General Information for Writers
Thank you for your interest in writing for our magazine. Through the stories and articles in our publications, we strive to enrich the professional lives of nurses, celebrate their unique contributions to society, and help them stay up to date on the latest news and trends in our profession.
Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek welcome original manuscripts for review. Before you begin to write, we recommend that you review several of our magazines for content and style. We also suggest emailing your idea to the editorial director in your region (See list below). The editorial director can help you with the story's focus or angle, along with the organization and development of ideas.
Topics of Interest
Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek publish articles on a variety of topics, such as:
- Innovative approaches to clinical care and evidence-based nursing practice
- Health-related legislation and regulation, community health programs, healthcare delivery systems, and professional development and management
- Advances in nursing specialties such as critical care, geriatrics, perioperative care, women's health, home care, long-term care, emergency care, med/surg, pediatrics, advanced practice, education, and staff development
We also welcome letters to the editor for our Letters/Posts department.
"End of Shift" Department
The "End of Shift" department offers a glimpse into the successes, struggles, sorrows, and satisfactions of the profession through nurses' eyes and in their own words. You do not need to be an experienced writer to submit an "End of Shift" article.
We suggest reading some of these articles in recent issues of our magazines before you begin to write.
Basic Guidelines
The stories we publish are short and written in a conversational, magazine-style rather than a scholarly tone. In keeping with any article appearing in a nursing publication, clinical accuracy is essential.
Articles should be approximately 800 words in length (2-3 typed, double-spaced pages). Use subheadings to enhance readability. Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek follow Associated Press style. Follow the latest Associated Press Stylebook in preparing manuscripts for submission.
All statements based on published findings or data should be attributed to their source within the manuscript text. In other words, provide enough information so the reader can easily locate data or an article in print or online. We do NOT include reference lists with our articles.
Include complete contact information for all authors. Include credentials, position title, and place of employment of anyone mentioned or quoted in the manuscript.
Send articles via e-mail to the editorial director in your region (see below):
Illinois and Heartland: Jennifer Thew, RN, at jthew@gannetthg.com
Florida, Southeast, and South Central: Phyllis Class, RN, at pclass@gannetthg.com
DC/Maryland, Virginia: Pam Meredith, RN, at pmeredith@gannetthg.com
Pennsylvania/Tri State and Midwest: Donna Novak, RN, at dnovak@gannetthg.com
New York/New Jersey: Janice Spillane, RN, at jspillane@gannetthg.com
New England: Janet Boivin, RN, at jboivin@gannetthg.com
California, Northwest, and Southwest: Laura Goldbaum, RN, at lgoldbaum@gannetthg.com
Send stories of national interest to: Janet Boivin, RN, at jboivin@gannetthg.com
Graphics
We encourage writers to submit photographs, tables, and/or illustrations with manuscripts. Send these electronically. Photo resolution must be at least 400 dpi (jpeg format preferred). Send photo credits and captions for each photo submitted. Obtain a signed photo release from each person featured in a photo. Click here to download the photo release form.
Editing
All accepted manuscripts are edited for clarity, style, accuracy, and length.
Author's Agreement
After an article is accepted for publication, writers must submit a signed author's agreement. Manuscripts become the property of Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek. This means they may be used in print or online by any Gannett Healthcare Group publication or website. Articles in our magazines cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission from the publisher. Click here to download the author's agreement.
Submission Checklist
- E-mail the article in Microsoft Word format to your regional editorial director.
- Include a one-sentence bio for each author.
- Do not place page numbers or automatic headers in the document.
- Use generic medication names, not brand names.
- Double-check the spelling of all proper names.
- Remember your audience. Whenever possible, quote nurse experts in your manuscript.
- Consult recent nursing literature (no more than 3 years old) to ensure accuracy.
- Submit your manuscript with a cover letter to only one publication at a time.
