W RI TI NG FOR I NTERNATI ONAL PUBLI CATI ON I N
NURSI NG JOURNALS: A PERSONAL PERSPECTI VE ( PART 2 )
G. Hussein Rassool1
Rassool GH. Wr it in g f or in t er n at ion al p u b licat ion in n u r sin g j ou r n als: a p er son al p er sp ect iv e ( Par t 2 ) . Rev Lat ino- am Enfer m agem 2 0 0 6 m aio- j unho; 1 4 ( 3 ) : 4 2 8 - 3 4 .
The num ber of pr int ed and elect r onic ( I nt er net ) academ ic nur sing publicat ions in Br azil and ar ound t he w or ld highlight t he im por t ance at t ached t o publishing in t he field of nur sing. I nt er nat ionally, j our nals ar e r anked accor din g t o t h eir pr of ession al m er it s an d peer r ev iew or ien t at ion s. Fin an cial in st it u t ion s in cr easin gly v alu e publicat ions in r enow ned j our nals as one cr it er ion for gr ant ing funds for r esear ch. One im por t ant r eason w hy m an y scien t if ic ar t icles do n ot m eet t h e r equ ir em en t s f r om in t er n at ion al j ou r n al r ev iew er s, especially t h ose subm it t ed English, is t he r esult of poor and lit er al t r anslat ion of t he t ext . The challenge w e ar e facing in Lat in Am er ica is t o encour age t he dev elopm ent of ar t icles for publicat ion in int er nat ionally r ev iew ed j our nals. Co-aut hor ship is a pot ent ially st im ulat ing m odel for r esear cher s and post gr aduat e st udent s t o publish. This t ask can be under t ak en t hr ough t he help of int er nat ional super v isor s and r esear cher s, super v isor s or post gr aduat e st udent s w it h good com m and of t he English language. This ar t icle aim s t o dem y st ify t he publicat ion pr ocess and pr esent som e guidelines on how t o publish in int er nat ional j our nals.
DESCRI PTORS: n u r sin g; r esear ch ; per iodicals
COMO ESCRI BI R PARA PUBLI CACI ON EN
EN FERMERI A: UN A PERSPECTI VA PERSONAL ( PARTE 2 )
El núm er o de m edios de div ulgación académ ica im pr esos y elect r ónicos ( I nt er net ) de enfer m er ía de alcan ce n acion al e in t er n acion al dest aca la im por t an cia de pu blicar en t r e en fer m er os. Alr ededor del m u n do, las r evist as est án siendo cat egor izadas con r elación a sus m ér it os par a la pr ofesión y evaluación de los par es. Cada vez m ás, las inst it uciones de financiam ient o de invest igación pr est an at ención a la publicación en r evist as de pr est igio académ ico com o u n o de los cr it er ios par a la con cesión del m ism o. Un f act or im por t an t e a ser con sider ado en t r e los m ot iv os por los cu ales m u ch os ar t ícu los cien t íf icos f allan en cu m plir los r equ isit os de evaluación de los r evisor es de r evist as int er nacionales, pr incipalm ent e aquellas de lengua inglesa, es la t r aducción p ob r e y d e m an er a lit er al. Nu est r o d esaf ío en Am ér ica Lat in a es f om en t ar el d esar r ollo d e ar t ícu los p ar a publicación im pr esa o no en r evist as con r evisor es int er nacionales. La co- aut or ía ofr ece un m odelo pot encialm ent e alent ador t ant o par a el invest igador com o par a el alum no de post gr ado publicar . Esa t ar ea puede ser em pr endida con la ay u d a d e su p er v isor es in t er n acion ales e in v est igad or es o est u d ian t es d e p ost gr ad o q u e d om in an la lengua inglesa. Est e ar t ículo int ent a desvelar el pr oceso de publicación y pr esent ar algunos pr incipios dir ect ivos de com o publicar en r ev ist as int er nacionales.
DESCRI PTORES: en f er m er ía; pu blicación per iódica; in v est igación
COMO ESCREVER PARA PUBLI CAÇÃO I NTERNACI ONAL
EM EN FERMAGEM: UMA PERSPECTI VA PESSOAL ( PARTE 2 )
O n ú m er o d e m eios d e d iv u lg ação acad êm ica im p r essa e elet r ôn ica ( I n t er n et ) d e en f er m ag em d e abr angência nacional e int er nacional dest aca a im por t ância de publicar ent r e enfer m eir os. Ao r edor do m undo, as r ev ist as est ão sendo cat egor izadas em r elação a m ér it os par a a pr ofissão e av aliação por par es. Cada v ez m ais, as inst it uições de financiam ent o de pesquisa est ão at ent as à publicação em r evist as de pr est ígio acadêm ico com o um dos cr it ér ios par a a concessão do m esm o. Um fat or im por t ant e a ser consider ado ent r e as r azões p ar a q u e m u it os ar t ig os cien t íf icos f alh am n o p r een ch im en t o d os r eq u isit os d e av aliação d os r ev isor es d e r ev ist as int er nacionais, pr incipalm ent e aquelas de idiom a inglês, é a t r adução pobr e e de m odo lit er al. Nosso desafio na Am ér ica Lat ina é incr em ent ar o desenv olv im ent o de ar t igos par a publicação im pr essa ou não em r ev ist as com r ev isor es int er nacionais. A co- aut or ia ofer ece um m odelo pot encialm ent e encor aj ador t ant o par a o p esq u isad or com o p ar a o p ós- g r ad u an d o p u b licar . Esse ob j et iv o p od e ser em p r een d id o com a aj u d a d e su per v isor es in t er n acion ais e pesqu isador es, or ien t ador es ou est u dan t es de pós- gr adu ação con h ecedor es da língua inglesa. O pr esent e ar t igo busca desm ist ificar o pr ocesso de publicação e apr esent ar alguns pr incípios n or t eador es de com o pu blicar em r ev ist as in t er n acion ais.
DESCRI TORES: en f er m agem ; pu blicações per iódicas; pesqu isa
1 Pr ofessor in Addict ion & Ment al Healt h, Univer sit y of São Paulo at Ribeir ão Pr et o College of Nur sing - WHO Collabor at ing Cent re for Nur sing Resear ch
Dev elopm ent , e- m ail: gr assool@sghm s.ac.uk, hussein@eer p.usp.br
PART 2 : W RI TI N G FOR I N TERN ATI ON AL
PUBLI CATI ON I N N URSI N G JOURN ALS: A
PERSONAL PERSPECTI VE
I
n t he fir st par t of t he paper, w e ex am ined t he w r it ing and publishing pr ocess, w her e t o publish,im pact fact or s, lit er at ur e r ev iew , cr eat ing an out line
of a paper and w rit ing st yle. I n t his paper, t he purpose
is t o pr ov ide som e guidelines on j our nals’ st y les and
r efer en cin g, a fr am ew or k for w r it in g, t h e pu blish in g
p r ocess an d som e com m en t ar ies, in t h e con t ex t of
publicat ions in t his region, w it h im plicat ions for nursing.
JOURNALS’ STYLE & REFERENCI NG
A r efer eed j our nal w ill be ex plicit about t he
p r o p e r st y l e : Am e r i ca n Psy ch o l o g i ca l Asso ci a t i o n
( APA)( 1), Chicago St y le( 2), and Unifor m r equir em ent s f or m an u scr ipt s su bm it t ed t o Biom edical j ou r n als( 3 ). Each j ournal w ill list im port ant inform at ion relat ing t o
edit or ial policy, for m at and st yle, how t o subm it your
a r t i cl es b y p r i n t ed a n d el ect r o n i c m o d es a n d t h e
pr ocess of pu blicat ion ( r ev iew in g pr ocess, accept ed
for publicat ion and edit ing pr oofs) on a page t ypically
called “ Guidelines for Aut hors”. A value now added t o
publicat ions in high im pact j ournals is t he requirem ent
of t he inclusion of st at em ent s such as ‘What is already
know n about t he t opic?’ and ‘What t his paper or st udy
adds?’ Aut hor s need t o be br ief, specific, and accurat e
in w rit ing t w o or t hree clear and st at em ent s as bullet
point s for each quest ion.
Most aut hor s and r eader s of j our nals in t his
r eg ion ar e f am iliar w it h t h e “ Van cou v er St y le” * or
t h e A PA( 1 ) s t y l e o f r e f e r e n c i n g . Ch e c k h o w t o p a r a p h r a se a n d u se q u o t a t i o n s f r o m p u b l i ca t i o n s
m anuals in t he j ournal st yle. Basically, t he quot at ions
or sour ces in t he t ex t m ust m at ch t he r efer ence list
and cr edit s m ust be given t o t he sour ces ( r efer ences)
w h e n e v e r y o u e i t h e r q u o t e a n a u t h o r d i r e ct l y o r
par aphr ase an aut hor. To pr esent aut hor s’ w or k s and
ideas w it hout giv ing cr edit s t o t hem is unet hical and
is called plagiar ism . Wh at sect ion s or su b- h eadin gs
y o u st a r t t o w r i t e a b o u t i s a m a t t e r o f p e r so n a l
pr efer ence. Below is a br ief guideline for w r it ing.
A FRAMEW ORK FOR W RI TI NG
I n t er n at ion al peer - r ev iew ed j ou r n als h av e a
st an d ar d ised ap p r oach in r ep or t in g q u alit at iv e an d
q u a n t i t a t i v e r esea r ch . Th e t y p i ca l st r u ct u r e f o r a
qu alit at iv e r esear ch r epor t in clu de: ‘w h at is alr eady
know n about t he t opic?’ and ‘w hat t his paper or st udy
a d d s ?’ a b s t r a c t o r s u m m a r y, s t a t e m e n t o f t h e
p r o b l em , a i m s o r o b j ect i v es, h y p o t h eses, d esi g n ,
m e t h o d o l o g y o f r e s e a r c h , I n s t r u m e n t s , e t h i c a l
con sid er at ion s, r esu lt s, d iscu ssion , con clu sion an d
r ef er en ces.
W RI TE AN ABSTRACT
W r i t i n g a n a b st r a ct f i r st , i n b r e a k i n g t h e
t r adit ion al con v en t ion , does w or k for som e t y pes of
p u b l i c a t i o n s . A g o o d a b s t r a c t c a n b e t h e m o s t
i m p o r t a n t p a r a g r a p h i n t h e a r t i cl e a n d sh o u l d b e
c o h e r e n t a n d p r e c i s e . S o m e t i m e s , t h e a b s t r a c t
appear s in t h e for m of a sin gle par agr aph . I n m ost
high qualit y int ernat ional nursing j ournals t he st ruct ure
of an abst r act is pr ovided in t he guidelines for aut hors.
Ch e c k t h e j o u r n a l t o s e e t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r
su bm it t in g an abst r act an d m ak e su r e y ou m ak e a
n o t e o f t h e n u m b e r o f w o r d s y o u r e q u i r e f o r a n
a b s t r a c t ( 1 2 0 t o 2 5 0 w o r d s , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e
j our nals) . Abst r act ar e not r efer enced and can be used
t o g u id e t h e w r it in g of t h e p ap er it self. Rem em b er
t hat t he w hole of t he abst r act and t it le ar e used by
I n t e r n a t i o n a l Nu r si n g I n d e x , Me d l i n e , Pu b m e d o r
Lat in d ex , Lilacs et c, t o sou r ce k ey w or d s f or t h eir
in d ex in g p r ocess.
METHODS & RESULTS
Div iding t he Met hods up int o sub- sect ions is
a g ood id ea. Th e con t en t s of t h e m et h od s sect ion
should include t he follow ing: aim , design, sam ple of
par t icipant s, inst r um ent s, et hical consider at ions, dat a
analy sis and dat a collect ion. I f y ou hav e a r esear ch
pr oposal, y ou alr eady hav e got t he infor m at ion, but
t his w ill probably need t o revised .The Result s sect ion
is usually t he shor t est sect ion of t he paper, but y ou
w i l l n eed t o h av e so m e i d eas ab o u t h o w y o u w i l l
pr esent your dat a visually. Ther e is a differ ent set of
skills needed in creat ing t ables, hist ogram s, bar chart s
and ot her k inds of v isual pr esent at ions. Ask for help
at t he audio- v isual depar t m ent s or libr ar ies but k eep
t h e v i s u a l p r e s e n t a t i o n s s i m p l e b u t e f f e c t i v e .
I n t er p r et at i on an d d i scu ssi on of r esu l t s sh ou l d b e
av oid ed . Nex t , it w ill b e t h e d iscu ssion sect ion t o
com p let e.
DI SCUSSI ON SECTI ON
Th e r e a r e m a n y v a r i a t i o n s i n h o w t h e
D i s c u s s i o n s e c t i o n c a n b e w r i t t e n b u t t h e f i r s t
par agr aph can ser v e as a sum m ar y for t he st udy in
quest ion or t he st at em ent of t he problem . The inclusion
of k ey fin din gs of y ou r st u dy an d t h eir an aly ses, in
relat ion t o t he relevant lit erat ure, should be present ed
her e. Discuss about t he st r engt hs and lim it at ions of
t h e st u dy an d su ggest f u t u r e r esear ch st u dies. You
should alw ays st at e explicit ly t he im plicat ions of your
st udy for nur sing educat ion, m anagem ent or clinical
p r act ices.
I NTRODUCTI ON
By t h e t im e y ou h av e cov er ed m ost of t h e
w r i t i n g , t h e I n t r o d u ct i o n se ct i o n sh o u l d b e f a i r l y
u n com plicat ed. Basically, y ou ar e set t in g an agen da
and w ill develop t he t hem es lat er. This is w her e you
w an t t o set t h e con t ex t of t h e paper an d in t r odu ce
t he reader t o t he general issue: a general int roduct ion
of t he t hem e y ou ar e w r it ing about , t he issue( s) or
st a t em en t ( s) o f t h e p r o b l em ( s) a n d a t h eo r et i ca l
f r am ew or k if appr opr iat e. Wh at ev er t y pe of j ou r n al
y ou ar e w r it in g f or, alw ay s def in e or oper at ion alise
t h e t er m s or con cep t s u sed in t h e p ap er. Giv e an
explanat ion t o all abbreviat ions at first m ent ion in t he
t ex t .
THE PUBLI SHI NG PROCESS
Edit ing t he paper
Edit ing can be quit e enj oyable w hen t he final
dr aft of t he paper is com plicat ed. I t is r ecom m ended
t o h av e som eon e else r ead y ou r p ap er, look in g f or
basic or ganisat ional, gr am m at ical and spelling er r or s.
D o n o t e x p e c t t h e s p e l l a n d g r a m m a r c h e c k
p r og r am m es on y ou r com p u t er t o ad d r ess all y ou r
sp el l i n g m i st a k es, esp eci a l l y w h en d ea l i n g w i t h a
n u m b er of lan g u ag es. At t h e sam e t im e, ex am in e
som e of t he sect ions of t he art icle for readabilit y and
a c c u r a c y. Re m o v e a n y i r r e l e v a n t o r “ u n f i n i s h e d
business” st at em ent s, lit er at ur e and quot at ions fr om
y our paper. This is a cont inuing pr ocess.
Th e pr oblem s ar e f aced by m an y of u s at
t h i s st a g e o f h a v i n g a r esea r ch r ep o r t a b o u t 5 - 6
t housand w or ds, w hen w e need t o subm it a paper for
3 , 0 0 0 w or ds m ax im u m . Th e dilem m a is w h et h er t o
send t he paper t o anot her j our nal ( m axim um of 5000
w o r d s) o r r ed u ce t h e n u m b er o f w o r d s. Th i s i s a
p er son al ch oice an d t h e d ecision s sh ou ld b e b ased
upon t he nat ur e of t he r esear ch or paper, t he qualit y
of t he j our nal and t he audience t o be t ar get ed. This is
t h e “ p r u n i n g ” st a g e i n t h e ed i t i n g p r o cess i n t h e
conver sion of t he valuable and r elevant 5- 6 t
housand-w or d p ap er i n t o t h e f i n al st ag e of t h e p u b l i cat i on
process. I n t his exam ple, t he lit erat ure review , result
and discussion sect ion should be exam ined and edit ed.
Whilst edit ing, som e of t he quot at ions or st at em ent s
or analy ses m ay becom e r edundant . I t is st at ed t hat
t he failure t o proofread is like preparing a m agnificent
d in n er an d f or g et t in g t o set t h e t ab le, so t h at t h e
w r et ch ed gu est s h av e t o scr am ble f or f ood as best
t hey can( 3). Do not send y our fir st ( or ev en second) dr aft t o t he publisher ! Ther e is also consider at ion t o
be giv en t o hav ing t he paper t r anslat ed int o English
o r an y o t h er i n t er n at i o n al l an g u ag e. Th i s i s d eal t
elsew her e in t he paper.
Finalising par t of t he pr ocess of publicat ion
I t is court eous t o w rit e a polit e cover let t er t o
t h e e d i t o r, s t a t i n g t h a t t h e a r t i c l e i s n o t b e i n g
sim ult aneously subm it t ed t o anot her j our nal and t hat
t h e t ex t h as n ot b een p r ev iou sly p u b lish ed . Som e
j ournals require, as part of t he subm ission process, a
st at em ent of financial or ot her relat ionships t hat m ight
lead t o a conflict of int er est and t he ext ent and nat ur e
of t he aut hor s’ inv olv em ent in t he st udy and paper.
Th e n am e, ad d r ess, an d t elep h on e n u m b er of t h e
cor r esponding aut hor should also be included. Som e
in t er n at ion al j ou r n als also r eq u est t h e p r ov ision of
addit ional infor m at ion such as indicat ing w her e y our
p ap er f it s in t h eir j ou r n al sect ion s, t o m at ch t h eir
cat egor ies or t y pes of ar t icles ( Shor t r esear ch paper,
r e v i e w s , u p d a t e s , i n n o v a t i o n s i n p r a c t i c e ,
com m en t ar ies) .
Th e paper is r eady an d com plet e accor din g
t o guidelines for aut hor s. Your paper can be sent by
elect r onic m eans or in pr int ed for m s. The num ber of
pr in t ed copies t o be sen t t o t h e edit or s of j ou r n als
saved on a disket t e, usually in Wor d for Window s 95
or an u pdat ed v er sion . Som e in t er n at ion al j ou r n als
use a w eb- based subm ission and peer r eview syst em ,
w h ich is f ast an d con v en ien t f or b ot h au t h or s an d
r ev iew er s. You w ill need t o go t o t he w ebsit e of t he
j our nal and follow t heir inst r uct ions and it is usually
fr ee t o r egist er. You subm it a copy of your paper by
e- m ail or ot her elect r onic m eans t o t he j our nal. This
r apid process enables t he j ournals t o r educe t he t im e
i t t a k e s t o m a k e a d e ci si o n o n a m a n u scr i p t b y
r e d u ci n g p o st a l a n d o t h e r d e l a y s t h r o u g h o u t t h e
ed it or ial p r ocess. Th e r ev iew p r ocess v ar ies w id ely
and j our nals offer differ ent t ypes of r eview s, such as
double blind peer review ( 2 review ers plus a st at ist ical
r e v i e w e r ) , n o n - b l i n d ( o p e n ) r e v i e w a n d a u t h o r ’ s
choice bet w een blind and open r ev iew .
Check t hat you have com plet ed t he copyr ight
d ecl ar at i o n s an d an y o t h er f o r m s r eq u i r ed b y t h e
j ournal. Only original form s should be sent by m ail t o
t h e Jo u r n a l . W h e n y o u h a v e s u b m i t t e d y o u r
m an u scr ipt t o t h e edit or of t h e j ou r n al, m ak e su r e
t hat y ou k eep copies of t he m anuscr ipt and all y our
not es and r efer ences, as you m ight need it at a lat er
st age. For som e j ou r n als, t h e ack n ow ledgem en t s of
r eceipt of m anuscr ipt ar e usually done by elect r onic
m ail sy st em s. This is a fast sy st em and t he pr ocess
of subm ission, review ing and publicat ion of your art icle
can now be m onit ored on line at t he j ournal’s I nt ernet
w ebsit e. When y ou ar e cont act ed by t he edit or, you
w ill b e g iv en ed it or ial f eed b ack or a ch eck- list an d
com m en t s f r om t h e r ev iew er s. You r p ap er m ay b e
g i v e n a ca t e g o r y o f a cce p t a n ce , a cce p t a n ce w i t h
m o d i f i cat i o n s, o r n o t accep t ed o r r el ev an t t o t h i s
j our nal and ot her cat egor ies. Most paper s never m eet
t h e h u r d le of f ir st t im e accep t an ce f or p u b licat ion
w it h ou t an y m od if icat ion s. Th e m aj or it y of p ap er s
usually go t hr ough a num ber of r evisions befor e t hey
a r e a ccep t a b l e f o r p u b l i ca t i o n . Th e l en g t h o f t h i s
p r ocess d ep en d s u p on w h et h er t h er e ar e m in or or
m aj or edit ing or r ev isions t o be under t ak en. I f y our
paper needs fur t her r ev isions t o be of an accept able
qualit y, you w ill be r equir ed t o m ake som e r ev isions
t o t he t ext . Alw ays ensur e t hat you under t ake all t he
r ev ision s r equ ir ed by t h e r ev iew er s an d edit or s. As
w it h all st ages of t he w rit ing pr ocess, check r epeat edly
for errors. I t is w ort h not ing t hat t he r esubm ission of
an ar t icle does not im ply t han an offer is being m ade
t o pu blish . Th e m ain obj ect iv e h er e is t o m ak e t h e
pr ocess as easy as possible f or t h e edit or an d t h is
m ay speed t he r out e t o pr int ed publicat ion. A cover ing
let t er is needed, w it h all t he changes you have m ade
a n d n o t e w h e r e t h e y a p p e a r e d i n t h e r e v i s e d
m anuscr ipt ( page num ber, paragr aph and line) . Near
t h e t im e of pu blicat ion , som e j ou r n als sen d a pr oof
for correct ion and t he t im e given for t his final edit ing
is usually w it hin 3 days of receipt . Aut hors publishing
in Lat in- Am er ican j our nals m ay or m ay not be fam iliar
w it h t he pr ocess of r eceiv ing pr oofs fr om pr oduct ion
edit or s an d t h e su bsequ en t edit in g of pr oofs befor e
final pr int ing. Som et im es, a paper does not m eet t he
h ig h st an d ar d of p r esen t at ion or acad em ic con t en t
and does not get published even aft er sever al r evisions.
Th is in it self is par t of t h e lear n in g pr ocess an d all
aut hors at som e point in t heir w rit ing careers in nursing
p u b l i c a t i o n s h a v e h a d m a n y r e j e c t i o n l e t t e r s .
How ever, a r ej ect ed m anuscr ipt does not indicat e t hat
t h e p ap er i s a b ad o n e o r a p o o r o n e. Th er e ar e
r eason s f or r ej ect ion s of p u b licat ion s an d a list of
pot ent ial r isk fact or s for t he r ej ect ion of m anuscr ipt s
is pr esent ed in Figur e 1. The m ain r easons w hy edit or s
like your paper is because of t he follow ing cont ent s* .
I t co v e r s a n i m p o r t a n t su b j e ct ; t h e m e ssa g e i s
o r i g i n a l , r e l e v a n t t o g e n e r a l r e a d e r s; e d i t o r s a r e
i m p r e sse d b y t h e ca r e f u l m e t h o d s; so m e o f t h e
m at er ial is fascin at in g; it is w ell pr esen t ed; it is an
in t er est in g r ead ; it cov er s a t op ical su b j ect an d it
cov er s a neglect ed ar ea. This list is not ex haust iv e.
Figur e 1 - pot ent ial r isk fact or s for publicat ion
* Br it ish Medical Jour nal w w w .bm j .co.uk - oct .2004
s r e d a e r l a r e n e g o t g n it s e r e t n i r o e l b a t i u s t o N -l a n r u o j m o r f s a i b l a it n e t o P -p i h s r e d a e r l a n o it a n r e t n I r o f d e s il a c o l r o w o r r a n o o t t n e t n o C -l a i c if r e p u s t n e t n o C -) l a c i n il c r o l a i r e g a n a m , n o it a c u d e ( e c it c a r p o t t n a v e l e r t o N -) l a n r u o j r e h t o n a y r T ( . d e s il a i c e p s o o t s i t c e j b u S -.l a n r u o j e h t n i y l e t a u q e d a d e r e v o c n e e b s a h t c e j b u S -d e r u t c u r t s y l r o o p s i r e p a P -w e i v e r e r u t a r e t il e t a u q e d a n I -s e s e h t o p y h e u g a v d n a h c r a e s e r s u o u g i b m A -r o f s li a t e d h g u o n e t o N ( e r u d e c o r p e h t f o n o it p i r c s e d e t a u q e d a n I -) n o it a c il p e r s t n e m u r t s n i e h t f o s n o it p i r c s e d d n a e l p m a s e t a u q e d a n I -) y t il i b a il e r d n a y t i d il a v ( s t n e m u r t s n i f o s e it r e p o r p c i r t e m o h c y s P -s i s y l a n a l a c it s it a t s e l b a n o it s e u Q -s n o it c e s s tl u s e r e h t f o s n o it it e p e r e h t s i n o it c e s n o i s s u c s i D -y d u t s e h t f o s g n i d n if e h t o t t n a v e l e r t o n s i n o i s s u c s i D -s n g i s e d l a c i g o l o d o h t e m o t e u d d e t i m il s g n i d n if f o n o it a s il a r e n e G -e l y t s g n it i r w e h t n i s w a l F -s d r o w f o r e b m u n e v i s s e c x E
Som e biom edical an d n u r sin g j ou r n als offer
f ast t r ack pu blicat ion s or ear ly on lin e pu blicat ion s.
Pr im ar y r esear ch st udies ar e fast t r ack t hr ough a r apid
p e e r - r e v i e w p r o ce ss a n d Th e La n ce t , p r e st i g i o u s
m e d i c a l j o u r n a l , g u a r a n t e e s t o p u b l i s h s u c h
m anuscr ipt s w it hin 4 w eeks of r eceipt * .Ot her gr oups
hav e int r oduced e- j our nals ( elect r onic j our nals) as a
m eans of incr easing t he speed w it h w hich new ideas
ar e dissem in at ed* * . Som e pu blish er s est im at e t h at
t his can be as quick as 3 5 day s* * * . How ever, t her e
a r e d a n g e r s o f p u b l i sh i n g i n n o n - p e e r r e v i e w e d
elect r on ic j ou r n als an d t h is an aly sis is b ey on d t h e
co n t e n t o f t h i s p a p e r. I n so m e n u r si n g j o u r n a l s,
a c c e p t e d m a n u s c r i p t s c a n b e g u a r a n t e e d f o r
pu blicat ion w it h in six m on t h s of su bm ission . Bu t in
m ost nur sing j our nals, it m ay t ak e bet w een 1 and 2
y ear s befor e y our paper is in pr int .
DI SCUSSI ON OF I SSUES & CHALLENGES I N
THE PUBLI CATI ON PROCESS
Despit e t he globalisat ion of nur sing j our nals,
par t n er sh ips bet w een edit or s an d au t h or s ar e bein g
a d d r e s s e d t h r o u g h e l e c t r o n i c m e a n s a n d m e d i a
out r each. This is a posit iv e dev elopm ent and should
be adopt ed by ot h er j ou r n als. Cr it icism s h av e been
r aised in t his r egion and in ot her dev eloping nat ions
about t he low accept ance r at es of t heir publicat ions
in int er nat ional nur sing j our nals published in English
lan g u ag e. Wr it t en f eed - b ack is g iv en t o au t h or s t o
i m p r o v e t h e i r p o o r l y t r a n sl a t e d m a n u scr i p t s a n d
som et im es t hey are referred t o local or nat ional edit ors
for fur t her help. Fr om m y exper iences, j our nal edit or s
h av e of t en adv ised au t h or s w h ose f ir st lan gu age is
n o t En g l i s h t o u s e a n a p p r o p r i a t e p r o f e s s i o n a l
t ranslat or or edit or, one w ho is fam iliar w it h t he t ype
of m at er ial in t h e p ap er as w ell as b ein g f lu en t in
English, but t hey have t o choose t he r ight people* * * * ,
an d p r ef er ab ly w it h su b st an t ial ex p er ien ces in t h e
h e a l t h c a r e c o n t e x t . Th e f a i l u r e t o m e e t t h e
requirem ent s of t he peer- review int ernat ional j ournals
m ay be t he r esult of poor and lit er al t r anslat ions of
paper s su bm it t ed. Th e Scan din av ian h av e m an aged
t o o v e r c o m e t h e s e d i f f i c u l t i e s b y e m p l o y i n g
p r of ession al t r an slat or s an d t h eir r at e of p u b lish ed
paper s h as gr ow n con sider ably ov er t h e y ear s w it h
publicat ions in high im part qualit y of nursing j ournals.
The guidelines for aut hor s should be r egar ded
as a bluepr int for w r it ing paper s. A num ber of paper s
ar e r ej ect ed b y ed it or s b ecau se of t h eir f ailu r e t o
co m p l y w i t h t h e au t h o r s’ g u i d el i n es. Th e ab st r act
pr esen t ed is in adequ at e or poor ly t r an slat ed. Th er e
is a com m on assum pt ion t hat if an abst r act is poor,
t he art icle is likely t o be of t he sam e qualit y. How ever,
t her e is som e evidence t o suggest t hat t her e is anot her
ex p lan at ion f or n on - p u b licat ion of p ap er s, t h at is,
publicat ion bias, but t his is rare in nursing publicat ions
w hen com par ed t o ot her m edical and ot her j our nals.
Publicat ion bias m ay occur because of a t endency for
j our nals t o accept only paper s t hat hav e st at ist ically
sig n if ican t r esu lt s an d n ot t o r ep or t n on - sig n if ican t
ef f ect s( 3 ). How ev er, g et t in g a p ap er p u b lish ed m ay depend not only on t he int r insic qualit y of t he paper,
but also w het her it is subm it t ed t o t he ‘r ight ’ academ ic
j ou r n al( 4 ). Mor eov er, if j ou r n als d o n ot t ak e cer t ain paper s ( for ex am ple, ones w it h negat iv e findings or
t h ose r epor t in g m u lt i- disciplin ar y st u dies) , t h en t h is
can lead t o publicat ion bias( 4).
Th e p r o ce ss o f p u b l i ca t i o n a n d t h e d e l a y
caused befor e a m anuscr ipt get s int o pr int is a m aj or
concern in t his region. The im plicat ions of such delays
incr ease t he t im e it t akes t o get paper s published or
l ea v es i m p o r t a n t r esea r ch f i n d i n g s u n a v a i l a b l e t o
in f or m clin ical pr act ices. Th e f in din gs m ay ev en be
out of dat e by t he t im e t hey ar e published( 5). I n t his region, t here is room for expansion in our process of
subm it t ed paper s, r ev iew ing pr ocess and publicat ion
in print . We need t o learn t he lessons from publishing
h ou ses f or en ab l i n g t op i cal or i m p or t an t p r act i
ce-based paper s for r apid t r ack publicat ions. Elect r onic
subm issions of paper s should be par t of our st r at egy
in pu blicat ion dev elopm en t .
Current ly, som e of t he j ournals in t his region
hav e t oo m any bar r ier s. Per haps w e need t o r eflect
on our j our nals’ st yles, for m at s, nat ur e and qualit y of
pu blish ed paper s an d r e- ex am in e ou r m ission s an d
s c o p e s t o m a k e o u r j o u r n a l s m o r e v i s i b l e t o
in t er n at ion al au dien ces. Th e sign ifican t fact or is t h e
provision of flexible and accessible j ournals t o pot ent ial
aut hor s and t he gener al nur sing r eader ship. An added
inhibit or y fact or is t he r equir em ent of som e for m of
* The Lancet w w w .t helancet .com
* * Jones S, Cook C. Elect r onic j our nals: ar e t hey a par adigm shift ? Online Jour nal of I ssues in Nur sing ( 2000) 5, Manuscr ipt 1. Available at : ht t p: / / w w w .nur singw or ld.or g BioMed Cent r al. What I s BioMed Cent r al? BioMed Cent r al Lt d. 2001. Available w w w .biom edcent r al.com
* * * The Lancet w w w .t helancet .com
m e m b e r s h i p o r b e i n g a s u b s c r i b e r f o r p o t e n t i a l
pu blicat ion s in t h e j ou r n als. Mem ber sh ips ar e n ot a
r eq u ir em en t f or su b m ission of p ap er s f or p ot en t ial
p u b l i c a t i o n s i n m o s t i n t e r n a t i o n a l n u r s i n g o r
h ealt h car e scien ces j ou r n als. Wh et h er t h e pay m en t
o f a f e e f o r s u b m i t t i n g y o u r a r t i c l e l i m i t s t h e
accessi b i l i t y of t h e j ou r n al s t o a p ot en t i al p ool of
aut hor s needs t o be analy sed.
CONCLUSI ON
Wit h t he globalizat ion of com m unicat ions and
j our nal publicat ions, t he big conglom er at es hav e t he
m eans and t echnologies t o im pr ov e t he accessibilit y
of t he j ournals t o a w ide int ernat ional readership. This
s h o u l d b e s e e n i n t h e o c c a s i o n a l t r a n s l a t i o n o f
ab st r act s in d if f er en t lan g u ag es if t h e in f or m at ion
r e p o r t e d i s o f h i g h q u a l i t y a n d r e l e v a n t t o a n
in t er n at ion al n u r sin g au d ien ce. Th is r em ain s t o b e
seen . Gu i d el i n es f o r a u t h o r s o n h o w t o su b m i t a
m anuscr ipt in differ ent languages should be pr ov ided
b y e l e ct r o n i c m e a n s t o p o t e n t i a l r e a d e r s o f t h e
j our nals and aut hor s.
Ther e is concer n about t he lack of published
papers in English from Lat in Am er ica. I t seem ed t hat ,
alt hough m any nur ses in Lat in Am er ica hav e w or k ed
on r esear ch for y ear s, t her e is lit t le ev idence of t his
effort in English language publicat ion( 6). Our challenge here in Lat in Am erica is t o enhance our developm ent
of publishing paper s and ot her non- pr int ed m at er ials
in in t er n at ion al n u r sin g j ou r n als, bu t w it h t h e sam e
ef f or t s t o pr om ot e qu alit y st u dies in ou r r espect iv e
pu blish ed lan gu ages. I n addit ion , ou r j ou r n als n eed
t o in cr ease t h e p r om ot ion of com m ission ed p ap er s
w r it t en in En glish or an y ot h er lan gu age. Th er e ar e
l o st o p p o r t u n i t i es i n i n t er n at i o n al n et w o r k i n g an d
co l l a b o r a t i o n s i n t h e p o t e n t i a l p u b l i ca t i o n s f r o m
n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l n u r s i n g e x p e r t s i n a
part icular field. We need t o explore t his avenue. Social
m ar k et ing of t he j our nals is needed and v isibilit y of
ou r j ou r n als t o in t er n at ion al au dien ces n eeds t o be
p r o m o t e d , t o m a k e t h e m m o r e a t t r a c t i v e a n d
accessi b l e, n o t o n l y t o t h e su b scr i b er s b u t t o t h e
m aj or it y of r esear ch er s, acad em ics an d cli n i ci an s.
Jou r n als sh ou ld be t r an spar en t w it h pu blicat ion s of
lit er ar y cr it icism , an aly sis of lim it at ion s of r esear ch
designs and findings or t he exam inat ion of alt er nat ive
p er sp ect iv es.
New gener at ions of nur ses need t o be pr im ed
at an ear ly st age of t h eir pr of ession al dev elopm en t
in publicat ions’ skills. Co- aut horing offers a pot ent ially
s u p p o r t i v e m o d e l o f p o s t g r a d u a t e w r i t i n g f o r
publicat ion( 7). Co- aut hor ing m ay be under t ak en w it h int er nat ional super visor s and r esear cher s, super visor s
an d post gr adu at e st u den t s. Co- au t h or sh ip in act ion
is seen in t h e n u m ber of pu blicat ion s accept ed an d
subm it t ed t o int ernat ional nursing j ournals from nurses
in t he Depar t m ent of Psy chiat r ic Nur sing and Hum an
Scien ces at t h e Un iv er sit y of São Pau lo at Ribeir ão
Pr et o College of Nu r sin g, WHO Collabor at in g Cen t r e
f or Nu r sin g Resear ch Dev elop m en t , Br azil. Per h ap s
academ ic in st it u t ion s n eed t o pr ov ide m or e v isit in g
pr of essor sh ip s t o n at ion al an d in t er n at ion al En glish
speak ing ex per t s and facilit at or s in publicat ions sk ill
d ev elop m en t s. Ex p er ien t ial lear n in g w or k sh op s an d
sem inar s about t he publicat ion pr ocess should be par t
of t he cont inuing professional developm ent of nurses.
Edu cat ion al dev elopm en t an d co- au t h or sh ip ar e t h e
st eps in t he r ight dir ect ion.
For m ost of u s, t h er e is a lon g j ou r n ey t o
t r a v e l t o d e v e l o p o u r p o t e n t i a l ca p a ci t y f o r se l f
-aw ar en ess an d t h e m ast er y t o pu blish in En glish in
high qualit y nur sing j our nals. Wr it ing for publicat ion
i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l s i s a l s o a b o u t b e i n g
accu lt u r at ed in t h e lan gu age of t h e j ou r n al an d t h e
pr ocess of publicat ion. Lear ning about publicat ions is
a lif e lon g pr ocess. How ev er, w e m u st list en t o ou r
h ear t s, lear n in g f r om t h e om en s st r ew n alon g lif e’s
p a t h a n d a b o v e a l l f o l l o w o u r d r e a m( 8 ).
D e s v a n e c i m e n t o o u c o m p r o m i s s o ?
( co m p l a ce n cy o r co m m i t m e n t ?) .
REFERENCES
1 . APA. Pu b licat ion Man u al of t h e Am er ican Psy ch olog ical Associat ion . 5 t h ed. Wash in gt on , DC: APA; 2 0 0 1 : 2 1 5 2. The Chicago Manual of St yle. 15t h ed. Chicago: Univer sit y of Ch icag o Pr ess 2 0 0 3 .
3 . M i t f o r d J. Po i s o n Pe n m a n s h i p : Th e Ge n t l e A r t o f Mu ck r ak in g . Lon d on : Vin t ag e Book s; 1 9 8 0 .
4 . Mo r e l a n d N . W r i t i n g f o r p u b l i ca t i o n so m e g u i d e l i n e s. [ Hom epage on t he int er net ] . Walsall ( UK) : Scholl of Educat ion; 2 0 0 6 . [ cit ed 2 0 0 5 au g . 5 ] . Un iv er sit y of Wolv er h am p t on . School of Educat ion; [ about scr een] . Av ailable fr om : ht t p: / / w w w. w lv. ac. uk / sed/ r esear ch
6 . Cast r illon MC. Tr ends and Pr ior it ies in Nur sing Resear ch. Rev Lat ino- am Enfer m agem 2004 j ulho- agost o; 12( 4) : 583. 7. van Teij lingen E, Hundley H. Get t ing your paper t o t he r ight j our nal: a case st udy of an academ ic paper J Adv Nur 2002; 3 7 ( 6 ) : 5 0 6
8 . Coelh o P. Th e Alch em ist . Lon d on ( EN) : Har p er Collin s; 1 9 9 2 .
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Cam pbell GC. Helpin g y ou get pu blish ed in t h e. J Adv Nu r 1 9 9 8 ; 2 8 : 8 - 9 .
Gr e e n h a l g h T. H o w t o r e a d a p a p e r : A s s e s s i n g t h e m et h odological qu alit y of pu blish ed paper s. BMJ au gu st 2 ; 1 9 9 7 ; 3 1 5 : 3 0 5 - 8
Gr eenhalgh T. Paper s t hat r epor t dr ug t r ials. I n: How t o r ead a paper : t he basics of evidence based m edicine. London: BMJ Pu b lish in g Gr ou p ; 1 9 9 7 .
M o r e l a n d N . W r i t i n g f o r p u b l i c a t i o n s o m e g u i d e l i n e s . [ Hom epage on t he int er net ] . Walsall ( UK) : Scholl of Educat ion; 2 0 0 6 . [ cit ed 2 0 0 5 au g . 5 ] . Un iv er sit y of Wolv er h am p t on . School of Educat ion; [ about scr een] . Av ailable fr om : ht t p: / / w w w. w lv. ac. uk / sed/ r esear ch
Oer m ann MH. Wr it ing for Publicat ion in Nur sing. Philadelphia: Lippin cot t William s & Wilk in s; 2 0 0 1 .
