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Writing a Feature Article: Not All Articles Are Alike

Article  in  Nurse Author & Editor · February 2003

DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-4910.2003.tb00519.x · Source: PubMed

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Luc R Pelletier
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Writing a Feature Article: Not All Articles Are Alike
Luc R. Pelletier, MSN, RN, BC, CPHQ
Although the novice author's primary
goal is to write a manuscript that is ac-
cepted, the experienced author may have
a different goal—to write a feature arti-
cle. Not all articles are the same. Editors
and reviewers see many "acceptable"
articles, but few outstanding, feature
ones. It takes special emphasis by the au-
thor on both the topic and style to write a
manuscript that is selected as a feature
article for the journal. The author of this
article, an experienced editor, describes
the characteristics of a feature article
and how it differs from others in his jour-
nal.
Once a manuscript has been accept-
ed, the editor has to decide how it will be
presented in the journal. Manuscripts that
are selected to be feature articles have
unique characteristics, which are de-
scribed below.
Identify Feature Characteristics
Feature articles in most nursing jour-
nals are longer than other articles, ad-
dress an issue more in depth, and provide
a broad perspective of a particular issue.
For example, a feature article for the
Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ) is
a full-length piece that highlights the ap-
plication of quality management and im-
provement principles to a healthcare set-
ting.
Although each editor looks for
something slightly different based on the
journal's style and readership, all editors
are on the lookout for manuscripts that
can be featured in an issue. The sidebar,
How Editors Select Feature Articles, de-
scribes several editors' viewpoints.
A feature article typically addresses
a topic of special interest to the journal's
readers. Feature articles for JHQ can also
address conceptual issues about the art
and science of healthcare quality. In
JHQ, the manuscript that will be printed
as a feature is usually 10 to 20 double-
How Editors Select Feature Articles
A feature article should be timely,
cogent, and compelling. By defini-
tion this means it should be extreme-
ly well written and take up issues
that matter to the discipline. Ideally,
a feature article raises as many
questions as it answers and helps
frame our agendas—policy, practice,
education, or research.—Judith B.
Krauss, RN, MSN, FAAN, Editor,
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.
My idea of a feature article is some-
thing new and needed that offers
something extra. I look for cutting
edge technology, an update on re-
search-based practice changes, new
strategies for pressing issues such
as staffing and nursing shortages, or
a high-risk topic that offers clinical
practice standards. Current exam-
ples for critical-care journals include
left ventricular assist, multi-organ
donor end-of-life care, complex
physiology patients, ways to interpret
and operate the new work environ-
ment, and budget neutral ideas for a
strained healthcare environment. I
would expect a feature article to be
more in-depth, longer, and include
something unique, like a chart com-
paring research, or clinical trials, or
something useful in a condensed
form. It should tie in with a topic that
is hot, such as a rapid tool for triage
in disaster or guidelines for a staff
mix that includes new graduates and
advanced-practice nurses. A feature
article could be a kickoff to a new
topic or a solution to a chronic issue.
Some features provide something
the reader can use immediately,
such as guidelines for modeling new
standards. It could also offer continu-
ing education credit.—Kathleen Ah-
ern Gould, RN, MSN, CORN, Con-
sulting Editor (Emeritis) for Critical
Care Clinics of North America and
Editorial Board Member of Dimen-
sions of Critical Care Nursing.
• Feature articles in Outcomes Man-
agement are usually innovative proj-
ects that readers can use regardless
of where they practice. If the manu-
script is a research report, we look
for a quality study with strong impli-
cations for nursing practice. We of-
ten designate the feature article as
our continuing education offering be-
cause it provides new information for
readers.—Marilyn H. Oermann, PhD,
RN, FAAN, Editor of Outcomes Man-
agement.
• A feature article must be at the fore-
front of new or innovative ideas. It
should be complete, concise, and
clear in covering the topic, and it
must speak directly to the readers of
the journal. A complete manuscript is
one that has a beginning, middle,
and end and fully explains the major
idea or concept presented. A manu-
script that has clear writing is one in
which ideas are presented logically,
the flow leads the reader in a consis-
tent way, the topic does not wander,
and ideas are presented in an easily
understandable manner. In short, it
should be interesting enough to
catch the reader's attention.—Nancy
Girard, PhD, RN, FAAN, Editor,
AORN Journal.
 Mi2063 Nurse AtttKor&Editof
spaced pages long and cites literature
throughout to support the major themes
or propositions. A full reference list and
other resources like Web sites, book lists,
and additional readings, are often includ-
ed.
In comparison, shorter articles, such
as JHQ's "Brief Reports" and "Quality
Stories," are typically only 10 pages long
and describe tools used successfully in
various healthcare settings.
Study Feature Articles
Prospective authors can study the
format of feature articles in a journal by
distinguishing them from the other arti-
cles. Some clues identify feature articles,
even if they aren't specifically labeled as
"features." For example, in JHQ, feature
articles are listed first and in larger type
in the table of contents. At least two of
the feature articles are offered as continu-
ing education (CE) opportunities. Read-
ers can read the article and complete a se-
ries of questions online at the journal's
Web site (www.nahq.org/journal) to ob-
tain CE contact hours.
Focus on Style
Sometimes a manuscript topic is
good enough to be selected for a feature,
but the manuscript needs more work to
reach that level. Here, editors and re-
viewers play an important role in guiding
the author to a revision of feature quality.
For example, authors often submit arti-
cles in which they have conceptualized
projects, yet they have not fully imple-
mented them and do not have data to sup-
port what they think they'll uncover
when the projects are completed. We typ-
ically tell these authors to wait until the
data have been collected and analyzed
prior to revising and resubmitting the
manuscript.
Frequently, clarity is another issue.
The article should make sense, have a
good flow, provide conclusions support-
ed by the data and literature, and add to
the healthcare-quality knowledge base.
There are instances in which the authors
need to "tighten up" the content, that is,
remove lengthy tables and graphs and
consolidate some of the information to
View publication stats
enhance readers' understanding of the
material. Table 1 provides eight tips for
writing a feature article.
When an author asks about the pre-
ferred page length of a feature article, I
typically tell her or him not to worry
about the length, just focus on telling a
coherent story. We can always cut extra-
neous content.
Features should be crisp and clear.
Readers should be able to find additional
information on the topic if they so
choose. Also, readers should be able to
replicate studies and research in their
own settings by using the feature article
that they have just read as a blueprint.
Table 1.
Tips for Writing Feature Articles
• Present information in a manner
that is easy to read and under-
stand.
• Give examples or use case studies
to illustrate your points.
• Be clear and concise; offer practical
advice and lessons learned.
• Focus on helping readers improve
their skills and their organizations'
quality, performance, outcomes, ef-
fectiveness, and/or efficiencies.
• Use headings within the text to aid
comprehension. To divide the arti-
cle into sections, insert succinct,
meaningful subheadings into the
text.
• Include visual devices such as bul-
lets, lists of information, and side-
bar information.
• Support conclusions with data or ci-
tations from the scientific/profes-
sional literature.
• Limit historical review of the litera-
ture unless an historical review is
the focus of the article.
Reprinted with permission from Pelletier, L.
R. (2001). Information for authors. [Online].
Journal for Healthcare Quality. From
http://www.nahq.org/journal/pdf/jhq_info_
4_authors.pdf. Copyright 2003 Journal for
Healthcare Quality.
Conclusion
Manuscripts that meet the character-
istics of a feature article are sometimes,
but not always, printed rapidly. If a spe-
cial-topic issue is planned, articles rele-
vant to that topic may be published prior
to others. If a topic is extremely timely,
our editorial team may move it up in the
production cycle. For example, the recent
focus on patient safety and the Institute
of Medicine reports prompted us to pub-
lish some manuscripts early.
Now, if I could get my hands on
some articles related to Six Sigma in
healthcare settings, I'd be a happy man!
Those would probably be published
quickly because Six Sigma is a hot topic.
Author Background
Luc R. Pelletier, MSN, RN, BC,
CPHQ, is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jour-
nal for Healthcare Quality, a bimonthly,
peer-reviewed journal of the National
Association for Healthcare Quality. Mr.
Pelletier is a healthcare consultant in
Washington, DC.
Manuscript
Submitted Elsewhere
Question
I saw a presentation at a conference
on an interesting topic, so I approached
the author and said I would like to pub-
lish something on the topic in a journal
column that I edited. She agreed. Over
the next year, I worked closely with her
on what to include in it, sent a basic out-
line, and spent several more hours on
other material that I planned to coordi-
nate with it. The writer kept in touch with
me, but despite promising that she was
working on it, she never sent the manu-
script to me. I called her a few times, but
I had to let it go after a while.
A few months later, I saw the article
in the same format that we agreed upon
in another journal. I didn't know what to
do. I was surprised and hurt and won-
dered if this was some kind of breach of