Editors of award-winning Sigma journals facilitate hands-on writing workshop. New authors learning from experienced authors gives new meaning to peer review.
Kicking off the 30th International Nursing Research Congress was a pre-conference writing workshop led by Susan Gennaro, PhD, RN, FAAN, editor of Sigma’s Journal of Nursing Scholarship, and Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN‐CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, editor of Sigma’s Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing.
As the title implies, “Moving Oral and Poster Presentations to Publication: An Action-Oriented Writing Workshop” was designed to help nurse researchers overcome common writing obstacles and turn their existing work into articles accepted in peer-reviewed journals. Along the way, it also provided solid advice for many kinds of prospective authors.
This hands-on workshop encouraged attendees to submit writing samples from current projects for the facilitators to review prior to the event. Gennaro and Melnyk opened the session with important tips and considerations for new authors and then provided specific examples of common mistakes, using samples attendees had submitted. The group learned to avoid similar pitfalls and worked together to offer alternatives—asking questions to dive deeper into the minds of these experienced editors.
After focusing on titles and abstracts, attendees broke into groups to discuss their projects with peers—including volunteers at each table who were accomplished authors and editors. The often-spirited discussions during these breakouts were the highlight of the morning for many attendees. Gennaro and Melnyk wrapped up the session by providing more writing advice to the whole group.
A version of this workshop, the first of its kind at a Sigma event, will be offered at Sigma’s biennial convention, 16-20 November 2019 in Washington, D.C., USA. Judging by the initial response and comments from attendees, this workshop was a success—one that we can build on at Sigma events in the future. RNL
Dustin Sullivan is Publisher, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma).