Guidelines for Registered Nurses: Writing Your First Nursing Article

Registered nurses are professional, health educators

Writing your first professional nursing article for the Internet could present a serious challenge for you, as a registered nurse. This may seem like a daunting task or a frightening experience for registered nurses, particularly for those who have never considered writing anything for Internet publication. It is not that difficult!

Registered nurses focus on nursing theory and practice, not on writing or publishing professional nursing articles. At the same time, most registered nurses have done a lot of research on a wide variety of nursing topics and have presented numerous, nursing papers or case studies to other nurses and doctors, professional and non-professional care givers, as well as to family members. Registered nurses are professional, health educators. Many of these have never been published on the Internet, as Internet publication is a new field of endeavor for registered nurses.

As a registered nurse, have you ever published an article on the Internet? Be aware that you have a wealth of professional, nursing information to draw from, with respect to the possibility of writing and publishing nursing articles.

Visualize your first nursing article, as written and published on the Internet, as well as having world wide exposure! Imagine how many registered nurses and other health professionals around the world, could read what you write. Ask yourself how many others could benefit from your work, experience and expertise. Prepare to bring that vision into reality.

Your first nursing article is going to be the hardest one for you to write. With this in mind, here are some guidelines.

Choose a nursing topic that you are truly passionate about. Begin your article, by choosing a topic that you are both knowledgeable and passionate about. Focus on something that presents a challenge for you. Your own level of interest will be evident to your reader. The positive, constructive and pro-active approach that you take with regard to your topic, will entice others to read it. For example, perhaps you are concerned about the ongoing spread of the H1N1 flu virus. Many people will be looking for that kind of information, at this particular time.

You will find that it is far easier to write an article about a nursing topic that you are challenged by, interested in or serious about, than one that does not appeal to you. If you are not excited about the topic you choose, your prospective article may sit on the back burner forever. You may never get it finished or you may feel reluctant to publish it, even if you do complete it. Use your integrity with respect to your choice of topics.

Regard writing your nursing article as a legitimate and valid learning experience.

Registered nurses demonstrate a high learning curve, as they learn quickly and tend to be perpetual learners. One of their designated tasks is that of educating others with regard to their general health and well being. In order to teach, registered nurses must be aware of what is currently pertinent to their profession. So, approach this article as a possible research project for you, as well as being a potential teaching tool and source of future education for others.

Compile your research data carefully. Carefully select information that is pertinent, current and relevant to your nursing topic. Avoid information that is mundane, outdated or not appropriate. Use only valid sources of information. Look for new research on your topic.

Begin with a basic outline for your nursing article. Writing a brief outline for your nursing article will give you a sense of direction. Ask yourself, where you are headed with this topic? Does it have a specific goal, reason or purpose? For instance, perhaps you would like to see it published in a medical journal?

Use a word processor to compile and save your data and research material. If you organize this well from the start, it will be much easier to write your article.

Designate a title for your nursing article. Your nursing article title and sub-title are important. They should state what your article pertains to in terms of its content. Designating an appropriate title for your article and sticking to that topic, will make the article more comprehensive.

Find search engine key words that are appropriate for your title. In your title, include appropriate key words, that make your nursing article easy to find on a search engine.

Be selective regarding your body content. Select your article body content carefully, so that everything is in sync with your title and sub-title. Ask yourself the following questions. Is what you have selected professional information? Can it be presented in a logical, feasible and practical manner? If you have compiled information that is not pertinent or relevant to the article title, it may be more appropriate for a future article. File it for later use. Consider revising your title.

There are probably many areas in nursing that you are familiar with, but you may need to do extra research on certain aspects of your nursing topic. If you do not have the kind of information that you need, do more research.

When you use definitions, make certain that they are accurate and explain your definitions carefully. Not everyone will be familiar with medical terminology.

Document your sources properly. Make certain that you retain the information necessary to document your sources accurately, as you may need to locate them again, once you begin writing your article. You may also need to do additional research on how to document Internet sources on your article.

Write the initial draft for the body of your article. After you have completed the first draft of the body of your article, begin to examine what you have written, critically. Ask yourself if you are satisfied with what you have written. Is it on topic? Is your article well structured? Have you used appropriate headings and proper paragraph format? Does it follow article writing guidelines?

Now examine the content of your article more thoroughly. Is it a timely topic? Does what you have written make sense to you? Would it make sense to some one else who reads it? Would another registered nurse or a professional caregiver accept what you have written? You can and should be your own, best writing critic. Look at it realistically. How do you feel about it? Would others respond in the same way? If not, why not?

Write an effective conclusion. Once you are satisfied with the body of your article, write an effective conclusion and critique it. Ask yourself, if it is an appropriate conclusion. Does it summarize what you have been attempting to state in your article? Does it leave the reader interested in reading more? If not, why not? What can be changed, so that it is improved?

Revise your nursing article, as necessary. Make certain that all of the information in your nursing article is well organized. Does it flow properly, so that it is easy to read? Check your article for any possible typos and grammatical errors. Use a spell check and a medical dictionary, if you are uncertain about the spelling of any words or definitions. You may not be able to make corrections on your article later, so proof read what you have written carefully.

Re-check all of your nursing or medical quotations, in order to make certain that everything has been quoted correctly. It should be documented in such a way that anyone can verify it immediately.

Check all of your URLs for functionality.

If you are using the Internet as a source of information for your article, make certain that the URLs are correct and functional. Check all of the links carefully. This will increase your credibility, as a potential writer of future nursing articles.

Re-check your submission and publication guidelines.

Check the web site where you plan to submit your article for any article submission and publication guidelines that you may have missed. Make certain that your nursing article meets all of the specified criteria for article publication.

Submit your article for publication. Once your article is ready for submission, go ahead and submit it to the web site. Seek assistance regarding submission, if necessary. If you have questions about how to submit it, send an e-mail to a contact person on the web site. He or she will understand that you need some directives regarding the submission of your first article on the Internet, as publishing on the Internet is still a relatively new skill for registered nurses.

Deal with rejection of your nursing articles, in a positive, constructive way. Articles do get rejected by Internet publishers for various reasons. If you find out that your first nursing article is not accepted, find out why it has been rejected. Re-write your article or revise it, as necessary. Do not discard it. It may only need minor revisions.

Publishing a nursing article on a web site on the internet is a worthy project to pursue. Learning how to publish Internet articles is a skill that you should acquire, as a registered nurse. Times change rapidly and how nurses and other health care professionals are taught, can change quickly, too. Over time, you could become a credited, Internet professor with the potential to teach many future registered nurses, all around the world.

Being able to publish nursing articles on the Internet, is not yet a requirement in schools of nursing. Registered nurses should seek to acquire the necessary skills. This may become a basic requirement with respect to attaining a nursing degree on any level.

Add this particular writing experience to your next nursing resume. You will be able to state that you 

have begun to write professional nursing articles for a web site on the Internet.

Congratulations on writing and publishing your first Internet nursing article, as a registered nurse!