Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses

(Ben Green) #1
some journals require American Psychological Association style, while others
may require Modern Language Association style. Guidelines also specify the
number of words in an abstract, page limits, font, headings, and other criteria.
It is essential that the guidelines be followed meticulously because manuscripts
can be rejected when authors fail to follow the criteria. Familiarity with the
language and tone used in the journal will also facilitate writing. For example,
it is preferred in some journals to use the term nurses, whereas the term clini-
cians is used in other journals. Resources, such as Garner and colleagues (2012)
and Holmes, Hodgson, Nishimura, and Simari (2009), provide suggestions for
writing effective research reports or other types of articles.
Obtaining feedback from colleagues during the writing process can be
invaluable. Gray (2005) suggested sharing early drafts with nonexperts and
later drafts with experts. Nonexperts can include family members, students,
or colleagues in other disciplines. Because these individuals are less likely to
understand the content, problems with organization and clarity are more likely
to be identified. Experts are individuals with advanced degrees in nursing.
Such individuals can provide reviews about the content as well as organization
and clarity. Another way to obtain feedback is to join a writing circle (Gray,
2005). In writing circles, writers convene weekly, giving feedback on only a
few manuscript pages. The group is given 5 minutes to read the work of one
member. Discussion follows during which members indicate for each paragraph
the topic sentence, providing rationales for their choices. If the writing is clear
and organized, there will be agreement about the topic sentences. For nurses
affiliated with universities, writing centers offer another resource for obtaining
feedback. Just as with submission of poster abstracts, it is essential to review
manuscripts many times prior to actually submitting them for publication.
There are many similarities between the process of submitting an abstract
for presentation at a conference and submitting a manuscript for publication.
It is important to review the author guidelines for instructions about submis-
sion. Many journals only accept submissions online. Editors of peer-reviewed
journals send blinded copies of manuscripts to several experts for review. Peer
reviewers may be selected because of their expertise about the topic, research
method, method of analysis, or theory. For journals not using a peer review
process, manuscripts are reviewed by the editor. The length of time it takes for
the review varies among journals, but one can expect to wait 3–6 months for a
response. It may be tempting to submit manuscripts to multiple journals at the
same time, but this is absolutely unacceptable practice. A manuscript cannot
be submitted to a second journal unless it is rejected by the first or the author
withdraws the manuscript submission. Eventually, authors receive notice about
the status of manuscripts. Editorial decisions about manuscripts usually fall into
one of four categories: accept, accept with minor revisions, accept with major

504 CHAPTER 19 Sharing the Insights with Others

Free download pdf