EDITORIAL
Writing: Ensuring the Stars Align
I have read great manuscripts and manuscripts that were almost entirely incomprehensible. I have spoken with scores of authors who have detailed compelling barriers to being a successful writer. I have spoken to even more nurse authors who have developed innovative strategies to overcome barriers to authorship. In short, I have been an active editor and I have learned. I have learned techniques to improve manuscript quality. For example, as you write, read paragraphs out loud. If you get short of breath, your sentences are too long. If you have to go back and reread a sentence because you have lost the meaning, the sentence needs to be rewritten. If English isn’t your first language, write in English. Strive to eliminate unnecessary words. Brevity improves clarity. Let your family and friends read your work. Even if they aren’t nurses they should be able to understand your manuscript. If they think the logic is flawed or unclear, you need to rewrite. Have colleagues read and critique your work. Ask colleagues who care about quality and don’t care about hurting your feelings. Your work isn’t you. You would rather have people who know you and your commitment to your science identify flaws than have flaws identified by strangers. You can also improve your success in authorship by eliminating environmental barriers. Have you identified writing colleagues? Have you managed your commitments so that you have time to write? Have you managed competing priorities so that authorship is an accepted priority by your family and peers? Successful nurse authors report that before any writing begins they gather a writing team and discuss authorship. They share ethical guidelines on what constitutes authorship, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines (COPE, 2014). Dissertation chairs, nurse managers, and physician department chairs may all facilitate research, but their contributions only count as authorship if they actually write. Facilitators who aren’t authors can have their contributions listed as acknowledgments. Once
Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2014; 46:4, 217. C 2014 Sigma Theta Tau International
authors are identified, assignments and timelines can be agreed upon. So now you have a plan, a timeline, and some tips for insuring crisp writing. You can maximize your time to write by crossing out days on your calendar for writing and using that precious time only to write. This means you can’t check your email, talk on the phone, or wash the kitchen floor (something I always feel compelled to do when a blank piece of paper faces me). Some successful authors have found that having a way to signal their families that they are writing and can’t be interrupted is helpful. Perhaps, you have a writing chair that means “Don’t interrupt unless there is a threat to bodily welfare.” Perhaps you have a writing shirt or a writing hat that signals you shouldn’t be interrupted unless it is absolutely imperative. Telling your work colleagues that you aren’t available for anything other than writing on writing days, unless there is an absolute emergency, is also helpful. Time isn’t the only resource you will need to be successful. Do you have consultants in areas in which you might need help (statisticians or methodologists)? Can you identify help to search the literature or to identify other experts you might need (to help with questions of significance, best journals for your topic, etc.)? With a writing team, identification of resources, removal of barriers, energy to constantly improve writing, and a clear understanding that writing is a priority, you are set to go. At JNS we would love to get your finished product.
Susan Gennaro Editor Reference Committee on Publication Ethics. (2014). Guidelines. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://publicationethics.org/ resources/guidelines
217
Writing: Ensuring the Stars Align
I have read great manuscripts and manuscripts that were almost entirely incomprehensible. I have spoken with scores of authors who have detailed compelling barriers to being a successful writer. I have spoken to even more nurse authors who have developed innovative strategies to overcome barriers to authorship. In short, I have been an active editor and I have learned. I have learned techniques to improve manuscript quality. For example, as you write, read paragraphs out loud. If you get short of breath, your sentences are too long. If you have to go back and reread a sentence because you have lost the meaning, the sentence needs to be rewritten. If English isn’t your first language, write in English. Strive to eliminate unnecessary words. Brevity improves clarity. Let your family and friends read your work. Even if they aren’t nurses they should be able to understand your manuscript. If they think the logic is flawed or unclear, you need to rewrite. Have colleagues read and critique your work. Ask colleagues who care about quality and don’t care about hurting your feelings. Your work isn’t you. You would rather have people who know you and your commitment to your science identify flaws than have flaws identified by strangers. You can also improve your success in authorship by eliminating environmental barriers. Have you identified writing colleagues? Have you managed your commitments so that you have time to write? Have you managed competing priorities so that authorship is an accepted priority by your family and peers? Successful nurse authors report that before any writing begins they gather a writing team and discuss authorship. They share ethical guidelines on what constitutes authorship, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines (COPE, 2014). Dissertation chairs, nurse managers, and physician department chairs may all facilitate research, but their contributions only count as authorship if they actually write. Facilitators who aren’t authors can have their contributions listed as acknowledgments. Once
Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2014; 46:4, 217. C 2014 Sigma Theta Tau International
authors are identified, assignments and timelines can be agreed upon. So now you have a plan, a timeline, and some tips for insuring crisp writing. You can maximize your time to write by crossing out days on your calendar for writing and using that precious time only to write. This means you can’t check your email, talk on the phone, or wash the kitchen floor (something I always feel compelled to do when a blank piece of paper faces me). Some successful authors have found that having a way to signal their families that they are writing and can’t be interrupted is helpful. Perhaps, you have a writing chair that means “Don’t interrupt unless there is a threat to bodily welfare.” Perhaps you have a writing shirt or a writing hat that signals you shouldn’t be interrupted unless it is absolutely imperative. Telling your work colleagues that you aren’t available for anything other than writing on writing days, unless there is an absolute emergency, is also helpful. Time isn’t the only resource you will need to be successful. Do you have consultants in areas in which you might need help (statisticians or methodologists)? Can you identify help to search the literature or to identify other experts you might need (to help with questions of significance, best journals for your topic, etc.)? With a writing team, identification of resources, removal of barriers, energy to constantly improve writing, and a clear understanding that writing is a priority, you are set to go. At JNS we would love to get your finished product.
Susan Gennaro Editor Reference Committee on Publication Ethics. (2014). Guidelines. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://publicationethics.org/ resources/guidelines
217
