Writing for publication

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION A Professional Responsibility

One of the hallmarks of a profession is the use of formalized publications to share information with colleagues and interested sectors of the public. To aid certified nurse-midwives (CNMsj in achieving that professional wponstbility, Editorial Board members of the Journal of NurseMidwiJery have conducted workshops on wtttng for publication at the 1979 and 1987 annual conventions of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. A similar workshop will againbe presented in 1995 at the 40th annual meeting in Dallas: and a cordialinvitation is extendedto ail prospecnveCNM authot3 to parlkipate. Countless CNMs have contrtbuted to the professional literature over the years. Some are -rued research ers and educators wh3 have multiple publications to their credit The Jourml of Nurse-Midwifery’s status as a refereed journal and its inclusion in Index Medicus and other cumulative indexes has made JNM an excellent fomm for the scb&dy works of these authors. In addition,CNMs invoived in clinicalplac%areusingtheJoumal tncreasfng~ to document their outcprnesand to mmmuniata their data to an ever-expandingaucuence. The Joumal of Nurse-Midtifay has also becomede&x committedto DIG-

Standing &lumns have been established in the Journal to exchange views and share information on clin-

lcal practice,education, research, international issues. professional affairs, and nurswnidtifery Prototypes of education and clinical practice while Letters to the Editor and Issues and Opinions welcome mow contra. venial points of view. In addition, assistant editors in all regions regularly receive books and audio/visual materials to be reviewed and actively seek midwives to prepare media reviews for publication.Specific instructions for each of these sections of the Joumal as well as a condensedversion of JNM’s Publication Guidelines for authors are ptinted in the Januay/ February, May/June,and September/ October issues eachyear. In addition, a complete set of the “Uniform Rtiquirements for ManuscriptsSubmitted to Biomedical Journals,,, which JNM adopted in 1991. is published in the JanuarylFebmay 1992 issue. Because the Journal of NurseMidtuijey is a refereed journal, even/ manuscript submitted for consideration as a full-length article is reviewed by members of the Peer Review Panel and the Editorial Board. Wher. appropriate, manuscripts may also tie reviewed by research consultam The identity of authors is ahwys withheld from reviewers at this stage. As a result of the Journal’s exrensive rev;eur process. rxommendations fcr improving the mawscript are usualiy made. In some instances, the susstions are mlno~; but more often than not submitted manuscripts require extensive revision by the author. Pmspactive authors should regard any suggestions offered as a constructive critique that is designed

to help them to better communicate theb work to the reader. In this way, manuscripts that might othenvise be rejected often can be improved and eventually publkhed. Submissions to the standing columns of the Journal usually do not ga through the peer review process as describedabove.In these instances, the authors generally work directly with one of the assxiate editors in readyins their work for publication. In rec@i+m of the value of ti6”ng for publicationand of the educat&xaj effolt invdwd. the Continuing Education Committee of the AmericanCollege of Nurse-Midwives grants fina CEU (10 contact hours) to a CNM who is identi6ed as a primaxy author cNIaDubbx6nIofan~Ir&.&wrelati&nkaltc@cinar&eedj& It should be stressed also that stw dankaswa!laswteranCNMsareenccuraged to submit their writing for publka6an in the Journal oJ NurseMiiwifey. Student reszxch and papers often meet standardsfor publication and may give shldent authors an impetus toward further clinical researcheRoltsoncathayt~~meCNMs. Hating discovered the pttde and satisfaction that comes from seeing thetr articles in pfint, CNMs may be encouraged to build on their initial efforts and develop more in-depth tidies that will provide a sounder basis fsr practice and greater fuifillment in their professiw.1 lives. The power of the written word has the potential for enhancing our profes sion publicly and privately. Gail Sinquefield.CHM,MSN Ass&ate Editor