It is smart to avoid the two most common mistakes made by presenters.
First, when presenters read directly from slides, the audience can become
disengaged from the presentation. Keeping PowerPoint slides bulleted with
phrases discourages this practice. Presenters should strive to present more
depth and detail about the topic through speaking rather than through visual
aids. The second most common mistake occurs when presenters disregard
time constraints. It is expected that presenters adhere to the time limitations
for their presentations (Wax et al., 2011). It is inconsiderate to continue speak-
ing after room moderators have indicated that the time has expired. Another
way presenters disregard time constraints is by failing to be present during the
entire paper session. Four to six papers are typically grouped together over
90 minutes. Presenters should arrive well before paper sessions begin and
confirm their presence with room moderators and confirm that last-minute
scheduling changes have not been made. Arriving early also allows an opportunity
to test audiovisual aids. Presenters are expected to make themselves available
at the conclusion of paper sessions because attendees might wish to network.
Having business cards to share with colleagues during this time is advisable.
Papers
Scholarly papers are published in a variety of venues and are essential for
disseminating knowledge. Nurses in clinical areas are in an excellent position
to write and submit papers about case studies, EBP, and quality management
projects. Researchers, theorists, and nurse educators also publish papers for the
purpose of extending nursing’s body of knowledge. Although there are many
types of scholarly papers, the process of submission tends to be the same and
is similar to the process of submitting a poster abstract. Several helpful strate-
gies can assist novice writers to get started. One strategy is to submit a paper
based on an already presented poster because the abstract and outline are
already prepared. Gray (2005) recommended writing daily for 15–30 minutes
and provided some tips for accomplishing this (see Box 19-3). Writing daily
helps to form good habits about writing and leads to feelings of accomplish-
ment. Another strategy is to recruit a colleague and have standing appointment
times designated for writing. Collaborating with others creates accountability
KEY TERM
papers: Manuscripts
published in
professional
journalsYou have been asked by a professor at your college to collaborate on a paper for publication in
a peer-reviewed nursing journal. The professor expects you to do all of the research and writing
and stated that you will be acknowledged for your assistance but that your name will not
appear as an author on the article. What ethical issues need to be discussed in this situation?
What action, if any, would you take?CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE 19-1
19.2 The 3 Ps of Dissemination 501