Many of my recent editorials have encouraged infusion nurses to engage in research and writing. As we start a new year, I'd like to offer some suggestions for moving toward that goal.
Reading this journal is, as you already know, a step up in your professional development. Keeping up-to-date with the latest research in our field expands your knowledge base and improves patient outcomes. You can apply the lessons advanced in these pages in your evidence-based practice. You can also build on the research and submit your own article to the Journal. Writing for publication lends credibility to your work while providing support for related research and better patient care. Nurses have the solutions to many health care problems, and sharing information and expertise enhances our profession.
Our publisher, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), has configured our Journal Web site to make it useful for researchers as well as readers. This easy-to-navigate source for all Journal articles since 1978 has a number of features that can help you get the most out of this publication and make substantial progress in your research and writing.
First of all, INS members have access to the online Journal at no charge. All articles, including the archives, are free. There are 2 ways to enter the site as a member. You can go through the INS Web site (http://www.ins1.org) with your username and password and click through to the Membership-Exclusive section of the site, then click on Journal of Infusion Nursing. Or you can go directly to the http://www.journalofinfusionnursing.com site. You will have to register as a Society member to gain access to the free content.
Once connected to the site, you'll find search functions that allow you to locate articles based on keywords and date ranges. Once you select an article, you'll find links to other articles by the same author(s) listed in the right-hand corner of the screen. You can start a collection of articles to read when it's convenient for you by clicking on the "My Favorites" tab at the top of the screen. Fill your personal folder with articles and images that may help you with your research and writing, and access them when you need them. You can even sign up to be alerted when an article on one of your "Favorite" topics is published.
Sign up for TOC (Table of Contents) alerts and be notified when another LWW journal has published an article on your selected topic. This allows you to reach outside the Journal of Infusion Nursing for articles. Subscribe to Published-Ahead-of-Print alerts or Published-Ahead-of-Print RSS feeds, and you'll learn when the Journal has an article available online before the hard copy is printed.
One of the most time-consuming tasks of writing a research paper is keeping track of all the materials you have used to prepare the article. The Journal site provides reference management tools to make it easy to track and format your references in the final paper.
If you use EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager, you can export your citations directly from the Journal site to compile your bibliography. For those of us who remember scribbling down each reference and trying to organize and style them manually, this feature is most welcome!
If you have to seek permission to use previously published material, the Copyright Clearance Center's Rightslink is available under the "Journal Info" tab on the top of the screen. By clicking on the link, you can send an e-mail and quickly get a response when requesting permission to reuse material from Wolters Kluwer/LWW publications.
Sometimes the most difficult part of any project is getting started. Be assured, at the Journal, we're here to assist you in the process. What a way to start off the New Year-publishing your research and adding to the art and science of infusion nursing!
The author of this article has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Mary Alexander