SPECIAL SESSION: Getting Published

Description/Overview: The Editor of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship and the Editor of Worldviews on Evidence Based Nursing, both well-published nurse researchers will present this session on getting published. The presentation will start with defining what is a publishable manuscript? The presentation will then cover tips for planning and writing manuscripts for authors of all levels of experience, including deciding on the kind of manuscript, following author guidelines, formatting, and thinking about target audience. A typical outline of a databased paper will be reviewed. The presenters will discuss problems and common pitfalls often encountered by authors and how to avoid or address them effectively when writing a manuscript. This will include titles that don’t match, structured abstracts, literature reviews, standards for reporting, validity and reliability, tables and figures, discussions that don’t relate to the findings, and incomplete, old, or incorrectly formatted reference lists. Some tips for writing in teams will be covered, including how to set expectations and what constitutes being an author on a manuscript. Novice writers will be encouraged to find a writing mentor. The peer review process will be discussed. Presenters will summarize the three potential outcomes of submitting a manuscript (accept, revise and resubmit, and reject). Typical reasons for rejections will be discussed, as well as common emotions experienced by authors when they receive this news. Next the presenters will cover typical reasons for revising, and the importance of paying attention to the reviewers concerns. The presenters will cover strategies for resubmitting, including writing a cover letter, highlighting changes made, and meeting the resubmission deadline requested. The presenters will also speak about ethical issues related to writing and publishing manuscripts including authorship, duplicate publication, and conflicts of interest. Persistence will be encouraged as the key to success in getting published. A few helpful resources will be provided to the participants.