Writing for publication: adapting academic work into articles

This article discusses how to transform material worthy of dissemination into a form that leads to successful publication. It focuses on publication of systematic and literature reviews, empirical studies and conceptual analyses undertaken as part of a course of academic study. An increasing number of nurses and midwives are undertaking healthcare-related courses at BSc, MSc, MPhil and PhD level. Many of their theses are ultimately left to gather dust on library shelves, and are only read by examiners. The authors have worked with many novice writers whose attempts to write up their theses have been unsuccessful for a number of reasons. These are explored in this article. Suggestions for avoiding the many pitfalls that can prevent publication are offered.