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Nursing Resources: Writing for Publication

A collection of Sladen Library resources for nurses and nursing students.

How-to Books at Sladen

Helpful Websites

AJN "Writing for Publication" Article Series

This is...a series of articles to help nurses share their knowledge, skills, and insight through writing for publication. Nurses have something important to contribute no matter what their nursing role. This series will help nurses develop good writing habits and sharpen their writing skills. It will take nurses step by step through the publication process, highlighting what gets published and why, how to submit articles and work with editors, and common pitfalls to avoid. (Author's abstract)

  1. Roush, K. (2017). "Becoming a Published Writer." American Journal of Nursing 117(3): 63-66.​
  2. Roush, K. (2017). "Writing Your Manuscript: Structure and Style." American Journal of Nursing 117(4): 56-61.
  3. Roush, K. (2017). "What Types of Articles to Write." American Journal of Nursing 117(5): 68-71.
  4. Roush, K. (2017). "Navigating the Publishing Process." American Journal of Nursing 117(6): 62-67.

Tips By Section

General Writing Guidance

Writing for Publication for Nurses: An easy-to-follow guide for nurses - Wiley

Baker K. G. (2022). "Unleash your inner author: Getting published in a professional nursing journal." Nursing 52(10): 36–39. 

Abstract

Drury, A., Pape, E., Dowling, M., Miguel, S., Fernández-Ortega, P., Papadopoulou, C., & Kotronoulas, G. (2023). "How to Write a Comprehensive and Informative Research Abstract." Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 39(2): 151395.

Alspach, J. G. (2017). "Writing for Publication 101: Why the Abstract Is So Important." Critical Care Nurse 37(4): 12-15.

Oermann, M. H. (2014). "Writing an Abstract." Nurse Author and Editor 24(1): 7.

Introduction

Discussion
 

Conn, V. S. (2017). "How to Craft a Strong Discussion Section." Western Journal of Nursing Research 39(5): 607-608.

Watson, R. (2018). "Starting the "Discussion" Section of a Manuscript." Nurse Author and Editor 28(2): 3.

Vortman, R., Darbyshire, P. E., & Talatala, R. A. (2024). "Sharing Perioperative Nursing Expertise Through Publication: A Guide for the Novice Author." AORN Journal 119(3): 186–196. (Although published in a periop journal, this article has a lot of useful info for all types of nurse authors)

Rodts, M. F. (2019). "Writing for Publication: Your Professional Journey." Orthopedic Nursing 38(4): 229–231.

Benton, M. J. (2014). "Dissemination of Evidence: Writing Research Manuscripts for Successful Publication." Clinical Nurse Specialist 28(3): 138-140.

Morton, P. G. (2017). "Strategies for Writing a Research Article: An Editor's Perspective." Nurse Author and Editor 27(1): 5. 

 

Manuscript Preparation Services

The Sladen Library offers FREE manuscript preparation assistance for Henry Ford Health employees.

Manuscript preparation services cover many types of documents such as journal articles, book chapters, grants, conference abstracts/posters, and CVs.

Librarians will provide support with:

  • Updating citations and references within the manuscript to the journal's style
  • Confirming that the manuscript meets the specific style, structure and formatting requirements of the journal as outlined in their instructions for authors
  • Verifying that standard style requirements have been followed (e.g., numbers vs numerals, consistent abbreviations/acronyms, etc.)
  • Light grammar checking

Please note: there is a minimum 1 week turnaround time for this service and turnaround times will be increased during high volume periods.  

Contact Stephanie Stebens at ssteben1@hfhs.org or at (313) 916-2550 for more information about manuscript preparation services.