The Power of Publishing Your Clinical and Research Work

Following a research presentation she gave at a national nursing conference, Nancy Albert, PhD, CCNS, CHFN, NE-BC, FAHA, FCCM, FHFSA, FAHA, was invited to author a journal article on laser angioplasty and intracoronary stents. Writing the 1994 paper required Albert – then a critical care nurse – to describe current clinical practices, a crucial step that demanded a thorough review of the newest cardiology literature.

Calling it a “transformative learning experience,” she says the process not only improved her grasp of new clinical trends but also taught her how to write succinctly to foster an understanding of her paper’s themes. Thirty years and more than 400 publications later, Albert says seeing her words in print and knowing they could help educate readers gave her the momentum to repeat the process.

As Cleveland Clinic’s Executive Director and Associate Chief Nursing Officer of Research and Innovation, Albert now mentors other nurses in authorship by providing 1:1 support and offering a biannual 3.25-hour course that provides an overview of writing basics. In addition, she notes the invaluable support of the organization’s other nurse leaders, who encourage their colleagues to disseminate quality and continuous improvement project results, evidence-based practice evaluations and nurse-led research.

“Writing for publication allows nurses to improve their practice based on the highest level of evidence available,” she says. “In addition, the process often reinforces the desire to understand and embrace new innovations that enhance caregiver efficiency, quality of care and safety. Importantly, it also gives nurses the opportunity to share evidence about a program, plan or intervention that does not work – information that the greater medical community can use when rethinking current practices."

Getting started

When writing a paper for publication, Albert advises authors to consider several standard expectations. “First, writers must become familiar with others' work by learning what literature has already been published on a particular topic,” she says.

Albert also encourages writers to collaborate by finding coauthors who may have different strengths and perspectives on the chosen topic. “Team members can help bring a project to life, and it’s fun to consider different viewpoints, which can strengthen the manuscript and make the content more generalizable,” she says.

In addition, Albert says authors should expect their papers to undergo multiple revisions. "Writing a paper is like completing a jigsaw puzzle with text: Your words need to fit,” she says. “Your document won’t include border pieces, but there are formatting guidelines that must be followed – rules that often involve shuffling, revising and reworking the words until everything is in its place. The process is a challenge, but it can be incredibly rewarding when it all comes together.”

Getting published

Albert emphasizes that any nurse, regardless of degree or job role can be an author, but she offers five important rules that increase the likelihood of success:

1. Start with an important, timely topic that has not already been exhausted in the literature. The subject matter can be either new or old, but you must provide a novel angle or purpose.

2. Review your methods with rigor. For example, research-based projects should include a robust sample size and a strong analysis that fully addresses the study findings – even if the results aren’t what you hoped for.

3. Make the results interesting. A negative outcome can be a critical finding!

4. Put words where they belong. No one likes a messy room – and the same message applies to writing. Present your topics in an organized manner and minimize redundancy to ensure that important words can be easily found and understood.

5. Never plagiarize published authors or use artificial intelligence to generate your words.

“Although the process may feel like a time-consuming marathon,” Albert contends that the steps to getting published are quite simple. Once a manuscript has been submitted to a journal, an editor will assign two or more experts to review the content. She explains that reviewers are looking for several critical elements that make a manuscript desirable to readers: a strong title, novel content, accurate information, ample primary references, text that flows and is easy to read, figures and tables, and a solid "discussion" section. Even submissions that meet those expectations, however, may be initially rejected.

“Only 2% of manuscripts are accepted upon first review, so authors who receive feedback from the publisher should prepare to make revisions and resubmit their work,” she says. “Do not be intimidated by the feedback. Remember, reviewers want you to get published, but their goal is to have you strengthen the manuscript.”

If a manuscript is rejected, Albert encourages authors to use any reviewer feedback they’ve received to make revisions before submitting their work to another journal.

Setting yourself up for success

Albert also emphasizes the importance of blocking time to write. “Just as hospital leaders reserve time for nurses to complete quality improvement projects and annual competencies, we should reserve protected time for writing – another professional responsibility that should be respected,” she says. Noting that her team finds it best to mentor authors in longer three- or four-hour blocks of time, she explains that nurses committed to writing for publication often arrive at the hospital before their shift or write on their days off.

That said, even the most competent authors may fail to meet the publisher’s expectations, she notes, adding that mentorship may help safeguard against disappointment. By collaborating with an experienced mentor with a publishing history, first-time authors can avoid many common pitfalls that hinder manuscript acceptance, she says. Albert adds that all contributors – including mentors and statisticians – whose intellectual property is used in developing a manuscript should be listed as coauthors.

Although most papers published by hospital-based nurses are funded by the author’s employer (by virtue of the time allowed to write the manuscript), research grants may also provide similar support. In addition, Albert advises writers to determine if their hospital or health system offers writing-for-publication grants, which can help nurses obtain mentorship support and work time to write. Grant funding may also cover the cost of open-access journal publication.

Publishing benefits more than the nurse authors and their readers, contends Albert. “Disseminating high-quality knowledge advances the science of nursing practice and strengthens the entire healthcare organization,” she says. “By sharing knowledge, nurses reinforce their commitment to patient care and professional growth.”