Elements of Nursing Journals
Identifying whether a journal is a nursing journal is easier than you think. Consider these factors:
1. Author(s)
Who was the article written by? What are their credentials? Was the article written by a nurse? A physician? An anesthesiologist? The author of the article will often indicate the perspective of the article, because that is their expertise.
2. Publication
Nursing journals often have the word "nursing" in the title; however, that is not always the case. Look up information about the journal by searching for the journal's name in Google and visiting their website and "about" page.
3. Content
Nursing journals focus on information pertinent to nursing practices and patient care. Additionally, the information will be presented in a way that emphasizes nursing experiences, studies, and impacts on nursing processes and practices.
4. Audience/Purpose
Scholarly journals are written by professionals in the field for other professionals in that field. This is true of nursing journals. They are written for other nurses, because they have a different focus than other medical professionals. Evidence-based practice for nurses are found specifically in nursing journals because the information is researched by nurses to improve nursing practices and patient care.
5. Citations
Take a look at the references at the end of the article. Although they do not NEED to be from nursing journals, if none of the resources are from nursing journals, that may well be a red flag.
Nursing Journal & Scholarly Source Comparison
Nursing journals are a kind of scholarly journal. This table breaks down the elements that identify them.
|
Identifier |
Scholarly Sources |
Nursing Journals |
|
Author |
Experts in a subject of study, like a Ph.D., researcher, or other scholar with educational credentials & professional affiliations |
Most commonly a nurse or nursing professional (e.g. RN, MSN, CNP), but could also be another medical professional |
|
Citations |
Always present, with footnotes and/or a bibliography |
Will likely include other nursing or nursing-related sources |
|
Review Process |
Peer review or refereed process wherein other scholars evaluate the content, format, grammar, and language |
The lead editor and editorial board will consist mostly of nurses or nursing professionals, but can also include other medical professionals
The group or organization responsible for publishing the journal could be a nursing association |
|
Content |
Original research Theory Practice Reviews of other scholarly material |
Nursing theory Nursing practice Evidence-based practice Patient care Current topics/opinions/events in nursing |
|
Language |
Very technical, it is usually assumed that the reader is familiar with such language |
|
|
Purpose |
To make information available to the rest of the scholarly world and to make theoretical and practical advancements in their field |
Information targeted toward nurses and nursing professionals |
|
Visual appearance |
Few frills (like pictures or glossy pages), articles may include graphs or tables, no ads |
|
Extra Tips for Finding Identifying Information
Search for the article titles below and answer the questions:
Articles:
Here are some nursing journals that may be relevant for your research. This is not a comprehensive list of nursing journals.
Video Attribution: UMass Dartmouth Library Services
Index, abstracts, and full text of the literature of nursing and allied health.
Video Attribution: National Network of Libraries of Medicine [NNLM]
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