Volume 51, March–April 2024, Pages 45-50Author links open overlay panel, , Highlights•

Despite expert knowledge and expertise, nurses often do not write for publication.

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Barriers to writing for publication are commonly reported by nurses.

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A virtual, Writing for Publication Program was convened to overcome these barriers.

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The group of clinical and academic nurses successfully published a manuscript.

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Recommendations for overcoming writing for publication barriers provided.

Abstract

Nurses have valuable knowledge and expertise to share. Yet, for a variety of reasons, many nurses do not write for publication. Members in one Sigma Theta Tau International chapter requested information about publishing so a writing for publication program (WPP) was convened. Ten nurses from diverse clinical and academic backgrounds participated. The goal of the WPP was to support a small group of nurses to advance knowledge and develop practical skills through the development of a manuscript with mentorship from doctorally-prepared nurses with publishing experience. The anticipated effect was that participants would share what they learned with colleagues or mentor others to publish in the future. Beginning with informational sessions to lay the foundation for writing and publishing, the WPP included biweekly, two-hour online sessions over a seven-month period whereby individual and group writing with embedded peer and WPP leader feedback occurred. WPP participants gained proficiency in searching online databases, synthesizing published literature, and working as a member of a writing team. The group successfully published a manuscript based on a topic of interest. This current article describes the structured support and mentorship provided during the WPP with recommendations for overcoming publication barriers commonly described in the literature.

Section snippetsBackground

Barriers to writing for publication are widely reported in nursing literature. Writing barriers are described as situational or personal (Tivis & Meyer, 2018) and internal or external (Oman et al., 2016). Situational and external barriers to writing for publication include a lack of time, family commitments, lack of resources, inadequate access to technology, insufficient organizational support, or a workplace culture that does not value writing and dissemination (Ansryan et al., 2019; Oman et

Forming the group

In August 2021, the annual general membership meeting for one chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma) was held. Based on member requests, the educational focus of the general membership meeting, held online via the chapter's discussion board, was writing for publication. Over the three-day meeting, those with publication experience were encouraged to share insights related to publishing. Members without publication experience reflected on publishing myths and barriers to writing for

Developing the manuscript

The goal of the WPP was to train a small cohort of nurses on how to write a single manuscript on a topic of interest and submit it to a peer-reviewed nursing journal. Wood (2018) and Bourgault (2023) note that some of the earliest decisions should be selecting the topic of the manuscript, identifying the intended audience, and selecting the journal the manuscript should be submitted. Oman et al. (2016) concur that successfully writing a manuscript is enhanced when the topic relates to lived

Reflections from group members

Two months after the second manuscript was accepted for publication, participants were asked to complete an anonymous survey to ascertain perspectives about the WPP. All ten members completed the survey. Resoundingly participants believed the WPP was a ‘well run,’ ‘helpful,’ and a ‘worthwhile’ experience. WPP leaders were ‘well prepared’ and ‘professional and skilled in guiding the process.’

The topics that members were already familiar with before participating in the WPP were writing

Lessoned learned with recommendations

Reflection by WPP leaders yielded several lessons learned with recommendations for overcoming known barriers to writing for publication. Insufficient time is frequently cited as a barrier to writing for publication (Ansryan et al., 2019). The structure of the WPP program was feasible to accomplish personal and collective goals. Two-hour, bimonthly meetings allowed sufficient time to complete the session agenda without burdening participants who may have competing work and family demands. The

Conclusion

Writing for publication is an expectation of all nurses because it improves the quality of patient care to achieve optimal outcomes while also advancing the nursing profession. An innovative, virtual WPP successfully guided 10 academic and clinical nurses to publish a manuscript in a respected, peer-reviewed journal (Chargualaf et al., 2023). Participants largely reported feeling more confident in their own ability to publish in the future. Thus, the goal of the WPP was met. This article

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Katie A. Chargualaf: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Michelle Nichols: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Formal analysis. Marilyn Klakovich: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Project administration, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing,

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge appreciation from the Omicron Delta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International for their support of the Writing for Publication Program (WPP).

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