- Email: [email protected]
Getting Published
e
ocuding on you:
PROFESSIONAL & P E R S O N A LDIRECTION
( Diane Baker Morris, RN, CDE 2
Getting Published Corning Through With the “Write” Stuff
P
ublishing in a professional journal is a very rewarding experience, and it provides nurses with the opportunity to share knowledge
with thousands of colleagues in all types of practice settings that
otherwise probably wouldn’t be possible. Writing a publishable journal or magazine article requires work and persistence, but the rewards are great and the efforts benefit the author, other health care professionals, and ultimately the clients those professionals touch through their careers.
Nurses &Writing More registered nurses need to be writing-both for scientific and technical journals within nursing, such as the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN), and clinical journals and magazines, such as AWHONN Lifelines. In fact, most of the articles within nursing literature on writing for publication regard professional publishing as a duty and a responsibility of the advanced practice nurse. When you have important information that will help to improve health care for others, take the pains necessary to share that information with other health professionals. Writing about nursing has evolved from the nursing process. As a “hands-on” profession, those involved in nursing during its infancy passed their knowledge on from colleague to colleague through observation of skills, repetition of other nurses’ methods, and borrowing knowledge from
Diane Baker Morris, RN, CDE, is a family nurse practitioner at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX. June 1998
other disciplines. Nursing has developed and continues t o develop its own knowledge base, concepts, diagnosis, and treatments, so it’s necessary for nursing knowledge to be passed on to future generations through communication in scholarly works authored by nurses. Nursing literature is one vehicle through which nurses will be able to advance nursing science for practicing professionals and those that follow in their footsteps.
Where to Begin Whether you begin with a topic in mind, one certainty in writing is
that, when you turn your computer on, the screen will be blank. That’s why nursing research and reading within the scientific and technical literature are so important. In fact, reading is imperative to good writing. Time is well spent conducting literature searches and reviews to formulate ideas and build a structure for your final manuscript. Critical thinking is another important part of writing and includes the analysis and integration of literature and a complete and thorough development of the theme. Personal experience, clinical questions, areas of professional interest, and technological developments are just a few areas to mine for manuscript ideas. However, before the writing can begin, an author needs a thorough understanding of the subject matter (Engles, 1995). Perhaps the biggest challenge of the writing process for some nurses is simply hurdling the blank page. After all, it’s important to formulate words and ideas systematically
Writing from your own experiences means finding your own expertise. The following questions can help you to delineate that expertise: 1. What are the unique aspects of my education and professional background?
2. What are my primary areas of interest in nursing?
3.What are innovations that I‘ve brought to my clinical setting? 4. What could others learn from me that they can‘t readily learn from anyone else?
5. What are strong opinions that I hold about nursing and wellness?
6. What are subjects within nursing and health promotion about which I want t o learn more and about which I’m willing to spend the time and energy researching and searching for clinical innovations?
--Carolyn Davis Cockey
AWHONN Lifelines
59
and in an organized manner. Some nurse authors find that simply putting words o n paper is a good start. The process of just getting started allows ideas t o flow. Journaling-putting your thoughts down as they come to you-is another common technique used in conquering the blank page. With computers, it's easy to go back and develop, enhance, and reorganize your ideas, so don't hesitate to just start writing. As you write, be aware of your own style. It's important not to get bogged down in the mechanics of sentence structure and grammar, although your ideas should be expressed clearly and accurately. By simplifying the process to a few simple steps, it's easier to focus on
the goal of a finished article: 1.Select a topic that interests you 2. Research the topic thoroughly with a literature review, and look for clinical anecdotes and information from sources such as government and professional associations 3.Write the first draft 4. Take some time away from the manuscript, several days if possible, to let your thoughts c'process'' 5 . Return to your draft and edit 6. Repeat steps four and five as many times as necessary until the manuscript seems complete
As you edit, keep these tips to improve your writing in mind (Baker, 1987): Keep sentences short
Replace pompous or polysyllabic words with simple words Make sure the sentence structure is clear Omit unnecessary adjectives Omit qualifications such as "very" Use the active voice Don't use medical jargon Use everyday language It's also helpful to seek an objective opinion of your work. Ask several content and writing experts (who may be nurses you know who have been published) to read your manuscript and assist you in editing. Nursing educators and other colleagues can help novice writers develop their work by providing specific, clearly understood, and correct feedback that focuses on
writing for Life1ines AWHONN Lifelines blends the best of scholarly writing, such as what you would find in nursing research journals like JOGNN, with what makes magazines so popular: their timeliness and focus on easy-to-digest, pertinent, and useful information. For the most part, Lifelines is written by nurses for nurses, although, in its quest t o provide the best information that nurses need to improve their own practices and patient care, Lifelines publishes a broad diversity of authors, including physicians, alternative health care providers, attorneys, and professional health care writers. Lifelines is written in a simple, easy-to-read style with jargon minimized as much as possible; for example, "pharmacological agents" are just "drugs." A variety of visual aids, including text boxes, graphics, illustrations, and photographs, all work together t o give readers multiple points of entry into each story-and the more times you invite a reader into an article, the more likely she is t o read it. Authors also are urged to jot down references to World Wide Web sites, books, videos, CD-ROMs, professional organizations and associations, government agencies, and other groups that can provide readers with additional information on article topics. Every article in Lifelines seeks t o answer a pivotal question: so what? Without the correlations t o nursing, patient care, or wellness, a proposed article that fails t o answer "so what?" would lack the clinical or professional implications that would make it relevant t o Lifelines' re ade rs. Not only do potential Lifelines authors have to make sure their article is relevant and useful, they have t o make sure they've included all of the information necessary for it to be complete and balanced. Lifelines uses a journalistic technique known as the "five W s and the H." Authors writ-
60
AWHONN Lifelines
ing for Lifelines answer the critical questions surrounding these aspects within their work: Who What When Where Why HOW
Without these critical pieces of information, the article is less than complete. In addition, within the first f e w paragraphs of an article, Lifelines' authors need to put their subject matter into context for readers by explaining: What is happening Why it's important What will happen if it goes unnoticed or unchanged For example, an article on health care providers failing to question their patients about the use of alternative therapies like herbs would include this paragraph as context early in the article: "Nearly one in three women today will confess to their friends-but not to their primary care providers-that they're using herbal teas for simple and complex health conditions. Because patients won't speak up-primary care pruviders need to take the initiative and ask about alternative therapies. When primary care providers fail to ask about alternatives, a whole range of negative consequences can be introduced into the care setting, including the possibility for dangerous drug/herbal interactions. Remember t o consult the Lifelines author guidelines before submitting your article for publication consideration. f o r complete guidelines, see pages 72 and 73. -Carolyn Davis Cockey. "
Volume 2, issue 3
significant o r frequent errors. Editing manuscripts is time consuming and requires concentration and skill-be willing to let the process take time to achieve the best end product.
Seeking Publication Have a particular journal in mind when you write. The journal and the manuscript need to fit in terms of subject matter, audience, and style. Write your manuscript with your reader in mind. Some journal editors may select your manuscript if it adds clinical relevance for improved health care, is organized, and is presented clearly and logically (Knight & Ingersoll, 1996). It’s also important to consider the special requirements of clinical journals (Fetter, 1992). It doesn’t make sense to submit a manuscript solely about a clinical experience to a nursing research journal, particularly if that experience has nothing to d o with nursing research. By selecting your journal carefully, you improve the likelihood of being published. Write the manuscript to fit a particular journal o r magazine’s author guidelines. Guidelines for journals are published periodically and can be obtained in copies of the journal itself, the publication’s editorial offices, o r from previous issues through an intralibrary loan (for AWHONN Lifelines Author Guidelines, see page 72 and 73). Follow these guidelines closelythey are a road map to publication in that particular periodical. Editors want manuscripts that follow their specifications-don’t shoot your manuscript down because you didn’t follow the proper format. After being submitted, your manuscript will probably go through some kind of editorial peer-review process, during which you may o r may not receive feedback from colleagues who are critiquing your manuscript. For some journals and magazines, this process takes weeks; for others, it may take a couple of months. Call or write the editor periodically t o check on the progress of your manuscript. Be persistent, but also remember that editors often have busy schedules and many manuJune 1998
scripts to review. Don’t let your work get lost in the shuffleremind your editor that it’s important to know how the manuscript is progressing. After the review process is over, your manuscript may be accepted with some suggestions for improvement. This is common, and you should expect some revisions o n your manuscript. Make the revisions suggested, then resubmit t o the editors as soon as possible. Most manuscripts are subjected to a number of revisions before they finally appear in print. The publishing decision on your manuscript should come sometime after
this process. The decision may come quickly or, like the review process, it may drag on for months, depending on the periodical. Finally, don’t be discouraged if your manuscript isn’t accepted. Regroup and submit to another appropriate journal. You will probably have to retailor the manuscript to the guidelines of the newly targeted publication. If your manuscript continues to be rejected, be sure that you have followed the basics of good writing and that your manuscript communicates clinically relevant information. You may have t o balance persistence with knowing when t o put a manuscript aside and make another publication effort (Ventura, 1992). Publishing is a worthwhile endeavor, especially when separated into manageable steps. In addition, nursing professionals should be encouraged to write and share their expertise. Anyone can write with the help of self-understanding, proper information, and preparation (Thayer, 1990). The ecstasy of writing is acceptance. Celebrate your publishing successes with your colleaguesboth to enjoy the rewards of your hard work and to motivate others to the same achievement.
References Baker, J. (1987). Copy prep. London: Blueprint. Engles, R. (199.5). A career in technical writing: Is it for you? Canadian Journal of Medical Technvlogy, 57:145.3-144. Fetter, M. (1992). Clinical scholarship: publishing clinical excellence. MedSurg Nursing, 1(1):39-43. Hayes, R. (1996). Writing for publication: solutions to common problems. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 43(1 ):24-9. Hind, M. (1994). Writing for publication. British Journal of Theatre Nursing, 4:24. Knight, K., Ingersol, C. (1996). Structure of a scholarly manuscript: 66 tips for what goes where. lournal
of Athletic Training, 31:201-6. Page, B. (1992). Writing for publication. Canadian Oncology Nursing J ~ u r n a l2:140-I. , Thayer, M. (1990). Professional writing and personal style. Dermatology Nursing, 2:83-S. Ventura, M. (1992). Guidelines for writing for publication. journal of the N e w York State Nurses Association, 23:16-9. Wilson, D. (1991). Improving feedback on student papers: A quantitative method which aids marking and gives valid feedback. Nursing Education Today, 1 1 5 - 5 6 ,
Get published in Lifelines
or JOGNN-submit manuscripts to:
your
A WHO” Lifelines Attn: Executive Editor 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 740 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 673-8499 Ernail: [email protected]
JOG” Attn: Managing Editor 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 740 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 673-8499 Ernail: [email protected] (Address effective as of July 1, 1998.)
+
AWHONN Lifelines
61
ocuding on you:
PROFESSIONAL & P E R S O N A LDIRECTION
( Diane Baker Morris, RN, CDE 2
Getting Published Corning Through With the “Write” Stuff
P
ublishing in a professional journal is a very rewarding experience, and it provides nurses with the opportunity to share knowledge
with thousands of colleagues in all types of practice settings that
otherwise probably wouldn’t be possible. Writing a publishable journal or magazine article requires work and persistence, but the rewards are great and the efforts benefit the author, other health care professionals, and ultimately the clients those professionals touch through their careers.
Nurses &Writing More registered nurses need to be writing-both for scientific and technical journals within nursing, such as the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN), and clinical journals and magazines, such as AWHONN Lifelines. In fact, most of the articles within nursing literature on writing for publication regard professional publishing as a duty and a responsibility of the advanced practice nurse. When you have important information that will help to improve health care for others, take the pains necessary to share that information with other health professionals. Writing about nursing has evolved from the nursing process. As a “hands-on” profession, those involved in nursing during its infancy passed their knowledge on from colleague to colleague through observation of skills, repetition of other nurses’ methods, and borrowing knowledge from
Diane Baker Morris, RN, CDE, is a family nurse practitioner at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX. June 1998
other disciplines. Nursing has developed and continues t o develop its own knowledge base, concepts, diagnosis, and treatments, so it’s necessary for nursing knowledge to be passed on to future generations through communication in scholarly works authored by nurses. Nursing literature is one vehicle through which nurses will be able to advance nursing science for practicing professionals and those that follow in their footsteps.
Where to Begin Whether you begin with a topic in mind, one certainty in writing is
that, when you turn your computer on, the screen will be blank. That’s why nursing research and reading within the scientific and technical literature are so important. In fact, reading is imperative to good writing. Time is well spent conducting literature searches and reviews to formulate ideas and build a structure for your final manuscript. Critical thinking is another important part of writing and includes the analysis and integration of literature and a complete and thorough development of the theme. Personal experience, clinical questions, areas of professional interest, and technological developments are just a few areas to mine for manuscript ideas. However, before the writing can begin, an author needs a thorough understanding of the subject matter (Engles, 1995). Perhaps the biggest challenge of the writing process for some nurses is simply hurdling the blank page. After all, it’s important to formulate words and ideas systematically
Writing from your own experiences means finding your own expertise. The following questions can help you to delineate that expertise: 1. What are the unique aspects of my education and professional background?
2. What are my primary areas of interest in nursing?
3.What are innovations that I‘ve brought to my clinical setting? 4. What could others learn from me that they can‘t readily learn from anyone else?
5. What are strong opinions that I hold about nursing and wellness?
6. What are subjects within nursing and health promotion about which I want t o learn more and about which I’m willing to spend the time and energy researching and searching for clinical innovations?
--Carolyn Davis Cockey
AWHONN Lifelines
59
and in an organized manner. Some nurse authors find that simply putting words o n paper is a good start. The process of just getting started allows ideas t o flow. Journaling-putting your thoughts down as they come to you-is another common technique used in conquering the blank page. With computers, it's easy to go back and develop, enhance, and reorganize your ideas, so don't hesitate to just start writing. As you write, be aware of your own style. It's important not to get bogged down in the mechanics of sentence structure and grammar, although your ideas should be expressed clearly and accurately. By simplifying the process to a few simple steps, it's easier to focus on
the goal of a finished article: 1.Select a topic that interests you 2. Research the topic thoroughly with a literature review, and look for clinical anecdotes and information from sources such as government and professional associations 3.Write the first draft 4. Take some time away from the manuscript, several days if possible, to let your thoughts c'process'' 5 . Return to your draft and edit 6. Repeat steps four and five as many times as necessary until the manuscript seems complete
As you edit, keep these tips to improve your writing in mind (Baker, 1987): Keep sentences short
Replace pompous or polysyllabic words with simple words Make sure the sentence structure is clear Omit unnecessary adjectives Omit qualifications such as "very" Use the active voice Don't use medical jargon Use everyday language It's also helpful to seek an objective opinion of your work. Ask several content and writing experts (who may be nurses you know who have been published) to read your manuscript and assist you in editing. Nursing educators and other colleagues can help novice writers develop their work by providing specific, clearly understood, and correct feedback that focuses on
writing for Life1ines AWHONN Lifelines blends the best of scholarly writing, such as what you would find in nursing research journals like JOGNN, with what makes magazines so popular: their timeliness and focus on easy-to-digest, pertinent, and useful information. For the most part, Lifelines is written by nurses for nurses, although, in its quest t o provide the best information that nurses need to improve their own practices and patient care, Lifelines publishes a broad diversity of authors, including physicians, alternative health care providers, attorneys, and professional health care writers. Lifelines is written in a simple, easy-to-read style with jargon minimized as much as possible; for example, "pharmacological agents" are just "drugs." A variety of visual aids, including text boxes, graphics, illustrations, and photographs, all work together t o give readers multiple points of entry into each story-and the more times you invite a reader into an article, the more likely she is t o read it. Authors also are urged to jot down references to World Wide Web sites, books, videos, CD-ROMs, professional organizations and associations, government agencies, and other groups that can provide readers with additional information on article topics. Every article in Lifelines seeks t o answer a pivotal question: so what? Without the correlations t o nursing, patient care, or wellness, a proposed article that fails t o answer "so what?" would lack the clinical or professional implications that would make it relevant t o Lifelines' re ade rs. Not only do potential Lifelines authors have to make sure their article is relevant and useful, they have t o make sure they've included all of the information necessary for it to be complete and balanced. Lifelines uses a journalistic technique known as the "five W s and the H." Authors writ-
60
AWHONN Lifelines
ing for Lifelines answer the critical questions surrounding these aspects within their work: Who What When Where Why HOW
Without these critical pieces of information, the article is less than complete. In addition, within the first f e w paragraphs of an article, Lifelines' authors need to put their subject matter into context for readers by explaining: What is happening Why it's important What will happen if it goes unnoticed or unchanged For example, an article on health care providers failing to question their patients about the use of alternative therapies like herbs would include this paragraph as context early in the article: "Nearly one in three women today will confess to their friends-but not to their primary care providers-that they're using herbal teas for simple and complex health conditions. Because patients won't speak up-primary care pruviders need to take the initiative and ask about alternative therapies. When primary care providers fail to ask about alternatives, a whole range of negative consequences can be introduced into the care setting, including the possibility for dangerous drug/herbal interactions. Remember t o consult the Lifelines author guidelines before submitting your article for publication consideration. f o r complete guidelines, see pages 72 and 73. -Carolyn Davis Cockey. "
Volume 2, issue 3
significant o r frequent errors. Editing manuscripts is time consuming and requires concentration and skill-be willing to let the process take time to achieve the best end product.
Seeking Publication Have a particular journal in mind when you write. The journal and the manuscript need to fit in terms of subject matter, audience, and style. Write your manuscript with your reader in mind. Some journal editors may select your manuscript if it adds clinical relevance for improved health care, is organized, and is presented clearly and logically (Knight & Ingersoll, 1996). It’s also important to consider the special requirements of clinical journals (Fetter, 1992). It doesn’t make sense to submit a manuscript solely about a clinical experience to a nursing research journal, particularly if that experience has nothing to d o with nursing research. By selecting your journal carefully, you improve the likelihood of being published. Write the manuscript to fit a particular journal o r magazine’s author guidelines. Guidelines for journals are published periodically and can be obtained in copies of the journal itself, the publication’s editorial offices, o r from previous issues through an intralibrary loan (for AWHONN Lifelines Author Guidelines, see page 72 and 73). Follow these guidelines closelythey are a road map to publication in that particular periodical. Editors want manuscripts that follow their specifications-don’t shoot your manuscript down because you didn’t follow the proper format. After being submitted, your manuscript will probably go through some kind of editorial peer-review process, during which you may o r may not receive feedback from colleagues who are critiquing your manuscript. For some journals and magazines, this process takes weeks; for others, it may take a couple of months. Call or write the editor periodically t o check on the progress of your manuscript. Be persistent, but also remember that editors often have busy schedules and many manuJune 1998
scripts to review. Don’t let your work get lost in the shuffleremind your editor that it’s important to know how the manuscript is progressing. After the review process is over, your manuscript may be accepted with some suggestions for improvement. This is common, and you should expect some revisions o n your manuscript. Make the revisions suggested, then resubmit t o the editors as soon as possible. Most manuscripts are subjected to a number of revisions before they finally appear in print. The publishing decision on your manuscript should come sometime after
this process. The decision may come quickly or, like the review process, it may drag on for months, depending on the periodical. Finally, don’t be discouraged if your manuscript isn’t accepted. Regroup and submit to another appropriate journal. You will probably have to retailor the manuscript to the guidelines of the newly targeted publication. If your manuscript continues to be rejected, be sure that you have followed the basics of good writing and that your manuscript communicates clinically relevant information. You may have t o balance persistence with knowing when t o put a manuscript aside and make another publication effort (Ventura, 1992). Publishing is a worthwhile endeavor, especially when separated into manageable steps. In addition, nursing professionals should be encouraged to write and share their expertise. Anyone can write with the help of self-understanding, proper information, and preparation (Thayer, 1990). The ecstasy of writing is acceptance. Celebrate your publishing successes with your colleaguesboth to enjoy the rewards of your hard work and to motivate others to the same achievement.
References Baker, J. (1987). Copy prep. London: Blueprint. Engles, R. (199.5). A career in technical writing: Is it for you? Canadian Journal of Medical Technvlogy, 57:145.3-144. Fetter, M. (1992). Clinical scholarship: publishing clinical excellence. MedSurg Nursing, 1(1):39-43. Hayes, R. (1996). Writing for publication: solutions to common problems. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 43(1 ):24-9. Hind, M. (1994). Writing for publication. British Journal of Theatre Nursing, 4:24. Knight, K., Ingersol, C. (1996). Structure of a scholarly manuscript: 66 tips for what goes where. lournal
of Athletic Training, 31:201-6. Page, B. (1992). Writing for publication. Canadian Oncology Nursing J ~ u r n a l2:140-I. , Thayer, M. (1990). Professional writing and personal style. Dermatology Nursing, 2:83-S. Ventura, M. (1992). Guidelines for writing for publication. journal of the N e w York State Nurses Association, 23:16-9. Wilson, D. (1991). Improving feedback on student papers: A quantitative method which aids marking and gives valid feedback. Nursing Education Today, 1 1 5 - 5 6 ,
Get published in Lifelines
or JOGNN-submit manuscripts to:
your
A WHO” Lifelines Attn: Executive Editor 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 740 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 673-8499 Ernail: [email protected]
JOG” Attn: Managing Editor 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 740 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 673-8499 Ernail: [email protected] (Address effective as of July 1, 1998.)
+
AWHONN Lifelines
61