Writing for publication: a case study

Writing for publication is an important part of professional practice in the health care professions. It is one way of reflecting on and improving practice, and writing skills developed through the publication process may enhance practitioners' ability to communicate more broadly. This article describes a method of teaching writing for publication skills to a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals. It outlines a step-by-step process for writing and illustrates three ways for health care professionals to work towards achieving publication: (i) adopting new writing behaviours, (ii) developing support networks for writers and (iii) overcoming external barriers to writing. This article concludes by suggesting that, in what is an increasingly important area for health care professionals, managers should incorporate writing for publication in their planning of staff development and in clinical time allocation.