A peer-reviewed journal, Nursing focuses on the clinical, patient-care side of nursing. We publish practical information that nurses can readily use at the bedside and we address legal, ethical, professional, and career issues as well. The journal includes special sections for particular groups of nurses, such as hospital and critical care nurses.

What should I write about?
What if I'm not sure an article is right for Nursing?
What writing style should I use?
How should I set up my manuscript?
How long should the article be?
What kind of editing do you do?
When will I hear from you?
Will you return my manuscript if you can't use it?
Why would you reject a manuscript? If you reject it, do you explain why?
Do authors get an honorarium?

Here are the most commonly asked questions about writing for Nursing.

1. WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?

Basically, Nursing is full of hands-on, practical articles that focus on useful information. We look for the voice of experience from authors and for articles that help our readers deal with problems they face. We're always interested in looking at manuscripts that fall into the following categories:

Clinical articles describing particular diseases, disorders, or conditions, with the emphasis on relevant nursing care and interventions. Also, clinical articles focusing on specific assessment techniques, such as assessing heart sounds. Procedures--How-to articles with step-by-step format that we can illustrate. Drug articles focusing on important nursing considerations related to preparing and administering drugs, potential adverse reactions, and careful evaluation of patient response. Charting/documentation articles that help nurses do this vital but burdensome task more accurately and efficiently. Emotional problems that patients or their families encounter, such as anger or grief, and how nurses can help them cope. Also, how nurses can deal with patients' emotional reactions. Legal problems nurses face in their daily work, concerning such issues as floating, confidentiality, and informed consent. Ethical dilemmas nurses play a role in resolving, such as terminal weaning or reporting an impaired colleague. Difficult or challenging cases that require strong nursing skills, teamwork, and resourcefulness. Issues and perspectives relevant to practicing nurses today.

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2. WHAT IF I'M NOT SURE AN ARTICLE IS RIGHT FOR Nursing?

Write us a "topic query" letter (or e-mail it to cmee@lww.com) briefly describing what nurses will learn from your article and why it's important. Summarize the focus of your article in three or four sentences. Also, explain your background, telling us what qualifies you as an authority on the subject (or attach a resume). We'll get back to you promptly, letting you know if we'd like to take a look at your manuscript to see if it meets our needs.

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3. WHAT WRITING STYLE SHOULD I USE?

Nursing has an informal, easy-to-read style. Here are some specific suggestions about how to achieve that tone:

Write as if you're talking to the reader. Refer to yourself as "I" and to the reader as "you." So instead of saying "the nurse does this," say "you'd do this next." Use active verbs indicating who's doing what. Instead of saying "the wound is cleaned," say "clean the wound." Also avoid heavy academic or unnecessarily dense clinical language. Be specific and give examples for each important point you make. Instead of saying, "Look for signs of infection," specify what signs to look for. Don't try to cover too much. Books might cover topics in great depth, but journals have limited space, so focusing in-depth on one aspect of a patient's problem is best. For example, instead of writing about all types of shock, focus on a specific type, such as septic shock. Write from your experience. Our readers need to know you've "been there," so give practical advice based on your own experience rather than compiling a research-based article. Use case histories based on real patients you've cared for. (We'll change the names and some details to protect patient anonymity.)

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4. HOW SHOULD I SET UP MY MANUSCRIPT?

If possible, please send us your article either by e-mail to editor@springnet.com or on computer disk (in MSWord or saved as a "text only" file), along with three printouts; note on the disk your filename, what program and version you used, and whether you worked on a PC or a Macintosh. (If this isn't possible, submit your manuscript typed and double-spaced on standard-size typewriter paper.) Leave generous margins so editors can make notes.

Start with a cover page including your name, address, and home and work phone numbers, plus a fax number and e-mail if available. Be sure each page of your manuscript is numbered and includes the title of your article. Don't put your name on each page, as we'd have to delete it before sending your article for a blind peer review. If there are multiple authors, please designate one to handle all contact with us. If possible, that author should enclose two business cards with the manuscript.

On separate pages, please include a single copy of each of the following:

• a list of references you used in preparing the article (none more than 5 years old, please); if you're submitting a potential continuing-education (CE) article, also include a list of four or five additional readings you'd recommend.
• a list of four or five Web sites you'd recommend for further reliable information on your topic.
• a brief description of your professional education and your present employer and position (for each author)--or attach a resume.
• a signed statement that no other publisher is considering your article and that you won't send it to another publisher until you hear from Nursing. (Don't submit an article to more than one publisher at a time.)

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5. HOW LONG SHOULD THE ARTICLE BE?

Don't be concerned about length -- just write until you've covered your topic thoroughly, probably 2,500 words for long feature articles (about 4 pages in the printed journal). If you find your article running much longer than that, reevaluate your focus -- you may be covering too much.

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6. WHAT KIND OF EDITING DO YOU DO?

We edit all articles to conform with our editorial style; in most cases, this entails heavy editing, rewriting, condensing, and reorganizing. However, we make every effort to retain content, and you'll get a copy of the edited version of your article for approval before publication. We encourage contact between authors and editors, and we work hard to make sure everyone is satisfied with the final copy.

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7. WHEN WILL I HEAR FROM YOU?

We try to respond to all authors within 6 or 8 weeks, depending on the length and complexity of the manuscript. Manuscripts are submitted to the Editorial Review Board for evaluation and to two or more nursing authorities for a blind peer review.

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8. WILL YOU RETURN MY MANUSCRIPT IF YOU CAN'T USE IT?

We'll be glad to if you enclose a large self-addressed, stamped envelope with it. If you don't need the manuscript back, just send a stamped, self-addressed regular-size envelope for our reply.

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9. WHY WOULD YOU REJECT A MANUSCRIPT? IF YOU REJECT IT, DO YOU EXPLAIN WHY?

Accepting and rejecting manuscripts is a matter of editorial judgment. Here are some reasons why a manuscript might not meet our editorial needs:

• It doesn't contain any new insights or information.
• It's not a topic or approach of great interest or usefulness to our readers, according to what they tell us.
• It covers material we've recently published or already solicited from another author.
• It doesn't focus on nursing actions or nurses' roles.
• It's too specialized for our general readers and would be more appropriate in a specialty journal.

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10. DO AUTHORS GET AN HONORARIUM?

Yes, and the amount varies depending on the length, quality, and uniqueness of the article, but we average about $50 per printed page (please note that we can't estimate in advance how many pages an article will be). If we accept your article, we'll send you an author's agreement, transferring all rights to your article to Springhouse Corporation, the publisher of Nursing. Shortly after your article is published, we'll send an honorarium to the primary author plus complimentary copies of the issue the article appears in. You should also be aware that some of our authors get speaking invitations as a result of being published in Nursing.

Although we usually grant authors' requests to reproduce copies of their articles for their use, we also have a reprint service available. For more information, call Reprint Management Services at 1-800-290-5460.

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HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF SOME SPECIFIC ARTICLES AND DEPARTMENTS:

Our features are selected for their teaching value, usefulness in solving clinical nursing problems, current information, and general interest to all nurses. Before submitting a feature article, review two or three recent issues of the journal to see what kinds of articles we publish. Along with general clinical articles, we have standard features that often run. For example:

Action Stat--Immediate nursing intervention in response to a potential life-or-death emergency. These articles follow a format that uses standard questions to help guide the reader.
Nursing Grand Rounds--This panel discussion presents the case history of a patient whose illness or condition challenged his health care team. These articles are usually drawn from a Nursing Grand Rounds presentation at a hospital.
Photo Guides--These practical, how-to-guides use photographs to illustrate procedures and assessment techniques. We coordinate the photographs with authors or have them taken locally under our supervision.
Difficult Patient--A personal experience with a patient whose response to his illness or condition created problems for his nurse. The article should describe how these problems were solved.
My Most Unforgettable Patient--A one-page feature focusing on a particularly memorable patient.

If you've never been published before, you might want to consider writing for one of our departments, an excellent way to break into print. Here are some of our most popular departments:
Confidentially--Brief anecdotes demonstrating an important lesson you learned from a mistake (your anonymity is guaranteed). (E-mail to confidentially@springnet.com.)
Letters--Write us with your reactions to journal contents or important nursing issues.
Myths and Facts--A point-by-point debunking of prevalent misconceptions about different topics from diseases to various aspects of nursing care.
In My Opinion--Discuss an important issue for nurses today, such as men in nursing or other minority nurses.
Sharing--A story describing dramatic, moving, or interesting personal experiences worth sharing with other nurses because of a valuable lesson learned.
Grin & Share It--Funny stories that happened in your workplace, charting chuckles, or any other medical/nursing humor your colleagues might find amusing.
Charting Tips--Prepares nurses to handle unusual charting challenges and to avoid common documentation pitfalls.
Combating Infection--Techniques, tips, and advice for preventing hospital-based infections.
Controlling Pain--Question-and-answer format for dealing with issues related to nursing your patients' pain.

Send all articles and topic query letters to: Nursing Editorial Department, 1111 Bethlehem Pike, P.O. Box 908, Springhouse, PA 19477-0908. Topic query letters can be faxed to us at 1-215-653-0826 or e-mailed to cmee@lww.com.