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Contents

Cover

Title Page

List of Contributors

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Book, Its Philosophy and Its Focus

Introduction

Why publish what we write?

What are perceived barriers to successful writing?

How can we succeed?

Summary

Chapter 2: The Basics of Writing for Publication and the Steps to Success: Getting Started

Introduction

Barriers to writing

Getting started

The process of publishing

What happens next?

Chapter 3: Writing a Conference Abstract and Paper

Introduction

Section 1: How to write an abstract

Section 2: How to write a conference presentation

Summary

Chapter 4: Writing for Publication: The Book Review

Introduction

Personal experience

What are the different types of media for review?

Does writing a review differ from other scholarly publications?

Why write book/media reviews?

Writing successful and effective book/media reviews

Tips for writing effective book/media reviews: avoiding the pitfalls

Dealing with Review Editors

Starting slow or ready to go?

Summary

Chapter 5: Writing for Publication: The Journal Article

Introduction

What message and to whom?

Targeting a journal

Read the guidelines

Section 1: Reading the guidelines

Section 2: Writing and organising the article

Section 3: Writing the paper

Submitting your manuscript

Conclusion

Chapter 6: Writing for Publication: The Book

Introduction

Why write a book?

Getting started

Contacting a publisher

Writing a book proposal

Writing on your own: key issues to consider

Writing with others: key issues to consider

The process of writing a book: key issues to consider

Tips for successful management of writing a book

Tips for being a book editor and author

What comes next?

Summary

Chapter 7: Writing for Publication: The Essential Literature Review

Introduction

Decide the question/aims/objectives

Identify the search strategy

Identifying bias in the literature

Critically evaluating the literature

Assessing quality issues in randomised controlled clinical trials

Assessing quality issues in qualitative studies

Write the review

Conclusion

Chapter 8: Writing for Publication: Turning Assignments into Publishable Works

Introduction

Get advice on writing your work for publication

Role of supervisors/authorship

What type of publication?

Editing research dissertations and theses for publication

Conclusion

Chapter 9: Writing for Publication: Turning the Conference Paper into Publishable Work

Introduction

The benefits of turning a conference paper into a published work

Ethical considerations

The barriers to turning the conference paper into publishable work

Strategies for success

Start with the end in mind

The title

The introduction

Developing your presentation and manuscript concurrently

Writing the conclusion

Timeline

Conclusion

Chapter 10: The Editorial Process

Introduction

Who are editors?

What is editing about?

Who else is involved?

What do editors look for in an article?

Editorial boards

What happens to your manuscript?

Digital object identifiers

Ethics

Compiling issues of the journal

Media exposure

Conclusion

Chapter 11: Being a Journal Reviewer: Good Practice in Reviewing

Introduction

What is peer review?

Types of peer review

The role of a reviewer

What do we look for in a reviewer?

What do we expect from reviewers?

Reviewing for an international nursing education/practice journal: additional issues

What the editor and publisher can do for the reviewer?

Why become a reviewer?

Summary

Chapter 12: Ethical and Legal Aspects of Publishing: Avoiding Plagiarism and Other Issues

Introduction

Dilemma of ethics in publishing

Conflict of interest or competing interests

Summary and conclusions

Chapter 13: The World Wide Web and Its Potential for Publication

Introduction to web publishing

Open access publishing and open access self-archiving

BioMed Central

Publication fees

Peer review, quality, timeliness and impact

Depositing in a repository

Funding bodies and open access mandates

Electronic theses and dissertations

Web publishing, patient information and best practice

Communities of interest

Conclusion

Chapter 14: Dissemination of Published Work: The Process and Value

Chapter aim

Introduction

The value of disseminating your work

Strategies for dissemination of findings

Conclusion

Chapter 15: Other Forms of Writing: Letters, Commentaries and Editorials

Introduction

Good practice and ethics of critical commentary

Submission procedures for alternative publishing opportunities

Letters

Commentaries

Editorials

‘New generation’ commenting facilities

Submission process and good practice

Conclusion

Chapter 16: Where Do We Go from Here? Action Planning for Writing and Publishing

Introduction

What can we do?

Activities that will support your writing

Organising your life as a writer

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

List of Contributors

Editors

Karen Holland

Research Fellow

School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work

University of Salford

Salford

Roger Watson

Professor of Nursing

Faculty of Health and Social Care

University of Hull

Hull

Contributors

Seamus Cowman

Head of School of Nursing

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dublin

Ireland

Jan Draper

Head of Nursing

Department of Nursing

Faculty of Health and Social Care

The Open University

Milton Keynes

Mark Hayter

Faculty of Health and Social Care

University of Hull

Hull

Tracy Levett-Jones

Deputy Head of School (Teaching and Learning)

Lead – Research Centre for Health Professional Education

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Faculty of Health

University of Newcastle

Callaghan, NSW

Australia

Zena Moore

Lecturer in Wound Healing and Tissue Repair and Research Methodology

Programme Director

Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dublin

Ireland

Paul Murphy

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dublin

Ireland

Charon A. Pierson

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

Director, Center for Aging

University of Texas

El Paso, TX

USA

Chantal F. Ski

Associate Professor

Cardiovascular Research Centre

Faculty of Health Sciences

Australian Catholic University

Melbourne, VIC

Australia

Teresa Stone

Senior Lecturer

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Faculty of Health

University of Newcastle

Callaghan, NSW

Australia

David R. Thompson

Professor of Nursing

Cardiovascular Research Centre

Faculty of Health Sciences

Australian Catholic University

Melbourne, VIC

Australia

Sue Turale

Editor-in-Chief, Nursing and Health Sciences

Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing Australia

Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses

Professor of International Nursing

Yamaguchi University

Yamaguchi

Japan

Dean Whitehead

Senior Lecturer

School of Health and Social Services

Massey University

Palmerston North

Wellington

New Zealand

Foreword

It is a pleasure and privilege to be asked to write the foreword for this important book. It has arrived at an opportune time when there is a growing interest among health professionals in writing about their work and in understanding the mechanics of publishing.

Nurses and health professionals generally are members of applied disciplines, and the generation of knowledge is of little use if it is not disseminated. Our continued existence as a profession is based entirely on how we can improve the health and well-being of patients, their families and communities. The link between our knowledge base and our practice stands at the core of our survival as a discipline. As a result, we are extending our research and scholarly roles so as to provide evidence that underpins our practice and teaching. However, to produce such evidence without sharing it with others through publication and presentation is a fruitless exercise.

There are many reasons why health professionals publish. These include personal satisfaction, peer recognition or promotion of their career. Increasingly, health professionals in academia are expected to publish to promote scholarship or to have their research assessed. Currently, there are research assessment exercises in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In each of these, the main element for consideration is publication. The old adage ‘publish or perish’ is more of a truism now than ever.

Publications take many forms, including everything from books, book chapters, book reviews, journal articles, editorials, conference papers, commentaries and letters. Both Karen Holland and Roger Watson have many years of experience in this field. Not only have they published extensively in all of the formats outlined above, they are also experienced editors and have boundless insight into the editorial process. They have assembled a number of high-profile contributors for this text from across the globe. Chapters cover everything from the basics of starting to write, to how publications are reviewed, to ethical and legal issues. I have always believed that the true experts in a subject are so comfortable with it that they can make it easily understandable. These contributors have this uncanny ability of simplifying the most complex of subjects. They do not have to dress the topic up in jargon and complicated terminology. They are also good storytellers and their stories of how ideas and research findings can be developed into publishable works will make readers come back to this text again and again.

The book is expertly crafted and its easy style and ‘readability’ are some of its most pleasing features. The activity boxes and key points give structure to the book as well as help engage its readers. Its slim volume will be acceptable to many health professionals who are turned off by some of the more heavier tomes on the subject. The short chapters are interesting and authoritative and can be read on a ‘stand-alone’ basis, allowing readers to ‘dip in and out’.

So to my concluding remarks: I recommend with enthusiasm this text to would-be readers. It is a solid and significant contribution to the on-going development of our professions as generators and disseminators of knowledge.

Professor Hugh McKenna, CBE, PhD, BSc (Hons), RMN, RGN, RNT, DipN(Lond), AdvDipEd, FFNRCSI, FEANS, FRCN, FAAN
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation
University of Ulster

Preface

This book focuses on all aspects of writing for publication. It will help the reader to develop skills in writing articles, book reviews and other forms of publications but could also be viewed as an aide-memoire for editors and journal/book reviewers. ‘Writing for publication’ has become one of the most challenging phrases in nursing and midwifery language and practice, and is now seen as one of the essential prerequisites to a successful career in these professions. From personal experience of supporting colleagues to engage in the process of writing and to succeed in achieving their goal of a publication, we have developed various techniques and guidance that we use in workshops, study days and teaching and research activities.

As editors of two international nursing journals, we have also gained insight into and experience in the world of publishing, an experience that most of you reading this book will not have. This role has helped us to develop a range of skills to support individuals in writing for journals and attempting other forms of writing such as books, editorials or other forms of publication. By participating in these activities, it became clear that, despite the fact that there are textbooks that focus on certain aspects of writing for publication, there are few we could use that cover key aspects of both novice and expert needs. This book emerged from this need for a practical rather than theoretical approach to ensuring that, in using its content, individuals would be successful in writing for publication in different ways. This does not mean, however, that the book is without a strong evidence base, and there are many links to additional resources that can be accessed to support the writing and dissemination process. One of the fundamental aspects of any publication activity is also included: the ethical and legal aspects of publishing, which offers an invaluable guide to the pitfalls to avoid in developing good writing for publication practice.

The chapters are written by experts in the field: editors of journals, book authors and reviewers, article authors and reviewers, publishers and end-users of the academic and practice endeavours. They are also from the wider international scholarly community, bringing an added dimension of regional as well as international needs to be considered by the reader and user of the book.

The book offers the following unique aspects of knowledge and skills for successful publication:

1. It covers the practical 'how to do it' with the theoretical principles and rules that govern academic writing, publishing and dissemination.

2. It can be used by readers worldwide not only in the disciplines of nursing and midwifery but also in other healthcare professions.

3. It uses examples to illustrate the practical ways in which abstracts, papers, book reviews and other sorts of publications can be written and disseminated.

4. Helpful tips on what to do and what not to do are also included.

5. It offers key principles of writing for publication, which can be adapted to different scenarios and opportunities.

There are 16 chapters, each written by colleagues who have achieved varying degrees of success in writing for publication and most importantly the dissemination of knowledge, which has an impact on the various fields of clinical practice as well as education, management and further research. The chapters cover most types of writing for publication activities, and the content can be adapted to suit other forms of writing for publication not covered in depth in this book. A bibliography is offered at the end of the book for more specific reading and guidance.

Chapter 1 offers an explanation of why these chapters are included and our philosophy in writing the book itself, the title of which (Writing for Publication in Nursing and Healthcare: Getting It Right) illustrates what we hope will be an invaluable resource for both new and experienced authors in their quest for successful publication activity.

Karen Holland, Editor of Nurse Education in Practice
Roger Watson, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Advanced Nursing
January 2012

Chapter 1

Introduction: The Book, Its Philosophy and Its Focus

Karen Holland1 and Roger Watson2

1School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Salford, Salford, UK

2Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Hull, Hull, UK

Introduction

The use of evidence has become a central part of both faculty (academia) and professional practice. For many, it has become a core element of their career development and opportunity for advancement. Therefore, producing this evidence has become an essential skill for nursing and midwifery academics and qualified practitioners; one that all undergraduate and postgraduate students need to develop as part of their curriculum and for their future careers.

Disseminating the evidence once it has been produced is at the core of this book, and we will not enter into philosophical debates on the nature of what is best evidence and what we do to obtain the evidence itself, nor about which approach is best for dissemination. This book is, arguably, a body of evidence in its own right; one that has collected a range of views and supporting material on writing for publication, different approaches and – most importantly – how to help you translate your ideas, opinions and research findings into meaningful dialogue with those who will want to read them and hopefully influence and contribute to the development of their professional practice.

This written evidence is found in a range of published works: books, peer-reviewed articles, opinion papers and research reports. Therefore, ‘getting this right’ with regard to writing for publication becomes essential for the future scholarship of the nursing and midwifery professions as well as the evidence-based rigour underpinning professional practice.

However, in the twenty-first century the ‘written’ word is no longer the main form of communication; technological advances enable us to disseminate research evidence and other forms of scholarly endeavour in numerous innovative ways, but which has also brought with it many new challenges. Maybe, we should now consider ‘desktop typing for publication’ as an adjunct to ‘writing for publication’, and offer the basics on not only how to write but also how to use the technology to engage in the dissemination of scholarship. Watson in Chapter 2 of this book refers to some of the practical issues of using a computer in the writing process.

Why publish what we write?

Although publishing in various forms is about sharing best practice and evidence of various kinds, we publish for other reasons. Many of you reading this will recall situations where you read something in a newspaper article that you disagreed with or something you feel strongly about and wished you had the courage to write a letter to the newspaper in reply (see Chapter 16). You may even have reached the stage of having written the letter, but something held you back and you did not send it; possibly having second thoughts that, maybe, the language was too strong!

In many journals, there are opportunities for a similar kind of communications, especially as editorials or guest editorials where, again, it is about having a strong or opposing view on a topic that you feel needs to be raised, resulting often in being a trigger for other responses to be published to further debate (if the editor allows!) or in some cases ideas for further research.

Many clinical practitioners will be developing new ways of nursing that others could benefit from, and unlike in the past, where publishing anything was viewed as the province of ‘academia’ or faculty staff, there has been a major shift in who is writing for publication. Publishing what you write is no longer the province of the few, evident by the plethora of journals published worldwide.

For colleagues in many countries, having the opportunity to publish what they write is not easy; in particular, where English is not the first language, they may not have journals to write in and most importantly no large publishers to take on the risk of developing new journals or publishing new books in an area such as nursing, which is still developing in many countries. This development also involves the undertaking of research, the writing and dissemination of their work in their own country and, most importantly, sharing this with the international community in their own discipline.

One country that is taking the risk, and publishing a new nursing journal, is Lithuania, with colleagues at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in Kaunas publishing their first issue of the journal Nursing Education, Research and Practice in September of 2011. The editorial by the editor-in-chief and the dean of the Faculty of Nursing highlights a very important reason for why they are supporting the promotion of publishing what their colleagues write, in relation to where they are in the ‘bigger picture’ of what most of us have taken for granted:

[T]he journal specifically aims to become a platform available for Eastern European countries with post-Soviet nursing and midwifery systems to share new ideas and demonstrate rapid and significant advancements in the nursing and midwifery disciplines.

(Macijauskiene and Stankevicius, 2011, p. 1)

Given the fact that the journal was also published at a time of celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Faculty of Nursing, they should be congratulated on this achievement alone, let alone beginning a new journey in publishing what their peers have been writing about in isolation from each other. For many countries and disciplines worldwide, the question ‘why publish what we write?’ is more than simply a question of having to publish, but retains some of the altruistic stance that many of us began with in relation to helping others through sharing our knowledge and evidence as well-perceived wisdom.

For others, publishing what we write becomes an employment necessity with many jobs requiring applicants to have undertaken research and also published papers in journals. For others, retaining their posts also requires the same criteria, and this is often even more challenging for colleagues and takes them very often outside their ‘comfort zone’ both in terms of confidence in their abilities to write anything for publication and also needing additional skills to be gained to maximise their chances for success. Others among you will be postgraduate or even undergraduate students, for whom writing elements of their theses or dissertations becomes an integral part of that studentship. Many of you will be expected to write with your supervisors as a continuous process, but most of you will have a publication plan built into your personal and professional learning plans, including publishing at least one or two of your papers in a peer-reviewed international journal. For many undergraduate students, having an opportunity to write for publication may take a different form, as seen in the Nursing Standard journal (Lee, 2011, p. 29) where students write their reflection and actions as a result of a practice experience in the ‘the real world of nursing’. This is an excellent starting point for the future in managing time, writing and also helping others to learn through their experiences.

We hope that this book will enable this group to gain in confidence and skills, while the more experienced colleagues will use it more for ‘branching out’ into new areas of publishing their work. Seeing your work, whatever form it takes, in print or electronically for the first time or in a different medium is a wonderful feeling and, in fact, for many of us that initial ‘buzz’ never really goes away. Mainly, it is because we remain committed, especially as editors, to writing and sharing our knowledge and experience with others, as well as actually enjoying the writing itself. It is not quite the same as having to write to order, when it possibly can be seen as a chore!

Therefore, if publishing what we write is important, either politically or professionally, why do so many people still find it hard to achieve success or even get off the ground?

What are perceived barriers to successful writing?

In the chapters in this book, you will find examples of why individuals either set up barriers themselves to writing for publication or find obstacles placed in front of them. Many reasons also overlap and are often a combination of both. As mentioned, many of us have to begin somewhere, and all of us writing in this book will have come across barriers of one kind and another since we began to see our work being published for others to read and the material being used in some way in their work or their professional development.

To say that writing for publication is easy would not be the whole truth; however, depending on what you are writing and who you are writing for, some people find some forms of writing much easier than others. This could be writing an article for some, writing a book for others or writing conference abstracts and papers. Some of you reading this in order to learn new skills or knowledge may well be saying, ‘it's all right for them, as they already do it’, but even for us there are always new things to learn, and in today's publishing climate, there are new media to try out in terms of publishing what we write about.

Barriers written about in other books on writing for publication or articles in journals include:

time and effort to write;
difficulty in writing down what you need to say;
lack of skills in writing for different audiences;
lack of awareness of what is required for successful publication;
‘writer's block’ – situations where not only it is difficult to write anything at all but also you may be under pressure to write to a deadline and ‘your mind goes blank’ and panic sets in.

And one that most of us fear when first starting on this ‘writing journey’, and that is:

fear of rejection – of having your work rejected and, therefore, self-perception that you have been rejected as well as the actual publication.

With all these barriers that could be affecting your personal commitment to write for publication, how can you be successful in your writing endeavours? Overcoming these barriers is considered in Chapter 2.

How can we succeed?

Books like this one will give you a basic foundation in learning ‘how to be successful’ at writing for publication. We will offer you links to numerous resources that will support a successful outcome of seeing your work published in a variety of different media, but all of which rely on the message you wish to convey and who the audience or readership is.

However, successful publication will for most of you take time to develop but for others it will be as with all those drivers who pass their test the first time, simply putting pen to paper (some of us still do use pen/pencil and paper to write down initial thoughts and outlines!) and writing ‘just happens’! These are probably the rare ones but having known some of these they also can ‘get stuck’, and here they may enlist the help of colleagues.

Successful publishing will depend on some kind of review process, even in writing books or book chapters, and this is a positive aspect of the writing process. Asking a colleague with publishing experience or even asking someone who would be reading your work in a journal is an essential part of developing skills and expertise as an author in whatever capacity. Receiving critique from a colleague on your writing also enables you to refine and revise your paper/book chapter, if necessary, to ensure that, when an article, for example, is published, there is an increased likelihood of it achieving publication.

In addition to achieving success with an actual publication, it is important to consider that there are other things you can do in terms of developing successful writing skills as well as strategies when you are actually writing. Most of these are considered in the following chapters, and certain skills will apply to some and not others. One of the fundamental issues that crosses all of them is the good time management, including setting time aside specifically for writing on your own or writing with others.

Different media for publication will, of course, also have an impact on your writing for publication – and the use of various forms of technology and images as ‘writing’ is becoming more evident. Technology is to be found in articles themselves as well, through linking to other publications in reference lists as direct access links, and even technology within papers online to illustrate meaning and purpose.

Technology is now the main medium for actual submission of articles themselves, and book manuscripts are no longer sent ring bound to publishers in multiple copies and floppy discs. Regardless of how to convey the messages of our publications, the key is what the message is initially and this will tell us how and what we write as well as where and to whom we send the messages.

Summary

This book can be viewed as a ‘lens’ into these different kinds of writing media, as well as helping you understand and work with the processes involved in each case. It is also about giving you the confidence either to try something new or to try writing in any form for the first time.

We have experienced co-authors writing from their personal experiences for you. None is an expert at everything, but between us all we have a collective experience and enjoyment of both writing for publication itself and sharing that with you. The title of the book is Writing for Publication in Nursing and Healthcare: Getting It Right – we like to think that we can both help you on this journey and also travel with you on the journey. As editors ourselves, we are very much aware of how hard getting it right and being successful at writing itself are, and we look forward to feedback from you following publication.

References

Lee, S. (2011) Boundaries between nurses and patients must be clearly defined, student experiences in the real world of nursing. Nursing Standard, 26(4), 29.

Macijauskiene, J. & Stankevicius, E. (2011) Editorial, Nursing Education, Research & Practice. Kaunas: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.