Writing for publication: publish or perish?

Abstract

Infection control practitioners (ICPs) play an integral role in improving the quality of health care through preventing and controlling infection. To succeed, they rely on the availability of research evidence for the measures they put in place. Evidence based practice is completely reliant on the availability of published work; unless we publish the findings of our research, we are unable to advance our knowledge and improve our practice. This article aims to encourage ICPs to contribute to the body of evidence by familiarising them with the process of writing for publication. The role of publishing in knowledge growth and practice improvement is discussed, and the process of preparing and submitting an article for publication is described. Practical information is provided on choosing a topic, choosing a journal to submit to, deciding on a format, writing effectively for an audience and what to expect from the peer review process. To expand knowledge and move forward, ICPs must not only enquire and examine, they must publish.