The Journal of School Nursing2024, Vol. 40(6) 591–592© The Author(s) 2024Article reuse guidelines:sagepub.com/journals-permissionsDOI: 10.1177/10598405241267016journals.sagepub.com/home/jsn
I still hear my nursing professor’s voice:“Nursing requires lifelong learning.” Now, so many years later, this is truer than ever. With technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and fast-paced evidence-based practice changes, staying up to date in nursing is a challenging and exciting endeavor. One way to engage in the learning process is to serve as a reviewer for a peer-reviewed journal, especially in publications closely related to your own specialty in nursing.
While peer reviewers are critical to the journal submission process, the rewards for the reviewer are equally important and fulfill even the most seasoned practitioners, scholars, or educators’ quest for continuous learning. For me, learning is multifaceted and serving as a peer reviewer is one piece of my learning blueprint.
In the last decade, the science of nursing has been moving at an accelerated pace. As a reviewer, it is exciting to read and examine school nursing’s various research trajectories, new nursing care interventions, outcomes of nurse-led models of care, or the implementation of quality improvement processes. Due to the rigor of The Journal of School Nursing and other scholarly journals, even if the manuscript requires major revisions, as a reviewer, I can still develop a broader understanding of the emerging scholarly work of fellow school nurses and school nurse researchers. At other times, the manuscript may not be a new topic but presents an innovative approach to the research or investigation, recruitment strategies, or an expansion of previous work.
Besides the immediate learning about a new topic, examining various manuscripts over time has expanded my critical thinking. I use guiding questions, such as: Is the research approach novel? Does the recruitment process make sense based on the target population? Does the instrument or process answer the questions at hand? Like critical thinking in nursing care, serving as a reviewer requires critical thinking and judgment based on what is already known, what the expert reports (i.e., the author), and your own assessment.
In addition to learning from my own reviews, I appreciate receiving blind summaries of the other reviewers.These summaries sometimes validate my own assessment and, at other times, foster a new way to examine the next manuscript. For example, I might have focused on the topic of interest and conclusions but neglected to critically appraise the implications for school nursing or whether the manuscript advances the body of science. By examining my own reviews in the context of my peers’ reviews, I have learned to hone my knowledge of the appropriate manuscript types for a particular journal as well as direct my attention to new topics, new populations, novel strategies, and applications to practice which may stretch the body of literature available to practitioners in the field.
I also have found that reviewing manuscripts advances my writing skills. The consistent and conscientious review of manuscripts helps me recognize overly wordy articles or, at the other end of the spectrum, articles missing critical components. I have learned over time to write as though the topic is new to the reader while respecting the audience who will be reading it. For example, if I am describing a research methodology, I might be very explicit. Or, if the topic is well known to the audience (e.g., the school nursing shortage), I might only highlight the current status vs a more elaborate description. I have also learned that word limits and formats matter and can make or break the acceptance of a publication. If a journal requires a certain format, such as APA (American Psychological Association, 2020); it is up to me to find the best-formatting resource to avoid unnecessary rejection or major revisions. These resources might be a program that automatically formats citations (caution: they are not foolproof and still need your eye) or a particularly helpful internet site, such as the APA Style Blog (2024). Finally, I have learned that reviewing my own work with the same rubric that a journal might use helps me streamline and improve my writing. Once I finish writing, I put it aside for a brief period, and then come back to it with my “reviewer” hat and edit away.
The final critical element in the equation is to genuinely appreciate and enjoy the peer-review process. Although peer-reviewing is only one avenue for lifelong learning, it certainly contributes to the process in meaningful ways. So, jump in, create an account, and become a reviewer for The Journal of School Nursing at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/josn (Scholar One, 2024) and other scholarly journals that would benefit from a school nursing perspective. You might be surprised at your own strengths, critical thinking skills, and expertise. You can always decline an opportunity to review, but my guess is that once you engage in the process, you will be hooked.
Cheryl Resha, EdD, MSN, RN, FNASN, FAAN School of Nursing, Southern Connecticut State University,New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Cheryl Resha https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9043-8094
Cheryl Resha: Conceptualization; Writing – review & editing.
American Psychological Association (APA). (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
American Psychological Association (APA). (2024). APA style blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog.
ScholarOne. (2024). The Journal of School Nursing: Create an account. https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/josn.
Cheryl Resha is a Professor Emerita at Southern Connecticut State University, a member of the CT Board of Examiners for Nursing, and a former State School Nurse Consultant. Cheryl continues to consult in the field of school nursing and is the coeditor of the School Nurse Resource Manual and Legal Resource for School Health Services.
