INTRODUCTION:

Publishing in a professional journal is a challenging and rewarding experience. One who experienced in the field will share their experience, expertise, and knowledge to the reader, so that information is shared, solutions to difficult problems are disseminated, and ultimately patient care is improved. The aim of this article is to help you to overcome the hurdles you have faced that prevented you from contributing to nursing and health care literature.

EXCUSES FOR NOT WRITING:

For being a successful author, you must implement strategies to overcome the excuses.

I AM NOT A QUALIFIED:

You may not thought about writing in a journal article because you assume that you are not qualified enough. You feel you don’t have enough academic degrees or years of experience, or both. Years of experience and number of academic degrees and credentials after name are not the key criteria for authorship. Instead, journal editors are seeking author those who have knowledge and experience related to the topic and those have the ability to clearly communicate the information to the reader. Your academic qualification and credentials are not the deciding factor.

I DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY:

You may assume / saying yourself that you do not have any knowledge or expertise in the field. Remember that what seems routine or well known to you may not be for other nurses in different setting. Reader will be very interested in learning how other nurses have solved problems that we all face. Ex: how did you integrate new graduates successfully into your unit?

NO TIME TO WRITE:

Time is a main barrier for writing. Each of us is very busy with family and career obligations. Successful writers make time in their busy lives to write. You can begin writing by setting realistic deadlines yourself to complete parts of the manuscript. But consider your work and personal obligations when making deadlines and stick on to it¹.

Tips for Making Time for Writing²

· Arrive at a meeting 30 minutes early and use that time for thinking and writing.

· Always have something with you so you can write/jot down points while waiting for appointment/other types of delays.

· Arrive at work 45 minutes early or stay for 45mt and make use of it to write.

· Schedule short time in your calendar several times for a week.

· Do not give up your writing time.

I DO NOT WRITE VERY WELL:

To tackle this, seek the help of an experienced author and request that person to be your mentor and co-author. Writing with an experienced author will give you a greater opportunity to learn about writing and improve your weakness.

WRITING EFFORT IS NOT WORTHY:

Journal writing may not be worth full for your effort. No pay is available for publishing journal article, but you will reap other types of rewards. Ex: some may read your article and may contact you to speak on the topic for the upcoming conference / workshops. Or else you may be asked for a consultation on the topic because the reader values your expertise.

STRATEGIES FOR GETTING STARTED²

Several possible steps you should consider in getting started with your career.

1. Seek Guidance from an Experienced Author/Mentor

As discussed earlier, you may need to seek the help of an experienced author in the field. Be clear about the mentor’s role when you are seeking for their help. Will the mentor be a second author in the article? Or are you merely asking the mentor to read your finished paper and give the feedback? If the latter is the case, you should acknowledge the person at the end of the article.

2. Letter to the Editor

An easy way to see your ideas in print is to write a letter to the editor –in chief that comments on an article in a previous issue. You may need to offer a different perspective, add an idea or support the author’s view. These letters are usually short.

3. Write a Book Review

Some journals publish reviews of newly released books. Editor in chief often receives many books to print a review, with request from the publisher. You may need to contact the editor in chief and volunteer to write the review. Reviews are usually very short and it highlights the main features and strengths of the book.

4. Review a manuscript

Reviewing manuscripts for journals are the best way to learn to write for professional journal. Editor seek reviewers who have knowledge and experience related to the topic. Contact the editor in chief of a journal and volunteer to be a reviewer. Be specific about your background in your letter. When you commit for writing a review you must meet the deadline requested by the editor in chief. Usually you will be asked to return the review in about 2-3 weeks. Most of the nursing journals use double blinded review process, which means, that you will not know the name of the author when you write the review. In addition your identity will never be revealed to the author.

HOWTO PREPARE A MANUSCRIPT²

Planning the manuscript takes a great deal of time. You need to identify a topic which is suitable for publication, selecting a journal that is appropriate for your topic, and guide your writing so that it is consistent with the journal’s format and style.

1. Select a Topic

Selecting a topic is the first step in preparing a manuscript. On selection of the topic, consider what information you want to convey and why this information is important to the reader.

Guidelines/tips for topic selection

· Will my manuscript present a new idea to the reader?

· If the topic is already discussed in the literature how will my manuscript be different?

· If my manuscript is published, what will the difference it may bring(Eg: - improved patient care, changes in nursing practice)

2. Bring New Ideas Into the Paper

Topics which focus on new procedures, technologies or drugs are highly desired by the clinically oriented journals. A procedure may seem routine to you/your hospital, may be of great interest to the other nurses in other areas where the technique has not yet been used.

3. Interesting cases

Case studies are good topic to consider for a journal article. Do not select a case in which the disorder is so rare that most readers of the journal will never pass/go through such cases in their practice. When writing a case based article, integrate aspects of case throughout the manuscript rather than focusing the case at the beginning or at the end of the paper. Eg: - start the paper/case with the patient’s present signs and symptoms and then tell the patho-physiological rational for the findings/ signs and symptoms. Next present the patient’s lab value and integrate with the book picture.

4. Research reports:

Most of the journals prefer to publish research focused articles that report original data. Keep in mind that original data can be reported in only one article .Future articles on the same topic can refer your research report but cannot present original data again.

5. Literature review and analysis:

A literature review should be a synopsis of the findings, not a passage or essay of paragraphs describing one study after another. A review article indicates what I known about the topic, not known about the topic and some methodological issues encountered when studying the topic.

6. Opinion, commentary or debate:

Articles which present controversial issues or take an unpopular stand on a subject are difficult to find in nursing journals. Authors do not want to take a risk of publishing about a controversial topic. But these debates and commentaries with controversial opinion from expertise are needed to help the professional challenges and takes risks to move forward.

7. Solution focused:

These articles are focusing/directing/help to solve a problem or implement something new which are highly desired by the reader. Solution focused articles could describe the steps you took to solve a problem, implement a change or launch a new initiation. Also discuss about the barriers that you overcome and how you did it, so that the reader can implement them in their setting.

8. Professional development:

Readers are highly desires articles that promote their own professional development and to advance their clinical knowledge. Eg: - writing a manuscript as resume writing, interviews, poster presentation etc.

9. Challenging experience:

These are articles which helps the readers how to deal with a difficult situation. Tell the readers how you handled a complicated circumstance, such as a problematic worker or student, or a conflict. Give some practical tips from your experience and guidance that they could apply in the day to day life or situation.

10. Develop and focus the idea:

Upon selecting the topic, the next is to focus on your idea. A journal article can have only one focus or purpose. New authors usually make the mistake of trying to cover too much in one article. Because of this, the article become too broad and does not cover the topic in depth. Reading published articles may help you to see how other authors have taken abroad topic and chosen one main focus.

11. Identify audience:

Articles must be written with one audience in mind. Audience must be identified before you start to write, So that your manuscript is directed to that group. For this as you write the article, keep asking; what does my target audience already know about this topic? Whether this topic may be new to them? Another way to help you to develop the manuscript is to meet the nurses/group that represents your target audience.

12. Select appropriate journal:

You need to select the journal that is the best match for your work. Selection should be done before you start to write the manuscript. When selecting, choose the one that is peer reviewed, means your manuscript will be critiqued by experts. Most of the journals use double- blinded peer review process. Your manuscript will be sent to 2 to 3 reviewers who will give the feedback on your manuscript.

To select a journal, consider the website www.nurseauthoreditor.com, which is an excellent resource for authors. Another way is journal directory which provides the name and contact information of the editor in chief of each journal and provides a link to the journal’s author guidelines.

While selecting the journal, also consider the impact factor, which is of greater importance to academic authors than to clinical authors. The impact factor is calculated on the basis of the number of times the selected journal’s articles have been cited in other publications. The impact factor measures the journal’s importance in its field.

Once you selected the journal, review the past issues to learn more about the writing style. If an article in your area of interest has been published recently, unless and otherwise of adding something new, the chances for not selecting the manuscript for publication will be increasing. To avoid this, searching for the table of contents for the recent years may help you to decide whether your article is fit to the journal.

Another factor to be kept in mind include the acceptance rate (the % of submitted articles that are ultimately accepted for publication) and the amount of time it takes to get published. Time lag is very important aspect in writing of clinical topics. When it is too lengthy your clinical information may become outdated and you need to update it timely. Also not a main concern, you may also consider the circulation rate. As an author, you would likely want to reach as many readers as possible those who may have interest in the topic. This information may be found on the publisher’s website.

13. Prepare the Outline:

Preparing an outline is the excellent way to organize your thoughts before you start to write. When creating an outline think about the heading in your manuscript. Also, determine what information will be placed in tables and types of figures you need.

14. Choose the Format:

Next, you will finalize the format for your manuscript. Choose from a narrative, research, case-based or personal experience perspective. Be sure that your selection will be accepted in your targeted journal. Also make sure that, you stay within the page limits set out by the journal. This will be listed in author’s guideline.

15. Authorship:

Determining single/multiple authorship is a very important decision in writing article. Both has its pros and cons. Single authorship in the best approach if you worked o a project independently and want to receive all the rewards of publication. But you need to do all work to prepare the manuscript. Multiple authorships lessen the load. If you decide to use a multi author approach, select those who can make a little contribution to the work. Before your team begins writing, decide on the order of authorship and work assignment. Also make an agreement about the deadlines of submission and the consequences if the members violate that rules.

16. Letter of query:

In the early phases of planning your manuscript, you may need to send a letter or query to the editor in chief of your selected journal. Send the letter as an e-mail attachment, so that the editor can respond easily. Use well written business style letter and address the editor in chief by name, not by any other salutations. The name of the editor in chief can be identified from the front pages of the journal or in the publisher’s website. Describe briefly about yourself in relation to your idea and write briefly about your idea and why it is important. Attach an outline of your work. In closing, give your contact information. Editor in chief of journals may or may not respond to your query. It does not mean that you should not send your manuscript to the targeted journal. If your manuscript rejected in your targeted journal, then you can send it to an editor in chief of another journal.

AVOID WRITER’S BLOCK AND MAKE TIME TO WRITE³:

While starting to write you may encounter writer’s block. You may lose confidence and feel that you really do not have expertise and knowledge to write manuscripts. This is the first form of writer’s block. The next form of writer’s block that you may encounter is avoidance. You do not have time to write today and that you may as well postpones. Successful writers make time to write by blocking off time on their calendar and do not giving up that time when someone else request that slot on the calendar. Another important consideration is, knowing the time of the day. Write when you are at your prime and do less important work. Finding a place to write is another key to successful writing.

USE MANUSCRIPT STYLE RATHER THAN TERM PAPER STYLE:

Using manuscript writing style rather than term paper style will help you be successful in getting published. Eg: the review of literature in a manuscript is a synopsis of what is known and what is not known about a topic, where as literature review in term paper is often a long discussion of one article at a time, with a lot of details about it. While writing a manuscript we often use headings to break up text and organize the information. Headings are not usually included in term paper. Manuscripts are written for the target audience, where as term papers are written for faculty.

Tips for Manuscript Writing:

· use active voice

· include one main idea per paragraph

· use a topic sentence to begin a paragraph

· create smooth transitions between paragraphs

· define all abbreviations the first time they are used, even if the reader knows the meaning

· avoid stating the sentences with “It” and “This”

· be concise in your writing ; fewer words are better

· do not begin a sentence with an Arabic number or digits

CREATE AND SUBMIT THE MANUSCRIPT:

Once you finished your write up, give to a friend and ask them to give honest feedback about manuscript and any ideas to improve it. Take their comments seriously and use them to improve the manuscript. Before finalizing, be sure to do the spell check and read the entire document carefully. Before sending the final version double checks the author guidelines and submits the manuscript to only one journal. If you queried multiple journal and more than one expressed interest in your write up, you can still send the manuscript only to one journal. If the manuscript is rejected, you can send it to another journal by carefully examine reviewer’s comments and revise it before sending to another journal³.

RECEIVE FEED BACK FROM THE EDITOR:

After the editor gets your manuscript, he will ensure that the manuscript is good fit with the purpose of the journal. Then you will receive a response of either “reject” or “revise”. Rarely is a paper accepted without revisions. If you have got the suggestion to revise the manuscript, carefully follow the reviewer’s suggestions and revise paper accordingly. Once you finished the revision of your manuscript return it to the editor. The editor again reviews the revised manuscript for the next publication process. Once your manuscript is accepted, it will go through editing process. Next again it will return to you for proof reading and do not delay in returning the manuscript after proof reading.

CONCLUSION:

Writing and publication is a challenging work and it takes a lot of time, but the rewards will be numerous. By writing article you are imparting your knowledge and expertise to health care nursing profession and thus contributing effective patient care. A published article can lead to wonderful opportunities for your professional growth and development. Remember, like any other skill, the more you write for publication, the better you will be as an author.

REFERANCE:

1. Polit DF, Northams. Impact factor in nursing journals. Nurs outlook,2011;59:18-28

2. Morton PG. Publishing in professional journals, part I: getting started. AACN Adv.crit.care.2013:24(2):162-168

3. Morton PG. Challenging writer’s block. How experienced authors make time to write. nurse Author Editor.2000;10(2):1-3

Received on 07.03.2015 Modified on 21.03.2015

Int. J. Nur. Edu. and Research 3(2): April-June, 2015; Page 224-228