Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing (DCCN) invites clinical experts to join us as a peer reviewer. As a reviewer, you will evaluate submitted manuscripts and provide suggestions to new and experienced authors presenting papers on critical and acute care topics in 4 dimensions: clinical, education, leadership, and research. Reviewers are needed to evaluate clinical and nonclinical topics including quality and safety, healthcare policy, healthcare administration and leadership, organization change healthcare informatics, patient and family issues, and future trends for critical care. Manuscripts may also address contemporary topics in healthcare transitions and new technology.
The charge of reviewers is to evaluate the quality, relevance, and clinical application of submitted manuscripts. Comments should be as complete and detailed as possible and contain clear opinions about strengths, weaknesses, relevance, and importance to the reader. Reviewers need not rewrite material, but serve as developmental editors. Review guidelines are provided within the electronic submission and editing system. Comments should be specific and constructive. All suggestions should be intended to enhance or clarify the paper.
A blinded peer-review process directs that manuscripts be sent to at least 2 reviewers with expertise in the subject. Reviewers assess the article on criteria such as significance to critical care, timeliness, quality of research, and quality of writing. Reviewers then make recommendations to reject or accept the article or suggest revisions and direct comments that will be helpful for the author's revision. Reviewers may be asked to review an average of 2 to 3 articles per year.
New reviews will be offered training on our electronic site. Tutorials are provided to educate new reviewers about the electronic review process. Additionally, reviewers may choose to view tutorials addressing author submission. Reviewers communicate directly with the editor-in-chief, through the electronic system, e-mail, and phone. Our goal is to be accessible and responsive to our expert reviewers.
We have recently added a new benefit for our peer reviewers!
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins is delighted to announce the initiation of a program for awarding continuing education CNE/CME credits for peer review. These may be awarded for the physician AMA PRA Category 1 credit or for nursing ANCC contact hours, or both, if appropriate. For specific types of articles as selected by the editor, you may be eligible to earn several continuing education credits.
To earn the credits, you will need to answer a series questions at the end of the peer-review form and obtain an acceptable review score from the editor.
Reviewer commitments require that all peer reviewers
* agree to return manuscripts in a timely manner, that is, typically a 15-day timeframe;
* agree not to distribute manuscripts under review or to disclose information within the manuscript;
* agree to be released as a reviewer after 2 refusals or failures to review, or 3 late reviews; and
* agree to use electronic editorial management system for reviews.
If you are interested in serving as a reviewer, please e-mail Kathleen Ahern Gould, PhD, RN, at [email protected] and include the following documents with your message:
* a current resume or curriculum vitae;
* a list of areas of expertise/focus that will help assign appropriate articles for review;
* a brief statement describing practice area, clinical experience, and/or previous peer-review/editing experience and why he/she is interested in reviewing for DCCN.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Kathleen Ahern Gould, PhD, RN
Adjunct Faculty
William F. Connell School of Nursing
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts