does not respond in a timely manner will be contacted by one of the editors, and at times replaced with another reviewer. Once all the reviewer comments are collected, additional comments may be made by one of the editors. Editor workload and the number of articles that each editor has under consideration affect the amount of time that may pass between receiving reviewer comments and making additional comments. The manuscript is then forwarded to the author.8
Decision Rendered Based on comments of peer reviewers, your manuscript will be accepted, returned for recommended revision, or, sometimes, rejected. Nearly every manuscript
requires revision before publication. Acceptance for publication upon first review is very rare. Reviewers typically recommend revisions, ranging from minor to major. Revision is necessary to help strengthen the content and is an important step in maintaining the quality of the Journal and appropriately disseminating valuable information to the readership.8 Occasionally, an author declines to make requested changes; sadly, an unrevised, and therefore unpublished, manuscript means a unique idea is never shared with perianesthesia nurse colleagues. Sometimes, an editor must notify a potential author that the article was rejected; this is one of the more difficult tasks of a journal editor. Authors should remember that much time and effort have been spent in evaluating the manuscript. Based on comments provided by the peer review panel, editors provide the author(s) with a detailed explanation of recommended revisions and additional advice to aid the author with rewriting and resubmitting the manuscript. Revision requests may include additional content, clarification of ideas, rephrasing, or additional referencing to best present the content. Because both Journal editors value the contribution of new authors, each may mentor novice authors, or seek accomplished writers to help mentor them.8
Production Process at Elsevier After a manuscript has been reviewed and accepted for publication, the editors send the manuscript submission to Elsevier’s Editorial Office located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Editors of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing determine the issue in which your article will appear, perhaps to ‘‘fit’’ with other articles of similar or complementary content. At Elsevier, copyediting for grammar and style is provided by staff members. The manuscript is then typeset into the
DANIEL D. MOOS
126
Journal’s article layout. A proof is sent to the author and editors for review. At this point, there may be a few additional author queries concerning references, abbreviations, and terminology. Time is of the essence. Because of pending publication deadlines, authors and editors must respond to these queries quickly, typically within 48 hours. Corrections are sent to the journal manager at Elsevier, who compiles the corrections onto a master proof of the article. The corrected article is placed with other articles in a designated issue of JoPAN and then sent back to the editors for a second proofing.
Conclusion
valuable information to the readership. The Journal is an extension of the specialized body of knowledge that encompasses perianesthesia nursing. To maintain the integrity of information contained in the Journal, the editors communicate on a daily basis to maintain its quality and meet deadlines. The editors of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing are dedicated to maintaining the quality of the publication for which they have the honor of being stewards.
Acknowledgments
The publication process is a labor- and time-intensive process. The ultimate goal is to disseminate timely and
Kristina Wong, Journal Manager, at Elsevier was helpful in illuminating the basic process that a manuscript encounters at the Editorial Office.
References 1. Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing Web site. Author Information. Available at: http://www.jopan.org/authorinfo. Accessed April 7, 2009. 2. Froman RD. Hitting the bull’s eye rather than shooting yourself between the eyes. Res Nurs Health. 2008;31:399-401. 3. Froman RD. Polishing your shot at the bull’s eye: The ‘‘please do’’ list. Res Nurs Health. 2008;31:541-542. 4. Freda MC, Kearney M. An international survey of nurse editors’ roles and practices. J Nurs Sch. 2005;37:87-94.
5. Elsevier Editorial System. Author Login. Available at: http:// ees.elsevier.com/jopan/default.asp. Accessed April 18, 2009. 6. Journal Accountability Report 2006-2008 (raw unpublished data). 7. Kearney M, Freda MC. Voice of the profession: Nurse editors as leaders. Nurs Outlook. 2006;54:263-267. 8. Odom-Forren J. The mysterious life and work of a nurse editor. J Perianesth Nurs. 2008;23:367-370.
Additional Resources 1. Nurse Author and Editor. Home Page. Available at: http:// www.nurseauthoreditor.com/.
Overview of the Publication Process at the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Daniel D. Moos, EdD, CRNA
A MANUSCRIPT represents the author’s own unique contribution to the literature. You, as the author, worked long and hard to write and polish your manuscript to be considered for publication and have re-read each word one final time. Along the way, you accessed ‘‘Information for Contributors’’ for the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing at http://www.jopan.org/authorinfo. While writing, you inserted headings and subheadings to organize concepts and to logically separate information. You thoroughly described nursing actions with specific details about how to perform the action. You avoided uncommon abbreviations and adhered to the Journal’s parameters for manuscript length and format. The prerequisite three to four ‘‘keywords’’ have been added to help researchers, students, and authors to locate your article when conducting their own literature searches. Citations and references are in accordance with the American Medical Association (AMA) style, this Journal’s designated format. You reviewed the Journal’s guidelines for presenting artwork and tables at http://elsevier.com/artwork.1 You avoided common issues that ‘‘drive editors nuts’’ and included what an editor would like to see in a submitted manuscript that Froman2,3 discussed in her editorials. Finally, you’ve saved your manuscript as a Microsoft Word document.1 At last, your manuscript is ready to submit. What happens next? It’s time to review the publication process for the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing (Fig 1).
include a combination of methods.4 The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing primarily uses a web-based submission system that can be easily located at the publisher’s Web site (http://ees.elsevier.com/jopan/) or the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Web site (http:// jopan.org). If you are new to the Web site, you will need to register. Once registered, you will be able to log in as an author. The program will prompt you through a series of steps to submit your manuscript. You will need to indicate the article type, title, author, and coauthor information, and additional comments you would like to communicate to the editorial office. Next you will upload the following documents: cover letter, title page, manuscript (including summary/abstract), figures, and tables. A PDF will be created, which, as the author, you must review and approve before actual submission. You still have the opportunity to edit or remove the submission. One final step is to read and accept the ‘‘Ethics in Publishing’’ statement found on the web page.5
Manuscript Received
The use of web-based submission systems is increasing. A number of systems may be used including manual methods for tracking manuscripts, custom designed systems, commercial desktop software, or alternative approaches that
Once a manuscript is submitted to the publisher, an editor is assigned. This generally occurs 7 to 8 days after submission.6 Most editors of scholarly journals (66.6%) will review the manuscript submission to ensure that it reflects the journal’s mission and the overall manuscript quality is adequate.4 This is an important step because editors value their role in maintaining the quality of their content.7 Dr. OdomForren and Dr. Hooper strive to publish manuscripts that benefit their target audience. They believe content in the Journal represents current practice of professional perianesthesia nursing and are of interest to the readership. Accurate and high-caliber articles are essential.8
Daniel D. Moos, EdD, CRNA, is a Staff Anesthetist, Kearney Anesthesia Associates, P.C. Kearney, NE, and Adjunct Faculty Bryan/ LGH College of Health Sciences, Lincoln, NE. Address correspondence to Mr Daniel Moos, Kearney Anesthesia Associates, PC; Bryan/LGH College of Health Sciences, Anesthesia, 4615 Avenue F, Kearney, NE 68847; e-mail address: [email protected]. Ó 2010 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses 1089-9472/10/2502-0014$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2010.01.014
Editors of journals determine which manuscripts require peer review. It is the standard to send original manuscripts involving research through.4 The policy of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing is to send all manuscript submissions through the review process. It takes approximately 18 days for the editor to contact the first reviewer.6 In general, the editor will select up to three reviewers based on each reviewer’s area of expertise
Submitting a Manuscript
124
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 25, No 2 (April), 2010: pp 124-126
WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
125
Figure 1. Publication process at the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. This figure is available in color online at www.jopan.org.
and interest. Most journals (83%) maintain a list of reviewers, whereas others may use members of the editorial advisory board, or select reviewers based on scholarly expertise within the academic community. Appointment of reviewers for the majority of nursing journals (77%) may be for an undefined period of time and based on the editor’s decision on whether to retain a reviewer. A minority of journals (19%) will use a reviewer for a specified time period but this position is renewable. It has been reported that reviewers are blinded to the authors in 96% of the journals and the author has been blinded to the reviewer for 98%.4 The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing uses a double-blinded process for manuscripts, where both reviewer and author are blinded. Reviewers selected for a particular manuscript have a predetermined amount of time to accept the invitation and review the manuscript or to decline the opportunity to serve as a reviewer. Reviewers for this journal generally respond to accept or decline the invitation within seven days and then take another 11 days to comment on the manuscript. The vast majority of the reviewers complete their assignment before the due date.6 A reviewer who does not respond in a timely manner will be contacted by one of the editors, and at times replaced with another reviewer. Once all the reviewer comments are collected, additional comments may be made by one of the editors. Editor workload and the number of articles that each editor has under consideration affect the amount of time that may pass between receiving reviewer comments and making additional comments. The manuscript is then forwarded to the author.8
Decision Rendered Based on comments of peer reviewers, your manuscript will be accepted, returned for recommended revision, or, sometimes, rejected. Nearly every manuscript
requires revision before publication. Acceptance for publication upon first review is very rare. Reviewers typically recommend revisions, ranging from minor to major. Revision is necessary to help strengthen the content and is an important step in maintaining the quality of the Journal and appropriately disseminating valuable information to the readership.8 Occasionally, an author declines to make requested changes; sadly, an unrevised, and therefore unpublished, manuscript means a unique idea is never shared with perianesthesia nurse colleagues. Sometimes, an editor must notify a potential author that the article was rejected; this is one of the more difficult tasks of a journal editor. Authors should remember that much time and effort have been spent in evaluating the manuscript. Based on comments provided by the peer review panel, editors provide the author(s) with a detailed explanation of recommended revisions and additional advice to aid the author with rewriting and resubmitting the manuscript. Revision requests may include additional content, clarification of ideas, rephrasing, or additional referencing to best present the content. Because both Journal editors value the contribution of new authors, each may mentor novice authors, or seek accomplished writers to help mentor them.8
Production Process at Elsevier After a manuscript has been reviewed and accepted for publication, the editors send the manuscript submission to Elsevier’s Editorial Office located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Editors of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing determine the issue in which your article will appear, perhaps to ‘‘fit’’ with other articles of similar or complementary content. At Elsevier, copyediting for grammar and style is provided by staff members. The manuscript is then typeset into the
DANIEL D. MOOS
126
Journal’s article layout. A proof is sent to the author and editors for review. At this point, there may be a few additional author queries concerning references, abbreviations, and terminology. Time is of the essence. Because of pending publication deadlines, authors and editors must respond to these queries quickly, typically within 48 hours. Corrections are sent to the journal manager at Elsevier, who compiles the corrections onto a master proof of the article. The corrected article is placed with other articles in a designated issue of JoPAN and then sent back to the editors for a second proofing.
Conclusion
valuable information to the readership. The Journal is an extension of the specialized body of knowledge that encompasses perianesthesia nursing. To maintain the integrity of information contained in the Journal, the editors communicate on a daily basis to maintain its quality and meet deadlines. The editors of the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing are dedicated to maintaining the quality of the publication for which they have the honor of being stewards.
Acknowledgments
The publication process is a labor- and time-intensive process. The ultimate goal is to disseminate timely and
Kristina Wong, Journal Manager, at Elsevier was helpful in illuminating the basic process that a manuscript encounters at the Editorial Office.
References 1. Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing Web site. Author Information. Available at: http://www.jopan.org/authorinfo. Accessed April 7, 2009. 2. Froman RD. Hitting the bull’s eye rather than shooting yourself between the eyes. Res Nurs Health. 2008;31:399-401. 3. Froman RD. Polishing your shot at the bull’s eye: The ‘‘please do’’ list. Res Nurs Health. 2008;31:541-542. 4. Freda MC, Kearney M. An international survey of nurse editors’ roles and practices. J Nurs Sch. 2005;37:87-94.
5. Elsevier Editorial System. Author Login. Available at: http:// ees.elsevier.com/jopan/default.asp. Accessed April 18, 2009. 6. Journal Accountability Report 2006-2008 (raw unpublished data). 7. Kearney M, Freda MC. Voice of the profession: Nurse editors as leaders. Nurs Outlook. 2006;54:263-267. 8. Odom-Forren J. The mysterious life and work of a nurse editor. J Perianesth Nurs. 2008;23:367-370.
Additional Resources 1. Nurse Author and Editor. Home Page. Available at: http:// www.nurseauthoreditor.com/.