Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
12 August 2025
Karen S. Hill, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, LFACHE, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief
The Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA)
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Welcome to today’s event!
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Learning Objectives:
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
What is dissemination of scholarly work?
Why is it important to disseminate your processes, evidence and outcomes?
How can you decide which medium to use to disseminate your work?
Scholarly journals
Practice-based publications and/or presentations (clinical guidelines, in-services)
Public (media, community outreach)
As a reader, what should you look for in reviewing a project presented in a manuscript?
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
How do you decide if a project is publishable?
-Sample (size; constitution; diverse)
-Is this good science? Did it get reviewed by an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
-Length of time for the project
-Outcomes
-Will other leaders care about this? Is this a relevant subject?
What are some key considerations in selecting a journal to publish in?
Frequency of publication? Meeting the target audience; Relevant and timely? Peer reviewed?
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Peer Review- a process where experts in an academic field or with expertise related to the data and analysis of a paper, evaluate the methods, findings and writing of a manuscript. The end goal of peer review is to provide feedback and an opinion about the suitability of publication of the paper to an Editor and eventually the authors.
How can you become a peer reviewer?
-Be an author
-Evaluate your expertise
-Identify the journal of interest
-Prepare your CV
-Contact the journal’s Editor expressing interest and expertise related to subject, readership, related experience
-Make sure you can meet deadlines and timeframes. Understand expectations related to methods of feedback and depth of comments
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
What are the steps to constructing a manuscript?
Consider publication at the onset of a project of study/Submit project/proposal to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review
Identify potential authors and lead author
Review journals of interest
Contact the Editor-in-Chief to assess suitability and interest
Develop an outline of the manuscript and assign responsibility and timeframes; Assess Author Guidelines
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Tips for Writing Success
-Write with “one voice” (lead author’s responsibility)
-Evaluate other related publications from journal of choice to look at writing flow and data presentation
-Ensure background is sufficient and supports issue
-Follow research writing standards in describing the setting, sample, recruitment, methods, etc. (quantitative, qualitative, EBP, QI)
-Develop a conclusion/recommendations applicable to readership
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Writing Tips:
-Be concise
-Ensure writing flow is good
-Don’t underestimate the impact of titles and abstracts
-References matter (Current, relevant, peer reviewed, accurate)
-Solicit review and feedback from others who have expertise or have published prior to submission
-Adhere to author guidelines and submission guidelines STRICTLY
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Reasons why manuscripts are rejected:
-Poor writing and/or grammar
-Not following author guidelines
-Poor writing flow in manuscript
-Topic not relevant to the targeted reader
-Not new information for readers or better stated previously known information
-Project not significant enough to be published
-Background not supportive of issue
-Topic saturation
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Topics of Interest in 2026, 2027, and 2028:
-Workforce Trends (Resignations; Retirement; Travelers/Agency; Pipeline; Resiliency; Virtual Nursing)
-Flexible, Innovative, and Cost-Effective Staffing Models
-Innovative Professional Development Models-cost/benefit/outcomes including application of Virtual Reality
-Nurse Leader Span of Control; Nurse Manager Development
-The Value of Nursing
-Confusion and/or Care Issues Related to Changing Laws (ie. Abortion; Medicaid )
-Nurse Executive leadership in non-nursing business units
-Clinical Projects with Outcomes
-Models and Outcomes for Quality Improvement
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Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
“Building a Bench of Future Leaders: Lessons From Military Nurse Officers”. Chargualaf, Katie A.; Elliott, Brenda; Patterson, Barbara. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration. 55(5):300-305, May 2025.
OBJECTIVE: To describe strategies military veteran nurse leaders use to mentor, develop, and prepare future leaders in healthcare settings.
BACKGROUND: Effective leadership is essential because it influences patients, the healthcare team and organization, and the profession. Although the military dedicates considerable resources to ongoing leadership development of military nurse officers (MNOs), civilian nurses often feel less prepared for leadership positions.
METHODS: This article is a secondary analysis of data from a descriptive, qualitative study that explored how 21 former MNOs transferred leadership skills from military service to advance leadership development of others within civilian organizations.
RESULTS: Building a bench of future nurse leaders depends on the ability of leaders to articulate a clear vision, capitalize on talent, and lead from the foxhole.
CONCLUSION: Civilian nurses and nurse leaders can learn from the leadership experiences of MNOs to support purposeful leadership development and succession planning efforts.
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
“Exploring the Roles, Functions, and Work Experiences of Nurse Scientists in the Veterans Health Administration”. Mu Q, Guzman-Clark J. Etchin AG, Sullivan SC, Battaglia C. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration. 54(6):378-384, June 2024.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project was to describe nurse scientists' roles, functions, and work experiences in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
BACKGROUND: Nurse scientists play a critical role in shaping the culture of clinical inquiry and closing the gap between knowledge and practice.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect information on sociodemographics, workload, research, clinical practice, education, and time/effort. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and χ 2 analyses.
RESULTS: One hundred forty-four nurse scientists completed the survey. These nurse scientists serve dynamic and critical roles in conducting research, implementing evidence-based practice, and reforming policy. Research effort was limited due to workload and infrastructure constraints. Better research infrastructure was associated with higher research productivity and funding.
CONCLUSIONS: This survey highlights the needs and challenges nurse scientists experience in conducting research and advancing VHA's mission. Given the national shortage of PhD-prepared nurses, long-term strategies are needed to attract, hire, and retain nurse scientists in healthcare systems.
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
“Practical Steps Supporting Professional Publications for Leadership and Teams”. Kim HJ, Jang H, Latham C, Krom, Z, Failla, K, Kawar, Najib L. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration 54(12):p 657-663, December, 2024.
This article provides nurse leaders and administrators clear, actionable steps to enable successful publication outcomes.
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Key Takeaways
-Professionals have a responsibility to disseminate evidence and outcomes
-Evaluate the mechanism that best fits dissemination of your scholarly work
-If you publish, journal editors will work with and accept manuscripts from first time authors
-Following a process helps guide manuscript development
-Query an Editor with your idea for a manuscript
-Edit, edit, and edit yourself again!
-Make sure the topic/focus of your work is relevant to the journal readers
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Have we met the learning objectives?
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org
Working with an Editor to Publish Your Work
Contact info: Jonaeditor@gmail.com
“Once a Navy Nurse, Always a Navy Nurse!” NNCA.org