Submitting a manuscript to a journal involves a number of processes that must be strictly adhered to for an individual to be successful. Initially, one must identify an appropriate professional journal, which ensures higher chances of acceptance. Afterward, understanding the author’s guidelines is crucial to certify that the publication will conform to the standards. With the title and abstract reflecting the content of the paper, it can form the right first impression on the journal editors.
Proofreading the entire manuscript for errors in grammar, structure, and clarity projects a professional image of the writer. Once the manuscript undergoes the peer review process, comments presented must be seriously taken by the author. Ultimately, revisions encompassing either major or minor changes to the manuscript can be fully addressed (Shaikh, 2016). The biggest obstacle in this process involves the selection of the appropriate publication journal which would be suitable for the manuscript. A mistake at this stage would require a restart of the tedious process of submission. Once all these steps are concluded, an author can finally wait for acceptance or rejection of the manuscript in the desired journal.
The article is quantitative since it uses statistical methods such as univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to determine the relationships among the variables. Moreover, the study uses a longitudinal research design since it follows the respondents over a period of years to measure the same variables of the analysis. The research questions are:
- What are the associations between maternal smoking and overweight among school-aged children?
- What are the mother and offspring characteristics which affect children’s weight?
The role of research lies in providing new insight, data, and information on a particular area. Therefore, the strengths of this research lie in its quest to add literature to the subject based on the available information. The limitations of the study included the lack of data on factors such as genetics, dietary intake of children, and parental weight status. Furthermore, the nature of the participants used in the study raises questions about selection bias since they volunteered as participants (Wang et al., 2012). Consequently, this makes it difficult to generalize the results to the entire United States because the respondents may not be a representative sample of the entire population. The sample selection, therefore, plays an essential role in determining the applicability of the study on a large scale.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) in health care takes into consideration research, expertise, and patient preferences analyzed over an extended period. Through this process, health practitioners can, thus, determine the proper course of action when undertaking their regular delivery of care to patients. As a result, health care providers can make informed decisions based on scientific research. Additionally, it provides a learning experience, whereby nurses can know about new protocols and progress on a particular subject in the medical field.
Ultimately, using EBP increases positive patient outcomes in healthcare organizations, thus, improving satisfaction rates. Reliable evidence-based sources include randomized controlled trials, descriptive and qualitative research, scientific principles, and expert opinions from experienced members of the medical fraternity (Black et al., 2015). These provide up-to-date information that can be used in treatment procedures, thus, improving patient outcomes through the use of EBP.
References
Black, A. T., Balneaves, L. G., Garossino, C., Puyat, J. H., & Qian, H. (2015). Promoting evidence-based practice through a research training program for point-of-care clinicians. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(1), 14-20. Web.
Shaikh, A. A. (2016). 7 steps to publishing in a scientific journal. Elsevier Connect. Web.
Wang, L., Mamudu, H. M., & Wu, T. (2012). The impact of maternal prenatal smoking on the development of childhood overweight in school-aged children. Paediatric Obesity, 8(3), 178-188. Web.