Assessment task 3: Paper for publication
Task Description:
Decide on a topic from practice. The topic might be a case study, a report on a new initiative, a discussion on a problem facing your practice area, or anything similar. The topic should be relevant to your clinical area, and you may base the article on your findings from Assignment 1. You may choose to write another literature review, but if so you must choose a different topic or aspect to that addressed in the first assessment. Select an appropriate journal for both your topic and your article style. Download the ?Guidelines for Authors? provided by that journal, and write your paper according to those guidelines; if they differ from the School?s requirements (eg a different referencing system), then this takes precedence over our usual rules. You must provide these instructions when you submit the paper for marking. You do not have to have your paper submitted to a journal by the time you present it for marking. Your mark will indicate the readiness of your paper for submission.
Assessment criteria:
1. The extent to which the student develops a logical and coherent paper suitable for publication, which articulates ideas and arguments clearly and fluently.
2. The extent to which the student presents rigorous literature background for the topic and evidence of ability to use literature to support and critique ideas.
3. The extent to which the student adheres to the appropriately chosen journal?s guidelines for professional writing. Standard descriptors for these criteria are included in the assessment rubric, located in the Assessment 3 folder in MyLO.
Task length: Depends on journal guideline
Paper for publication
Directions
Decide on a topic from practice that you think would make an interesting journal article – the topic should be relevant to your clinical area and be negotiated with your lecturer. It might be a case study, a report on a new initiative, a discussion on a problem facing your practice area, an area of practice in which you have particular expertise or experience, or anything similar. It can even be a literature review, but if you decide to do this you must choose a different topic or aspect to that addressed in Assessment 1.
Select an appropriate journal to target your article to – you should consider both your topic AND the style of your paper. Download the ?Guidelines for Authors? provided by that journal, and write your paper according to these. (NB The journal requirements take precedence over the School\’s usual requirements, including referencing style.) You should provide these instructions when you submit the paper for marking.
A web conference will be held to discuss this assignment – slides are available here: Web conference Assignment 3.pdf
A second web conference will be held on writing for publication – slides are available here: Web conference 5.
A marking rubric for this assignment is available here: Assignment 3 rubric
NB: Do not submit your article to your chosen journal before you present it for marking. Your mark will indicate the readiness of your paper for submission.
Writing for Publication
Overview
In this module, you will be writing a paper for publication, which we hope you will find a rewarding experience. It is an opportunity for you to organize some of your expert knowledge into a journal article format that can inform a much broader audience of health professionals than you could otherwise reach. The process requires you to write in a scholarly yet engaging style.
Writing a paper and getting published are two separate but interconnected skills, and you need to manage them side by side. That is why, once you have decided on a topic, you will then need to decide on the most appropriate journal that you would like to see it published in. You will need to consider whether the journal\’s purpose and audience match the purpose and likely audience of your paper topic, and whether your style and topic are suitable matches for the journal. For example, some journals have a strong focus on theoretical and ontological issues, while others like to publish only quantitative research reports, or studies from particular specialized fields. If you are serious about getting published, be aware that many new online journals require the author to make a significant payment towards the publication – up to several thousand dollars in some cases! If you cannot access this kind of financial support, then avoid this type of journal.
Choosing your topic and deciding upon your journal will provide you with a template for your paper. Every journal produces a \’Guide for Authors\’ that sets out the requirements for manuscripts, and you will need to follow these instructions. The paper for the assignment should be around 3000 words (but it can be more – we will not impose this restriction if the journal requires a longer paper) and this is one occasion where the School\’s usual requirement for Harvard Referencing is waived.
We look forward to reading your final papers, and for some of you to eventually end up with a published piece of work, as several of our previous students have done. It\’s a great addition to your CV!
Readings / Resources
The readings below can be located in the Reading List, located in the Introduction section of this unit.
? Driscoll, J & Acquilina, R, 2011, \’Writing for publication: A practical six step approach\’, International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing, 15, 41-46
? Fahy K, 2008, \’Writing for publication: the basics\’ and \’Writing for publication: argument and evidence\’ in Women and Birth. These two papers are part of a series of articles, the rest of which can be found directly from the journal.
? Fowler, J, 2010, \’Writing for professional publication part 4: Supporting your statements\’ and \’part 7: structure and presentation\’, from the British Journal of Nursing. Again, these form part of a series of short articles, all of which are useful and can be accessed directly from the journal itself.
? Happell, B, 2008, \’Writing for publication: A practical guide\’, Nursing Standard, 22, 28, 35-40
? Kearney MH, 2015, \’Which journal will take the best care of my paper?\’, Research in Nursing & Health, 38:249-253
? Knight LV & Steinback TA, 2008, ?Selecting an appropriate publication outlet: A comprehensive model of journal selection criteria for researchers in a broad range of academic disciplines?, International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 3, 59-79
? Teijlingen, E & Hundley, L , 2002, \’Getting your paper to the right journal: a case study of an academic paper\’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37(6): 506-511. (This is a very good article if you are considering publishing. The authors clearly decided to get another paper out of the trials they experienced in attempting to get published! They stress common sense, and you can learn from their mistakes…)
