write for the aorn journal

2013 Volunteer Leadership Academy

Author’s Workshop

July 19, 2013

Disclosure information

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1. Consultant/Speaker’s Bureau 5. Grant/Research Support

2. Employee 6. Other relationship (specify)

3. Stockholder 7. Has no financial interest

4. Product Designer

AORN is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

AORN is provider-approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 13019.

Author’s workshop

Helping Patients Through Authorship

AORN Journal

Richard L. Wohl, MBA, MFA, Director of Publications

Kimberly Retzlaff, BS, Managing Editor

Helen Pashley, MA, RN, CNOR, Clinical Editor,

Manuscript Development Editor

Objectives

• Transform great nurses into great authors– Identify the article types that fit in AORN Journal– Show how to transform what you do every day into a Journal

article– Understand the benefits of authorship, to you, your colleagues,

and your patients

• Announce chapter contest for journal authors

Objectives (continued)

• Explain the general guidelines for writing for AORN Journal:@ The parts of an article@ Grammar tips@ Referencing@ Publishing issues

• Provide strategies for overcoming barriers to authorship• Share manuscript writing/submission help • Review what happens after a manuscript is accepted for

publication

Why become an author?

• Improve yourself@ Get a promotion@ Professional growth@ Open doors to new opportunities

Why become an author?

• Improve patient care@ Share information@ Educate colleagues @ Articulate a belief

What articles are in AORN Journal

• Articles we publish:@ Clinical articles (procedures, patient care, new techniques)@ Education articles (how you provide education to staff)@ Management @ Research/Quality Improvement/Literature Review

What do you do every day?

• What’s exciting?• What’s new?• What’s difficult or challenging?• What is presenting problems?• What is something you’re doing that’s

working well?

Parts of an article

• Abstract• Introduction• Rationale• Significance to nursing• Preop/intraop/postop care• Illustrations, tables, photos

Group Exercise:Putting your ideas on paper

• Draft introduction• Discuss rationale or significance of idea• Identify main points and supporting

information• Summarize and conclude• Finalize introduction• Create abstract

Poster to Article

Writing for AORN Journal

• Tone/style – more formal• Know your audience• Difference between

− QI (no statistics)− Research (statistics)

• Prior IRB approval is a MUST

Boring grammar stuff

• Person – 1st, 2nd or 3rd

• Voice – active vs passive

Person

First person• I• We

Second person • You• You understood

(aka second person imperative)

For AORN Journal, the preferred style is first or third person

Third person

• He, she, they• The surgeon• The perioperative nurse

First person – Good to use!

• Personal and less formal, but specific

• Research use:

We identified three themes and eight thematic subcategories based on the experiences that the nurse participants discussed during their interviews.

Second person – Avoid!

• Least used and informal

• Directs the reader: @ The nature of your topic often will dictate the type of

article you choose to write.

@ Second person imperative: Write lots of manuscripts! (You write lots of manuscripts!)

Third person – Good to use!

Tells who does what:

Outpatient nurses are responsible for determining when a patient is ready to be

discharged to home.

Active (preferred) vs passive voice

Use active voice to tell who does what: The circulating nurse places the electrosurgical

unit dispersive pad on the patient.

Passive voice is less clear:The electrosurgical unit dispersive pad was

placed on the patient by the circulating nurse.

*Note: The “by” statement can be left out without being grammatically incorrect in terms of sentence structure – but it’s less

clear to readers if you’re writing for print.

Language and use

Why reference?

It’s fair

• Gives credit where credit is due

• Demonstrates professionalism

Adds credibility and authority

• Differentiates facts and data from opinion

Provides additional resources

• Help readers find information

It’s the law

• Comply with legal and ethical requirements

Appropriate references

• Primary sources

• Scholarly journals and books

• Experts

• Reputable online resources

− Government / regulatory agencies

− Wiki isn’t “reputable” in the strictest sense

• Recent references: ≤ 5 years

What should I cite?

• Direct quotes • Paraphrased material

@ Factual material@ Opinions not your own@ Statistics

Direct quotes (don’t overuse!)

“Actual hours worked during the call period are unpredictable and can range from 30 minutes to the entire length of the call period. Covering call may strain existing resources, create stress for perioperative staff members, affect safe patient care, and increase the potential for occupational injury due to prolonged work hours.”1(p685)

1. AORN guidance statement: safe on-call practices in perioperative practice settings. In: Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices. Denver, CO: AORN, Inc; 2012:685-687.

Paraphrased factual material

Occupational exposure to methyl methacrylate can affect the eyes, skin, and respiratory system.1

1. Chemical sampling information: methyl methacrylate. US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration. http://osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_254400.html. Accessed July 10, 2012.

Paraphrased opinion statements

Changing patterns in education, such as the implementation of distance learning modalities, lead to anxiety, uncertainty, and confusion for nursing school faculty members.1

1. Gruendemann BJ. Distance learning and perioperative nursing. AORN J. 85(3);2007:574-586.

Paraphrased statistics

Depending on the type of hepatitis, the percentage of case reports that included any risk factor information ranged from 48% to 50%.1

1. Surveillance for Acute Viral Hepatitis—United States, 2007. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2009;58(3):1-27.

Publishing considerations

• Copyright transfer– Authorship– Conflict of interest

• Permissions

http://ees.elsevier.com/aorn/img/aornauthorres.pdf

Author guidelines

http://www.aornjournal.org/authorinfo

EIC Peer Revie

w

Reject Revise

Accept

Reject Dev.

Dev.

EICStaffEditor

MS

Author

PublishRevise

After submission

Overcoming barriers

• Not sure if I have the skills “I could never write an article like the ones in the Journal”

The editors are your partners and here to help

• Believe in your idea and talents

Manuscript writing help

• aornjournal@aorn.org • Other authors• Other readers• Elsevier website: http://www.aornjournal.org/authorinfo

• EES author information: http://ees.elsevier.com/aorn/default.asp

• Book: Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses (Saver)

• This presentation:http://www.aorn.org/writeforthejournal

Submit your article online

Elsevier Editorial Systemhttp://ees.elsevier.com/aorn

For help, contact us!

(800) 755-2676

aornjournal@aorn.org

Wrap up

• Nurses help patients• Nurse leaders help nurses help patients• Nurse leaders help more nurses, and therefore more

patients, through authorship in the AORN Journal• AORN editors help nurse leaders be nurse authors

Contest for Journal authors:

The chapter that has the most manuscripts accepted to AORN Journal between now and Dec. 31, 2014 will win:

A free, individual registration to the 2015 AORN Congress

Share this information!

• Please feel free to …@ Share this information with your staff@ Present to your chapter@ Ask your colleagues to write for AORN Journal

@ Give out our contact information to anyone who wants to write or peer review

Author’s Workshop

Questions?

Contact information

• Joy Don Baker: jdbaker@aorn.org• AORN Headquarters/Editorial Office:

800-755-2676, aornjournal@aorn.org • Helen Pashley: hpashley@aorn.org, x234• Kimberly Retzlaff: kretzlaff@aorn.org, x227 • Rich Wohl: rwohl@aorn.org, x364

Access this presentation on www.slideshare.net/aornsocialmedia or

www.aorn.org/writeforthejournal