Writing for publication
2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 18; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.pedhc.2003.11.001
ISSN1532-656X
Autores Tópico(s)Health Sciences Research and Education
ResumoOver the years that I have been editor of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, I have learned lots of things. I've become quite skilled at reviewing and editing manuscripts, as well as working with our wonderful group of manuscript reviewers. I have worked to help beginning writers develop their manuscripts into publishable articles and have learned a great deal from experienced authors. However, there is one area in which I really need to improve…and I need your help…and that area is encouraging clinicians to write. Thus, once again I am writing an editorial imploring you, the readers, to add writing to that long list of activities you are waiting to do! However, this activity is much more important than picking up the cleaning or getting the car washed; writing for the Journal will be a big contribution to your profession and will promote clinical practice.Recently, I did a quick review of all the manuscripts that have been submitted to the Journal over the past few years and found a fairly consistent pattern. Most of the manuscripts were written by nursing faculty; the second biggest group was interdisciplinary teams, again with most of the nurse clinicians in the team being nursing faculty. The groups of clinicians that have written were individuals that work together in particular specialty practice areas, such as care of children with cystic fibrosis. The clinicians that seem to be under-represented are those in general practice settings, the majority of readers of the Journal. Thus, my appeal is to those of you in clinical practice, both general and specialty practice areas, to take on the challenge of writing for publication.However, there is one area in which I really need to improve…and I need your help…and that area is encouraging clinicians to write.When I have had the opportunity to talk to clinicians about the issues related to writing for publication, they often mention the same problems: finding a topic to write about and finding the time to do it! Those sound like manageable problems, but they must be big ones as they come up over and over as reasons not to write.Finding a topic to write about should not be a problem for clinicians. Every day of clinical practice we encounter new and challenging problems. We see children who do not respond to treatment as they should, we encounter conditions we have never seen before, or common conditions that present in a unique manner, and we try out new management approaches. These all provide us with the experiences that can be the basis for a good clinically-focused article. This journal is a clinically- focused publication, and the major goal is to provide the readers with the most current, clinically relevant information they can use in their practice. Thus, I am always looking out for articles that will provide readers with current updates on the common clinical problems/conditions that we encounter in everyday practice. Such areas could include new approaches to assessment of the condition or new approaches to the management of common clinical problems. Think of situations when you wish you had had more information about a topic and couldn't find it easily or quickly; those are often good starting places to identify clinical topics. Another approach might be to look over a list of patients you've cared for in the past week or so. Just looking at the list of diagnoses, ask yourself what the challenging part of caring for these children was. What worked and what didn't? What could you share with your colleagues? I don't mean to imply that a clinically-based article should be totally derived from your own individual thoughts and experiences; that is certainly not true in this day of evidence-based practice. However, such review of patients can help you identify potential article topics…and then you'll review the literature to present the evidence relevant for that topic.Another approach to identifying article topics is brainstorming, generating ideas with your colleagues to identify topics that they would find interesting. Furthermore, at every annual meeting of the Editorial Board we identify topics we would like to have addressed in the Journal. Often we have a list of topics without potential authors, so you can always email me to get some ideas.Once you have an idea, the next step is to develop it into a publishable piece. Just that thought can be overwhelming and stops many potential authors because they don't think they have the time. Often our experiences writing papers for school have not prepared us to write for publication. One major difference is the awareness of writing as a process. In our busy days of graduate or undergraduate school we rarely had time to really revise papers; typically, we gave the paper our best shot, got it turned in on time, and moved on to the next paper with a sigh! That's what writing became. No wonder it doesn't bring up many positive thoughts. Writing for publication, however, is different because it can be stretched out over time and fit into your schedule…not your instructor's! This type of writing also includes more time for a thorough investigation of the idea, the development of outlines and drafts, and the opportunity to revise and revise. Because this process can be broken down into steps it can be built into the busiest of schedules…and that will take care of that second problems clinicians mention: finding the time to write.Scheduling time to write is just like scheduling anything else you would like or need to do: you just have to build it into your daily/weekly plan and find what works best for you. Not all the time will be devoted to actual writing. Indeed, the majority of time might include reviewing the literature and creatively thinking about the topic. Luckily for most people, the literature can be reviewed via a computer at home or work, and no longer involves physically getting to the library. Nevertheless, all aspects of the projects should be scheduled, so by starting with the development of a time-line, you can divide the writing project into realistic chunks of work and time. Unfortunately, it's often early in the development of a project that new authors get bogged down, and the project is never completed.Often we have a list of topics without potential authors, so you can always email me to get some ideas.There are ways to keep the motivation going. One way is to team up. Just like with exercise, we are less likely to let a partner down when we might let ourselves down. A co-author can help keep you motivated to do the work and meet the time-line. My experience in writing projects has been that it's easier to work with two or three people but not large groups (you spend your whole time trying to schedule meetings and incorporating too many different ideas and opinions). These writing partners can be nurse colleagues, academicians, or other professionals. You may wish to partner with someone who has more writing experience or who shares the clinical expertise. There's no one right mix, and it can vary from project to project, but the important thing is that teamwork can help keep the project going.Another way to keep motivated to write is to participate in the Journal's Manuscript Review Sessions at the annual NAPNAP conference. These sessions enable a potential author to submit an idea, draft, or complete manuscript to be individually reviewed by the editors or editorial board members at that conference. This is just the beginning, though, because the author is given feedback on how to continue with the project. Ongoing feedback and help are available through this process. As Editor, I am also available to help you develop articles for publication. I am willing to give you feedback on ideas, outlines, or drafts before you submit a completed manuscript for review. The Editorial Board and I are here to help you. We are willing to give you feedback about your topics and provide suggestions on how to develop your manuscript.So those are a few of my ideas on ways to help clinicians write. From my experience, it's not that clinicians don't know how to write, rather it's a matter of changing the mind-set to seeing writing for publication as something clinicians should and can do. I would be happy to help you change that mind-set. Your fellow nurse practitioners and advanced nurse clinicians need your contribution to the profession. I would love to hear your thoughts about this issue. I'm truly committed to this Journal providing the best possible clinical information for the readers, but I need your input to be sure that happens. I look forward to receiving both your thought about clinicians' writing and your manuscripts!—Bobbie Crew Nelms, Editor Over the years that I have been editor of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, I have learned lots of things. I've become quite skilled at reviewing and editing manuscripts, as well as working with our wonderful group of manuscript reviewers. I have worked to help beginning writers develop their manuscripts into publishable articles and have learned a great deal from experienced authors. However, there is one area in which I really need to improve…and I need your help…and that area is encouraging clinicians to write. Thus, once again I am writing an editorial imploring you, the readers, to add writing to that long list of activities you are waiting to do! However, this activity is much more important than picking up the cleaning or getting the car washed; writing for the Journal will be a big contribution to your profession and will promote clinical practice. Recently, I did a quick review of all the manuscripts that have been submitted to the Journal over the past few years and found a fairly consistent pattern. Most of the manuscripts were written by nursing faculty; the second biggest group was interdisciplinary teams, again with most of the nurse clinicians in the team being nursing faculty. The groups of clinicians that have written were individuals that work together in particular specialty practice areas, such as care of children with cystic fibrosis. The clinicians that seem to be under-represented are those in general practice settings, the majority of readers of the Journal. Thus, my appeal is to those of you in clinical practice, both general and specialty practice areas, to take on the challenge of writing for publication.However, there is one area in which I really need to improve…and I need your help…and that area is encouraging clinicians to write. When I have had the opportunity to talk to clinicians about the issues related to writing for publication, they often mention the same problems: finding a topic to write about and finding the time to do it! Those sound like manageable problems, but they must be big ones as they come up over and over as reasons not to write. Finding a topic to write about should not be a problem for clinicians. Every day of clinical practice we encounter new and challenging problems. We see children who do not respond to treatment as they should, we encounter conditions we have never seen before, or common conditions that present in a unique manner, and we try out new management approaches. These all provide us with the experiences that can be the basis for a good clinically-focused article. This journal is a clinically- focused publication, and the major goal is to provide the readers with the most current, clinically relevant information they can use in their practice. Thus, I am always looking out for articles that will provide readers with current updates on the common clinical problems/conditions that we encounter in everyday practice. Such areas could include new approaches to assessment of the condition or new approaches to the management of common clinical problems. Think of situations when you wish you had had more information about a topic and couldn't find it easily or quickly; those are often good starting places to identify clinical topics. Another approach might be to look over a list of patients you've cared for in the past week or so. Just looking at the list of diagnoses, ask yourself what the challenging part of caring for these children was. What worked and what didn't? What could you share with your colleagues? I don't mean to imply that a clinically-based article should be totally derived from your own individual thoughts and experiences; that is certainly not true in this day of evidence-based practice. However, such review of patients can help you identify potential article topics…and then you'll review the literature to present the evidence relevant for that topic. Another approach to identifying article topics is brainstorming, generating ideas with your colleagues to identify topics that they would find interesting. Furthermore, at every annual meeting of the Editorial Board we identify topics we would like to have addressed in the Journal. Often we have a list of topics without potential authors, so you can always email me to get some ideas. Once you have an idea, the next step is to develop it into a publishable piece. Just that thought can be overwhelming and stops many potential authors because they don't think they have the time. Often our experiences writing papers for school have not prepared us to write for publication. One major difference is the awareness of writing as a process. In our busy days of graduate or undergraduate school we rarely had time to really revise papers; typically, we gave the paper our best shot, got it turned in on time, and moved on to the next paper with a sigh! That's what writing became. No wonder it doesn't bring up many positive thoughts. Writing for publication, however, is different because it can be stretched out over time and fit into your schedule…not your instructor's! This type of writing also includes more time for a thorough investigation of the idea, the development of outlines and drafts, and the opportunity to revise and revise. Because this process can be broken down into steps it can be built into the busiest of schedules…and that will take care of that second problems clinicians mention: finding the time to write. Scheduling time to write is just like scheduling anything else you would like or need to do: you just have to build it into your daily/weekly plan and find what works best for you. Not all the time will be devoted to actual writing. Indeed, the majority of time might include reviewing the literature and creatively thinking about the topic. Luckily for most people, the literature can be reviewed via a computer at home or work, and no longer involves physically getting to the library. Nevertheless, all aspects of the projects should be scheduled, so by starting with the development of a time-line, you can divide the writing project into realistic chunks of work and time. Unfortunately, it's often early in the development of a project that new authors get bogged down, and the project is never completed.Often we have a list of topics without potential authors, so you can always email me to get some ideas. There are ways to keep the motivation going. One way is to team up. Just like with exercise, we are less likely to let a partner down when we might let ourselves down. A co-author can help keep you motivated to do the work and meet the time-line. My experience in writing projects has been that it's easier to work with two or three people but not large groups (you spend your whole time trying to schedule meetings and incorporating too many different ideas and opinions). These writing partners can be nurse colleagues, academicians, or other professionals. You may wish to partner with someone who has more writing experience or who shares the clinical expertise. There's no one right mix, and it can vary from project to project, but the important thing is that teamwork can help keep the project going. Another way to keep motivated to write is to participate in the Journal's Manuscript Review Sessions at the annual NAPNAP conference. These sessions enable a potential author to submit an idea, draft, or complete manuscript to be individually reviewed by the editors or editorial board members at that conference. This is just the beginning, though, because the author is given feedback on how to continue with the project. Ongoing feedback and help are available through this process. As Editor, I am also available to help you develop articles for publication. I am willing to give you feedback on ideas, outlines, or drafts before you submit a completed manuscript for review. The Editorial Board and I are here to help you. We are willing to give you feedback about your topics and provide suggestions on how to develop your manuscript. So those are a few of my ideas on ways to help clinicians write. From my experience, it's not that clinicians don't know how to write, rather it's a matter of changing the mind-set to seeing writing for publication as something clinicians should and can do. I would be happy to help you change that mind-set. Your fellow nurse practitioners and advanced nurse clinicians need your contribution to the profession. I would love to hear your thoughts about this issue. I'm truly committed to this Journal providing the best possible clinical information for the readers, but I need your input to be sure that happens. I look forward to receiving both your thought about clinicians' writing and your manuscripts! —Bobbie Crew Nelms, Editor
Referência(s)