Publication syndicates: In support of nursing scholarship

BACKGROUND: Within the university sector, one's corporate worth is, to a great extent, measured by research output, including refereed publications. Currently, only 7% of nurse academics publish each year. If nurses are to be competitive in the university arena and close the research-practice gap, they must be encouraged to publish. METHOD: This article examines publication rates within nursing, explores the role publication syndicates can play in supporting manuscript development, and offers a case study on the development of a publication syndicate within a School of Nursing at Griffith University, Australia. RESULTS: Syndicate members increased their publication rates two-fold, engaged in additional collaborative ventures, and demonstrated a renewed interest in writing for publication. DISCUSSION: Case study results confirmed that publication syndicates can decrease manuscript development time, increase the quality of work, influence productivity, and support collaborative faculty activities