“In my role as an associate editor, I truly felt like I was bringing the voices of nurses who were new to oncology or new to writing forward. I was able to provide a venue for those oncology nurses who also wanted to bring forward some of the cool quality improvement projects that they were working on. I was really happy to share that knowledge through this role, so that all the other institutions can learn and maybe implement some of those solutions,” Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN®, charge nurse at Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Delnor in Geneva, IL, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during about her experience volunteering as a peer reviewer and associate editor for the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON).

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 

The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of NCPD by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge related to the role of a peer reviewer and associate editor for an ONS journal.

Episode Notes 

• The NCPD activity for this episode has expired, but you can still earn NCPD through many other ONS Podcast episodes. Find a full list of opportunities.
• Volunteer Opportunities on ONS Communities
  • Open Call for CJON Peer Reviewers
  • Open Call for Oncology Nursing Forum Peer Reviewers
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 73: Overcoming Challenges as a New Nurse Author
  • Episode 25: How Publishing Can Advance Your Nursing Career – Part 2
  • Episode 24: How Publishing Can Advance Your Nursing Career – Part 1
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Publish Your First Article With ONS Voice
  • The Power of Peer Review: With a Little Professional Polish, Your Work Will Shine
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing resources:
  • For Authors
  • Peer Review
  • CJON Writing Mentorship Program
• Oncology Nursing Forum resources:
  • For Authors
  • Peer Review
  • Upon Further Review: Peer Process Vital to Publishing
• ONS Career Development Learning Library
• ONS Resources for Book Authors and Editors
• ONS Books Peer Review

To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To find resources for creating an Oncology Nursing Podcast™ Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library.

To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email [email protected].

Highlights From This Episode

“I review an article for relevancy and accuracy, score the article, provide detailed comments and feedback on sections that need improvement or the sections that look wonderful and can go straight to publishing. After that, I submit the article to the editor. You have to meet the deadlines that are given. So, I could say an article on an average takes me about one to two hours to review, which is not bad. And you’re given about three or four days to review an article, so it’s very attainable.” TS 7:23

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to be picked for the associate editor position because I did not have any prior experience when I applied. But then soon after I applied, I got a call from the editor of CJON that she had reviewed my resume, she had reviewed my application, and she would love for me to join the team. She couldn’t see me on the call, but I was jumping up and down.” TS 9:24

“It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and I promise it will help you at some point in your career or your personal life. Whether you’re helping to lead a project at work or helping your child to write a paper for school, it’s going to come in handy; I promise you.” TS 17:00

“I feel like one of the biggest common misconceptions is [that volunteering as a peer reviewer] is a lot of work and it’s boring. That’s what I hear some of the nurses say. I disagree with that. I feel like it’s a lot of fun, and it’s rewarding, and it’s a great opportunity. I feel like everybody should try it.” TS 18:47