Reviewers of journal articles are pivotal to the growth and scrutiny of nursing knowledge, to the encouragement of nurse researchers, entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators and to the reputation of nursing journals.

Their role is a responsible and an enjoyable one. While the reviewer scrutinises articles received and advises the journal editor on their merit, they enter into a constructive dialogue with the authors as well, helping them to explain their ideas. Reviewers learn from authors too, examining alternative views, arguments and evidence that might augment the body of nursing knowledge available.

So why review journal articles for RCNi?

Ideas offer little, until they are shared.

Knowledge

Nursing knowledge isn’t static so editors place reviews with subject experts who are keenly aware of the issues and debates, the latest research and practice developments in their field of practice. If you have expertise in one or more fields, you can help an editor judge whether an article is credible, and whether it addresses issues that are pertinent today and in the anticipated future.

Skills and application

Nursing is a profession founded on knowledge and skills. Research evidence has to be interpreted, evaluated and applied. Case studies in practice, audit of healthcare and reflective practice about how nurses achieve a goal or bring about a therapeutic outcome can all generate valuable articles that can be published through the RCNi journals. So, if you are passionate about working nursing knowledge and the development of relevant skills, your contribution to article reviews can be considerable.

Attitude

Many of the most important debates in nursing concern attitudes and values. Nursing works where research evidence, human expectations and economic demands meet, and so is associated daily with ethical, cultural and resource decisions. For this reason, if you have a keen appreciation of such matters, if you work in areas where these issues are regularly tackled, you can contribute to the review of articles submitted.

Synthesis and understanding

An article works only when it is well conceived, appropriately structured and explained with a proposed readership in mind. No matter how brilliant the research, innovation or practice development, this avails the journal readership little unless the article is cogent and intelligible. So editors value reviewers who understand how best to explain nursing developments, to narrate what has been done and what this signifies. Review work of this kind is vital in our continuing professional development articles, but important too across the range of what RCNi publishes. Reviewers aren’t copy editors, but they do ensure that an author’s article is clear before it moves to the copy edit stage.

Ideas offer little, until they are shared. Before they can be shared, they must be evaluated and clarified. As a journal article reviewer, you have the potential to improve the work and the reputation of nurses.

Become a reviewer

To become a reviewer for articles in our journal, please contact the journal editor.