EDITORIAL
I write, therefore, I cite: Why and how tools can help the author Nurse practitioners (NPs) are beholden to the scholarly works of others. From the time as a student with formal course papers through the time of practice and into the time of authorship, the knowledge gained from those before us has shaped our thinking and decision making and has directly influenced our work. As professionals, NPs are expected to be effective stewards of the profession by continually refining and advancing knowledge and practice. The written work, along with other forms of scholarship, provides the foundation from which NPs can accomplish such refinement of knowledge and the advancement of practice. This editorial highlights the importance of citing the works of those before us and provides an overview of some of the tools that NPs can use in scholarly pursuits.
Why cite There are many reasons, some obvious and others not so obvious, about why authors cite, or reference, past work of other scholars. In fact, because of the many reasons and approaches, there is an absence of a single uniform set of rules about when, how often, and where to place citations in written work. Given this absence, opportunities abound for controversy and the risk of ethical misconduct escalates. Rather than rank-order the reasons, readers should consider the following as some of the reasons why meticulous citation practices are essential to scholarship. The act of citing allows readers to assess your work in the context of current knowledge. In using the citation, the original source retains the value of the initial intellectual property’s contribution to the field; the newly created work becomes a reflection of the present author’s knowledge built upon the work of others. Outside reviewers and other readers can obtain the original work and ensure that the present work is an accurate extension of knowledge. In using citations, the author is able to provide sufficient evidence for the argument or position. Such citations also extend some credibility of the author, making the work more valuable to others (Day & Gastel, 2011), in that the references reflect the depth and breadth of effort undertaken by the author. Likewise, the proper use of citations helps to avoid research misconduct and violation of the rights of the original author (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National
Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Another reason for accurate citations is to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism, the practice of using the works of others as one’s own work, is a violation of the ethical and legal standards adhered to in publishing (American Psychological Association, 2010); such avoidance is mandatory in educational settings as well. To avoid any suspicion of plagiarism, authors reference key thoughts, facts, and findings when there is an original source. Reviewers do not suspect authors of plagiarism when commonly understood and accepted statements are made without citations (e.g., The world is round.). Authors must be comfortable with paraphrasing to further minimize unintentional acts of plagiarism. Judy Hunter, Director of Writing Lab at Grinnel College, offers another important reason for the use of citations. From her works, it is easy to interpret that knowledge is like a family tree. Being able to trace the genealogy within knowledge would not be possible with accurate documentation of the original contributors to such knowledge (Hunter, n.d., p. 2). Thus, when authors use citations correctly, authors are fulfilling the stewardship role of the body of knowledge within the discipline.
Tools Style guides determine the proper format of a citation. For the nursing profession, the American Psychological Association (APA) is among the most commonly used style guides. Many colleges and schools of nursing follow the APA style guide for assignments and other written works. Style guides ensure that elements of a citation are not only complete, but also expressed in a consistent manner. Such consistency aids in retrieval of cited documents and in the review. Style guides can also reflect current practices in publishing (American Psychological Association, 2010). JAANP has adopted APA, sixth edition, as the style guide for manuscripts. Authors should be keenly aware of the value of accurate citations. Authors can utilize a variety of approaches to ensure compliance with all required elements of the citation. Authors can create a manual reference list using index cards (attached to the article or filed in a box), by typing the complete citation in a spreadsheet or document, or in the oldest way, writing by hand. The advantage to having an accurate list rests in the usefulness
C 2014 The Author(s) Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 26 (2014) 177–178
C 2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners
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Editorial
of the list in subsequent works, thus saving the author valuable time. Manually maintaining citations is rapidly becoming obsolete given the phenomenal growth of software applications for reference management. Bibliographic software packages, dating as far back as 1984, are now routinely available; some are free, opensource applications, while others require purchase or licensing by the end user. A recent web search found more than 30 products available to help authors manage citations. There can be a learning curve associated with the program’s usage as with all new software packages, but the return on the time investment can have lasting benefits. Some software applications can connect directly to popular databases (such as Pub Med) and directly import citations, thus removing some opportunities for error. Another benefit of bibliographic software is the style of the output. Given the breadth of journals and other opportunities to disseminate knowledge, authors must be familiar with the various stylistic guides required by journals. Most of the software programs allow for the end user to select a predetermined style guide (such as APA, sixth edition). These programs can rapidly reformat the document citations and corresponding reference list to match many other styles such as New England Journal of Medicine, the Chicago style, or simply numbered annotations. Authors can save significant amounts of time through this feature accomplishing revisions or considering other venues of dissemination. Authors who use bibliographic software are responsible for accuracy in the formatting of the citation, be it in text or on the reference list. The use of bibliographic tools does not abdicate the author’s responsibility in knowing form
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and style for submission of school papers, dissertations, or journal manuscripts.
Conclusion Inaccurate, missing, or suspect citations diminish the value of manuscripts or other forms of written work. Journal editors, reviewers, and others hold authors to be not only responsible for works developed, but also accountable for ethical conduct in developing the science. Without a steady supply of new material, the profession is at risk of stagnation. Without the use of citations, the legacy of knowledge could be lost. Using tools currently available, authors are more easily able to contribute to the knowledge base. Rod Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP, FAANP, FAAN Professor, Assistant Director, DNP Program, Western University College of Graduate Nursing, Pomona, California JAANP Editorial Board Member
References American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2009). On being a scientist (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Day, R. A., & Gastel, B. (2011). How to write and publish a scientific paper. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood. Hunter, J. (n.d.). The importance of citation. Retrieved from http://web.grinnell. edu/Dean/Tutorial/EUS/IC.pdf.
I write, therefore, I cite: Why and how tools can help the author Nurse practitioners (NPs) are beholden to the scholarly works of others. From the time as a student with formal course papers through the time of practice and into the time of authorship, the knowledge gained from those before us has shaped our thinking and decision making and has directly influenced our work. As professionals, NPs are expected to be effective stewards of the profession by continually refining and advancing knowledge and practice. The written work, along with other forms of scholarship, provides the foundation from which NPs can accomplish such refinement of knowledge and the advancement of practice. This editorial highlights the importance of citing the works of those before us and provides an overview of some of the tools that NPs can use in scholarly pursuits.
Why cite There are many reasons, some obvious and others not so obvious, about why authors cite, or reference, past work of other scholars. In fact, because of the many reasons and approaches, there is an absence of a single uniform set of rules about when, how often, and where to place citations in written work. Given this absence, opportunities abound for controversy and the risk of ethical misconduct escalates. Rather than rank-order the reasons, readers should consider the following as some of the reasons why meticulous citation practices are essential to scholarship. The act of citing allows readers to assess your work in the context of current knowledge. In using the citation, the original source retains the value of the initial intellectual property’s contribution to the field; the newly created work becomes a reflection of the present author’s knowledge built upon the work of others. Outside reviewers and other readers can obtain the original work and ensure that the present work is an accurate extension of knowledge. In using citations, the author is able to provide sufficient evidence for the argument or position. Such citations also extend some credibility of the author, making the work more valuable to others (Day & Gastel, 2011), in that the references reflect the depth and breadth of effort undertaken by the author. Likewise, the proper use of citations helps to avoid research misconduct and violation of the rights of the original author (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National
Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Another reason for accurate citations is to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism, the practice of using the works of others as one’s own work, is a violation of the ethical and legal standards adhered to in publishing (American Psychological Association, 2010); such avoidance is mandatory in educational settings as well. To avoid any suspicion of plagiarism, authors reference key thoughts, facts, and findings when there is an original source. Reviewers do not suspect authors of plagiarism when commonly understood and accepted statements are made without citations (e.g., The world is round.). Authors must be comfortable with paraphrasing to further minimize unintentional acts of plagiarism. Judy Hunter, Director of Writing Lab at Grinnel College, offers another important reason for the use of citations. From her works, it is easy to interpret that knowledge is like a family tree. Being able to trace the genealogy within knowledge would not be possible with accurate documentation of the original contributors to such knowledge (Hunter, n.d., p. 2). Thus, when authors use citations correctly, authors are fulfilling the stewardship role of the body of knowledge within the discipline.
Tools Style guides determine the proper format of a citation. For the nursing profession, the American Psychological Association (APA) is among the most commonly used style guides. Many colleges and schools of nursing follow the APA style guide for assignments and other written works. Style guides ensure that elements of a citation are not only complete, but also expressed in a consistent manner. Such consistency aids in retrieval of cited documents and in the review. Style guides can also reflect current practices in publishing (American Psychological Association, 2010). JAANP has adopted APA, sixth edition, as the style guide for manuscripts. Authors should be keenly aware of the value of accurate citations. Authors can utilize a variety of approaches to ensure compliance with all required elements of the citation. Authors can create a manual reference list using index cards (attached to the article or filed in a box), by typing the complete citation in a spreadsheet or document, or in the oldest way, writing by hand. The advantage to having an accurate list rests in the usefulness
C 2014 The Author(s) Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 26 (2014) 177–178
C 2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners
177
Editorial
of the list in subsequent works, thus saving the author valuable time. Manually maintaining citations is rapidly becoming obsolete given the phenomenal growth of software applications for reference management. Bibliographic software packages, dating as far back as 1984, are now routinely available; some are free, opensource applications, while others require purchase or licensing by the end user. A recent web search found more than 30 products available to help authors manage citations. There can be a learning curve associated with the program’s usage as with all new software packages, but the return on the time investment can have lasting benefits. Some software applications can connect directly to popular databases (such as Pub Med) and directly import citations, thus removing some opportunities for error. Another benefit of bibliographic software is the style of the output. Given the breadth of journals and other opportunities to disseminate knowledge, authors must be familiar with the various stylistic guides required by journals. Most of the software programs allow for the end user to select a predetermined style guide (such as APA, sixth edition). These programs can rapidly reformat the document citations and corresponding reference list to match many other styles such as New England Journal of Medicine, the Chicago style, or simply numbered annotations. Authors can save significant amounts of time through this feature accomplishing revisions or considering other venues of dissemination. Authors who use bibliographic software are responsible for accuracy in the formatting of the citation, be it in text or on the reference list. The use of bibliographic tools does not abdicate the author’s responsibility in knowing form
178
R. Hicks
and style for submission of school papers, dissertations, or journal manuscripts.
Conclusion Inaccurate, missing, or suspect citations diminish the value of manuscripts or other forms of written work. Journal editors, reviewers, and others hold authors to be not only responsible for works developed, but also accountable for ethical conduct in developing the science. Without a steady supply of new material, the profession is at risk of stagnation. Without the use of citations, the legacy of knowledge could be lost. Using tools currently available, authors are more easily able to contribute to the knowledge base. Rod Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP, FAANP, FAAN Professor, Assistant Director, DNP Program, Western University College of Graduate Nursing, Pomona, California JAANP Editorial Board Member
References American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2009). On being a scientist (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Day, R. A., & Gastel, B. (2011). How to write and publish a scientific paper. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood. Hunter, J. (n.d.). The importance of citation. Retrieved from http://web.grinnell. edu/Dean/Tutorial/EUS/IC.pdf.
