1. Writing for Professional Journals
Patricia Gonce Morton,
PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor
University of Utah College of Nursing
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Executive Nurse Fellow

2. Acknowledgement
This program has been made possible through generous funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A special thanks to Mr. Nathan C. Sanders and Dr. Qin Li and the team of instructional designers at the University of Utah who produced this program.

3. Course Objectives
Describe the key steps in planning and writing a manuscript
Analyze the steps in the process of writing and publishing in professional journals
Engage in a topic of interest that has potential for publication

4. Course Objectives
Implement strategies to increase chances of acceptance of a manuscript for publication
Describe how to respond to an editor’s decision about the manuscript
Express a positive attitude toward publishing in professional journals

5. Selecting and Focusing a Topic for Publication
Module 5
Selecting and Focusing a Topic for Publication

6. Planning the Manuscript
It takes time!

7. Select a Topic New technique, drug, procedure
Interesting case, but not a rare case
Research report
Literature review, synthesis and analysis

8. Select a Topic Evidence-based protocol Opinion/commentary/debate
Solutions focused/how to
Professional development

9. Select a Topic Issues discussed in social media Current fads/issues
Challenging experiences
A presentation that you are turning into a manuscript
Sacred cows

10. Criteria for a Topic Answers the “So what” question
Offers something new or a different slant
Does not claim to be research when it is an evaluation project
Of interest and applicable to the target audience of the journal

11. Develop and Focus Your Idea
The manuscript must have one focus, one purpose
Consider your potential audience
Consider the purpose of the targeted journal

12. Develop and Focus Your Idea
Examine coverage of the topic in other journals
Consult colleagues

13. Identify the Audience
A primary audience
A secondary audience

14. The content of this course is open to the public and is licensed under Creative Commons. Patricia Gonce Morton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Utah, authored the content as part of a grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Writing for Professional Journals by Patricia Gonce Morton, PhD, RN, FAAN, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (Links to an external site.). Based on a work at