research

LabArchives Tips (1): Setting Up Your Notebook

LabArchives provides a series of five articles to get you started with their lab notebook tool.  This is the first in the series.  All information is taken directly from the tutorials they send by email to new users.

It’s All About The Set-up

When it comes to transitioning to LabArchives from paper notebooks or even other digital tools, we provide you with several options. Is your lab working on one or more projects? Is it a small lab, or do you have a large number of members? Do you have a regular change in lab members (e.g. graduate students)? Learn more about your set-up options.

We Like Hierarchies

LabArchives uses a standard file system of Folders to organize your laboratory information. Each folder may contain any number of “sub-folders.” There is no limit to the number or levels of sub-folders. Learn more…

LabArchives Blog

LabArchives Video Tutorials

iThenticate

Are you looking for a way to screen your manuscripts and other scholarly works for content that may be too similar to other published material?  OSU subscribes to iThenticate, a service similar to TurnItIn that is built specifically for research and other documents that faculty and staff might create. Avoid accidental plagiarism by running your documents through this service provided by the Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP).  Read more from the ORRP and log in to iThenticate.

Training materials: http://www.ithenticate.com/training

FAQ: http://www.ithenticate.com/products/faqs#ithenticate

Using Social Media to Promote Nursing Science

Mention social media to a room full of nurses and nurse educators and you may just see a collective cringe shudder through your audience.  From HIPAA to hospital liability and everywhere in between, social media may feel like a minefield to those in our line of work.  While there are lots of resources out there to tell you what not to post online as a nurse, we think it’s equally important to know how proper use of social media can benefit you, your colleagues, and society as a whole.

In this Huffington Post article, Mona Shattell and co-author Monica McLemore discuss the changing demographics of the nursing profession and its implications for nurses’ involvement on social media. Like other fields of science, nursing science is finding its footing in the world of Twitter, where researchers can disseminate information far and wide, potentially reaching diverse audiences across the globe.

The potential benefits of using social media to advance nursing science abound– these platforms allow for quick postings, hashtags that bring attention to issues and help organize posts, and connections to other researchers or interested parties who may never have crossed paths with the nursing researchers without the help of social media.

If you would like to explore social media as a vehicle to share your nursing research and scholarly work, this AACN webinar recording is a great place to begin. Read the session description and use the link below to access the recording. One hour of CE is available!

How to Use Social Media to Promote Nursing Science
“You’ve completed the research, presented your findings at a scientific conference, AND published your research results in a high-impact journal. In the past, this was considered to be the complete checklist for dissemination of science – but now there’s social media. This session will provide guidance for developing your social media plan as a means to build a professional network, monitor news items from our professional organizations and other media outlets, promote programs and services, and even find new funding and publishing opportunities. Advanced users can use social media as a means to become a thought leader in areas of expertise, influence policy, and inform the public; all by being a part of the conversation.”


View the webinar, and comment below if you decide to establish your professional presence in the world of social media! Note: you will need to enter your name and email address to view the webinar, but it is free and available to the public.

Summer 2016 Scholarship Circle

You will have a manuscript to submit for publication by the end of this summer!  Let us know if you are interested in joining the Scholarship Circle this summer.

Our College of Nursing Scholarship Circle is shaping up to be an exceptional opportunity for faculty to find inspiration and motivation for creating a manuscript for publication.  Cindy Anderson, Joni Tornwall, and Kerry Dhakal are working to build an agenda packed with materials and information that will spark your imagination and make you eager to put words on paper.  You’ll hear from guest speakers who have a wealth of real-world experience in nursing scholarship, and you’ll be immersed in a supportive group of peers who will help keep you on track with benchmarks and feedback.  You’ll have a manuscript you will be proud to submit for publication by the end of the summer!

Tentative Agenda:

Week 1 May 18 Why We Do Write, Why We Don’t Write

Role of Scholarship and Roadblocks to Writing

Cindy Anderson, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNAP, FAHA, FAAN
Week 2 May 25 Get Started

Writing Strategies from Successful Authors
Week 3 June 1 Focus your Topic

Speak to your Audience and Purpose

Susan J. Henly, PhD, RN, FAAN
Week 4 June 8 Outline your Manuscript

Create a Framework

Mary Beth Happ, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN
Week 5 June 15 Choose a Journal

Understand Scholarly Impact

Kerry Dhakal, MAA, MLS, AHIP
Week 6 June 22 Write a First Draft

Tell your Story

Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, FAAN
Week 7 June 29 Avoid Writer’s Block

Step Away from the Distraction

Nancy Lowe, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Week 8 July 13 Revise and Finalize

Tie it All Together and Submit

Lois Marshall, PhD, RN

Sandra Meadows and Ellen Patricia (ORRP)
Week 9 July 20 Respond to Feedback

Revise and Resubmit

Vicki Conn, PhD, RN, FAAN
Week 10 July 27 Reflect and Move Forward

Focus Group

Kerry Dhakal, MAA, MLS, AHIP

The Scholarship Circle meetings will consist of 10 sessions over 10 weeks (skipping the week of July 4).  They will be on Wednesday afternoons, 1:00-2:30 p.m., in CarmenConnect.

Who is the audience for this round of the Scholarship Circle?

This Scholarship Circle is for practicing nurses in the clinical and academic setting at OSU who want to publish a scholarly manuscript.  This round of the Scholarship Circle is primarily created for nursing instructors and working advanced practice nurses who are affiliated with OSU.  Nine-month faculty in the CON are welcome.

Do I have to attend all of the sessions?  Will they be recorded?

The guest lectures will be recorded, but the segments during which participants are interacting with each other will not be recorded.  You do not need to be at all sessions, but attendance will help keep you on track with your writing goals.  You will need to commit to writing each week and providing feedback to a peer each week.

Does this involve group work?  I know what to do; I just need motivation.

Yes, you will be working with at least one peer, and the expectation is that you will write something each week to contribute to the group experience.  You’ll get feedback from your peers, and you’ll provide feedback also.  Group work and exchanging feedback with peers is an important part of accountability to your writing goals.  The primary objective is for everyone to have at least one manuscript suitable for submission to a journal or other public outlet by the end of this summer.

I may not know enough to join this group.  Or, I may be further along in my writing knowledge than the rest of the group.

Participants in the Scholarship Circle will have a wide range of experience with writing and publishing.  We’ll make a strong effort to pair you with someone who has a similar publishing history as you do and who shares similar goals.  Regardless, Kerry (your library liaison) and I will do everything we can to see that you get the feedback and motivation you need.  Our guest lecturers will present information that may be new to you, no matter what phase of writing you are in, and Kerry will present information about scholarly metrics that very few people understand well in the context of The Ohio State University.

How do I sign up?

Go to http://go.osu.edu/scsurvey to indicate your interest.  You will hear from me (Joni Tornwall) around May 1 with more information about registration and getting started in the Scholarship Circle.

Who do I contact for more information?

You may contact me, Joni Tornwall(.2), with any questions.

Joni Tornwall, MEd, RN Manager of Instructional Services
The Ohio State University College of Nursing
Newton 347B | 1585 Neil Ave. | Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6804

Basics of writing research abstracts, proposals, and small grants

Pearls of wisdom from the STTI 43rd Biennial Convention

I’m wrapping up my series of blog posts on the pearls of wisdom I plucked from the STTI 43rd Biennial Convention with this summary of Lois Marshall’s presentation titled,

“Research Abstracts, Proposals, and Grant Writing: Basics from Start to Finish”

Lois is a nurse education consultant and writer extraordinaire who explained that the most important element of a successful proposal for anything is a great idea.  Clarify your goals for your project, no matter what it is, and communicate how your project will make a difference to your stakeholders.

Take a careful look at what has already been done and written about your idea and get really comfortable with how you can build or improve on that.  Create a strong case for the reasons you should be funded/chosen/published.

Read and follow–to the letter–the guidelines and requirements!  One would think this would go without saying, but many proposals are rejected because simple directions were not followed.  Keep your proposal sections within the word limits.

Lois covered the common components of a proposal, which are basically a formula for writing your idea in a conventional format.  She provided very useful tips for each component; for example, she described how to write a good title for your project and provided examples of good titles and problematic titles.

Lois recommended applying for small grants, especially if you don’t have a history of being awarded for large grants or if you are changing your career trajectory.  She pointed out that STTI has several small grant opportunities and encouraged anyone who meets the eligibility requirements and has an idea to advance the practice of nursing to apply.

Lois kindly gave her permission for me to share her PowerPoint presentation with OSU College of Nursing faculty members.  If you are interested in knowing more, contact me, or attend the Flash Friday session I will offer in the spring semester on this topic.

Brutus and nurses at STTI 43rd Biennium

Sigma Theta Tau grant funding for nursing education research

Pearls of wisdom from the STTI 43rd Biennial Convention

Promoting nursing research and funding new nursing researchers through grants is an important mission for STTI. Are you interested in studying how your instructional innovations are impacting your students? Consider these grants from this prominent honor society in nursing:

STTI offers many other grant opportunities. If you would like to explore them, review their grants web page for details. Application deadlines occur throughout the year, and requirements vary. I would be happy to explore the funding opportunities with you to find out which one is a good fit for the project you have in mind.