Publish or perish: ensuring longevity in nurse education-evaluation of a strategy to engage academics, students, and clinicians in publication activity

Abstract

The expectation that academics publish and disseminate research findings, information, and knowledge is increasingly becoming a component of nursing and academic practice. This can be seen as an overwhelming responsibility in the absence of a supportive framework and arbitrary expectations to "publish or perish" within academic and professional life. The pressure to publish has been associated with detrimental effects on creativity, morale, and output. An initiative by a school of nursing to develop a supportive framework to assist staff and multidisciplinary colleagues to publish, by promoting a cultural change through focusing on the benefits of publishing, was successful in increasing confidence, knowledge, and motivation to publish. Through the implementation of a strategic plan acknowledging 4 incremental stages, "promote, prepare, polish and proliferate," the enormity of the task of publishing was demystified, the skills required were outlined, and the incentive of incorporating these strategies into practice were highlighted.

Keywords: Nursing; Professional development; Publication; Scholarship; Writing.