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Nursing Guide

Nursing Guide

Publication Process

The "Publication Process Checklist" is based on articles listed under Sources.and is organized into the following tasks and related steps:

  • Determine the audience
  • Identify possible journals
  • Identify the top 3-5 journals
  • Submit the manuscript

As the publication process is iterative, tasks may not always be sequential.

Roush (2017) discusses the author’s responsibilities – ranging from content accountability to ethical and legal considerations. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has developed recommendations to review best practice and ethical standards in the conduct and reporting of research and other material published in medical journals. Authors of peer-reviewed articles are expected to follow and meet these criteria.

Sources:

  • Cals, J. W., & Kotz, D. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part X: choice of journal. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.09.014
  • Chipperfield, L., Citrome, L., Clark, J., David, F. S., Enck, R., Evangelista, M., Gonzalez, J., Groves, T., Magrann, J., Mansi, B., Miller, C., Mooney, L. A., Murphy, A., Shelton, J., Walson, P. D., & Weigel, A. (2010). Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(8), 1967-1982. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.499344
  • Downey, S. M., & Geraci, S. A. (2017). Manuscript Development and Publishing: A 5-Step Approach. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 353(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.12.005
  • Fowler, J. (2011). Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal. British Journal of Nursing, 20(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.4.254
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (2023). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/
  • Kotz, D., & Cals, J. W. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part XI: submitting a paper. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.10.004
  • Roush, K. (2017). Navigating the Publishing Process. American Journal of Nursing, 117(6), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520256.42212.fc

Who Is the Audience?

  1. Identify the potential audience of your article to help you narrow potential journals to submit your manuscript. Select examples of journal titles based on the journal’s target audience:
    1. Clinical issues for all nurses – American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing
    2. Nursing specialty focus – Ambulatory Care Management, American Journal of Critical Care, AORN Journal, Cancer Nursing, Orthopaedic Nursing
    3. Educational focus – Nurse Education in Practice, Nurse Education Today, Nursing Education Perspective
    4. Management focus – Journal of Nursing Administration, Journal of Nursing Management, Nursing Leadership Forum
Sources:

  • Cals, J. W., & Kotz, D. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part X: choice of journal. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.09.014
  • Chipperfield, L., Citrome, L., Clark, J., David, F. S., Enck, R., Evangelista, M., Gonzalez, J., Groves, T., Magrann, J., Mansi, B., Miller, C., Mooney, L. A., Murphy, A., Shelton, J., Walson, P. D., & Weigel, A. (2010). Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(8), 1967-1982. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.499344
  • Downey, S. M., & Geraci, S. A. (2017). Manuscript Development and Publishing: A 5-Step Approach. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 353(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.12.005
  • Fowler, J. (2011). Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal. British Journal of Nursing, 20(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.4.254
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (2023). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/
  • Kotz, D., & Cals, J. W. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part XI: submitting a paper. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.10.004
  • Roush, K. (2017). Navigating the Publishing Process. American Journal of Nursing, 117(6), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520256.42212.fc

How Do I Identify Possible Journals?

  1. Use the following online tools to identify possible open access and non-open access journals:
    1. Clarivate Manuscript Matcher – suggests the top candidates for your manuscript. Manuscript Matcher works best when your title has at least 10 words and your abstract has at least 100 words. Using this information, it will pull the most relevant keywords for matching. Register for a free account.
    2. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – includes nearly 20,000 peer-reviewed open access journals.  Limit results by subject, publisher, OA fee, author rights, peer-review type and more. 
    3. Elsevier Journal Finder – generates a rank-ordered list of up to 40 journal titles based on the abstract and title (optional).  For more information, see FAQs
    4. Jane (Journal/Author Name Estimator) –finds the best matching journals, authors, or articles to the entered title and/or abstract or keywords. Jane relies on data in PubMed.  To help identify high-quality journals, Jane now tags journals that are currently indexed in MEDLINE, and open access journals approved by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
    5. JOT – free, open-source web application matches manuscripts in the fields of biomedicine and life sciences with suitable journals, based on a manuscript’s title, abstract, and (optionally) citations.
    6. JournalGuide – a free tool to identify potential journals for your research by Research Square.
    7. Open Access Journal Find (OAJF) – recommends best open access journals based on the abstract.  OAJF validates through the Directory of Open Access Journals.
    8. Open Access Scholarly Publication Association (OASPA)
Sources:

  • Cals, J. W., & Kotz, D. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part X: choice of journal. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.09.014
  • Chipperfield, L., Citrome, L., Clark, J., David, F. S., Enck, R., Evangelista, M., Gonzalez, J., Groves, T., Magrann, J., Mansi, B., Miller, C., Mooney, L. A., Murphy, A., Shelton, J., Walson, P. D., & Weigel, A. (2010). Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(8), 1967-1982. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.499344
  • Downey, S. M., & Geraci, S. A. (2017). Manuscript Development and Publishing: A 5-Step Approach. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 353(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.12.005
  • Fowler, J. (2011). Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal. British Journal of Nursing, 20(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.4.254
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (2023). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/
  • Kotz, D., & Cals, J. W. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part XI: submitting a paper. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.10.004
  • Roush, K. (2017). Navigating the Publishing Process. American Journal of Nursing, 117(6), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520256.42212.fc

How Do I Select the Top 3-5 Journal Titles?

There are many factors to consider when identifying possible journals. 

  1. Is the journal peer-reviewed? Peer-reviewed journals are the most credible and respected. For academia, only publications in peer-reviewed journals count for tenure and promotion. Check the journal's website or abstracting and indexing databases, such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Journal Citation Report, Web of Science, etc.
  2. Is the journal highly cited? Biomedical and nursing journals track the influence of their articles in their respective fields. Publishing your article in a highly cited journal will give your research greater visibility. The following sources of journal metrics include those licensed by UT Southwestern and open access.
    1. Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is defined as all citations to the journal in the current Journal Citation Report (JCR) year to items published in the previous two years, divided by the total number of scholarly items published in the journal in the previous two years. Search the JCR by category (i.e., nursing) or journal title. JCR is not field-normalized and cannot be used to compare across fields. For more information, see JCR Help. (Note: The impact factor can be found on a journal's website, usually under the “About” or “Journal Information” tab.)
    2. CiteScore is the average number of citations received in four calendar years to five peer-reviewed document types published in a journal in the same four years. Search by subject area (i.e., nursing) or journal title. CiteScore is not field-normalized and cannot be used to compare across fields. For more information, see CiteScore Journal Metric FAQs and CiteScore Help.
    3. SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) is an open access metric weighted by the prestige of a journal. Subject field, quality, and reputation of the journal have a direct effect on the value of a citation. SJR is a field-normalized metric and allows the user to rank their own customized set of sources, regardless of their subject fields. SJR is also retrieved with the CiteScore results. For more information, see SJR - Help (scimagojr.com) and SJR/Scopus.
    4. SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper) is an open access metric, which measures the average citation impact of the publications of a journal. Since SNIP corrects for differences in citation practices between scientific fields, it allows for more accurate between-field comparisons of citation impact. SNIP is also retrieved with the CiteScore results. For more information, see CWTS Journal Indicators - Methodology and SNIP/Scopus.
  3. Is open access (OA) available? OA makes scholarly literature available online at no charge, and OA journals often carry less restrictive copyright and licensing barriers than traditionally published works for both the users and the authors. OA journals charge authors a fee to cover the cost of publication. Learn more at the Library’s Open Access Guide.
    1. Does UTSW have an agreement for discounted article processing charges (APCs) with a publisher? Yes! UT Southwestern has negotiated several agreements that include discounted APCs for authors. The corresponding UT Southwestern author should be aware of available Library benefits when preparing to submit articles for publication and check the list of journal publishers on the Article Processing Charges Guide.
    2. Is the OA journal a predatory publication? The OA model has led to the proliferation of "predatory" publishers, which exist only to make money. Search Cabell’s Predatory Reports and the Library’s Predatory Journal Checklist to check the OA title.
  4. Will the journal be interested in my article? Review the journal’s previous year’s table of contents at the journal's website. Save time by querying your top journals to see if the editor(s) are interested in your topic before submission. See for sample query letter in the Roush article.
Sources:

  • Cals, J. W., & Kotz, D. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part X: choice of journal. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.09.014
  • Chipperfield, L., Citrome, L., Clark, J., David, F. S., Enck, R., Evangelista, M., Gonzalez, J., Groves, T., Magrann, J., Mansi, B., Miller, C., Mooney, L. A., Murphy, A., Shelton, J., Walson, P. D., & Weigel, A. (2010). Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(8), 1967-1982. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.499344
  • Downey, S. M., & Geraci, S. A. (2017). Manuscript Development and Publishing: A 5-Step Approach. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 353(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.12.005
  • Fowler, J. (2011). Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal. British Journal of Nursing, 20(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.4.254
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (2023). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/
  • Kotz, D., & Cals, J. W. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part XI: submitting a paper. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.10.004
  • Roush, K. (2017). Navigating the Publishing Process. American Journal of Nursing, 117(6), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520256.42212.fc

How Do I Submit the Manuscript?

  1. Read the target journal’s Author Guidelines. The Author Guidelines are located on the journal's website, usually under a tab called “For Authors” or something similar. These guidelines include specific instructions on how to prepare manuscripts for submission, including formatting style, word count, ethics, and legalities. It is imperative to follow the guidelines!
  2. Carefully review the publisher’s author’s rights/copyright transfer agreement. Many of these agreements transfer copyright fully to the publisher which restrict an author's subsequent usage of his or her published work, including reuse of the work in teaching and further research. Check the openness of journal. Know your rights!
  3. Wait and see. Next steps typically include the peer review process which can take weeks or even months. Based on the reviewers’ recommendations, an initial decision is made to reject the article, ask for a revision, or accept it; it is then sent back to the corresponding author along with any peer reviewer recommendations.
Sources:

  • Cals, J. W., & Kotz, D. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part X: choice of journal. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.09.014
  • Chipperfield, L., Citrome, L., Clark, J., David, F. S., Enck, R., Evangelista, M., Gonzalez, J., Groves, T., Magrann, J., Mansi, B., Miller, C., Mooney, L. A., Murphy, A., Shelton, J., Walson, P. D., & Weigel, A. (2010). Authors' Submission Toolkit: a practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 26(8), 1967-1982. https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2010.499344
  • Downey, S. M., & Geraci, S. A. (2017). Manuscript Development and Publishing: A 5-Step Approach. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 353(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.12.005
  • Fowler, J. (2011). Writing for professional publication. Part 8: targeting the right journal. British Journal of Nursing, 20(4), 254. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.4.254
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (2023). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. https://www.icmje.org/
  • Kotz, D., & Cals, J. W. (2014). Effective writing and publishing scientific papers, part XI: submitting a paper. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.10.004
  • Roush, K. (2017). Navigating the Publishing Process. American Journal of Nursing, 117(6), 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520256.42212.fc

User Responsibility

Even though some of the resources and web sites allow use of their materials for educational and non-commercial purposes, it is your responsibility to read and follow the usage and copyright policies of a media resource.  Look for usage and copyright policies under “About Us,” “Frequently Asked Question,” “Terms and Conditions,” “Terms of Use,” “Copyright” or “Contact Us” on the media resource's website.  

For more information, see:

Electronic Resources - Responsible Use.

UT Southwestern Licensed Resources