Publishing in professional journals, part I: getting started.

Publishing in professional journals is a challenging and rewarding experience. By sharing their expertise and experiences through journal articles, nurses contribute to the body of literature that ultimately helps improve the health care system, the nursing profession, and care of patients and their families. The focus of this article is to help nurses implement strategies to get started in the process of publishing journal articles. Topics include facing excuses for not writing, implementing strategies to get started, and executing a plan for the manuscript.