Nurses, especially our younger generation, are on a quest to reach the top of their career having achieved the highest level of academic attainment available to them. Furthermore, nurses have a responsibility to provide excellent person-centered, evidence-based hospital or community-based healthcare.

However, despite the acknowledgement that evidence-based nursing practice is expected, nurses seem to struggle with reporting, by way of publishing journal articles, research conducted. The reasons for the dearth of research publications, especially from Africa-based nurses, are constantly debated. One reason, cited especially by Journal Editors who are eager to publish articles submitted by nurses from Africa, is the quality of manuscripts received. In most instances the research conducted is of excellent standard yet the quality of the submitted paper is beyond the scope of journal’s editing capacity and thus rejected. This is an unfortunate cycle, not only for the journal but more so for the people who were eager to share their work with others.

When I learned about the Web of Science mentorship program I immediately enquired into the possibility of being included in the program. I strongly believe it is vital to provide a platform to those who are novices, or even experienced, in reporting their research through the art of scientific writing. Research is fascinating. The meticulous investigations, precision of stating research questions and how research results lead to the next research question made the world of research come alive for me the past 26 years. Furthermore, clinical health research is a team sport. The interconnected nature of the different disciplines to produce the end results of the study make research always interesting. I believe it is from this context that scientific writing should come alive for those wanting to share their research conducted. It is a skill and art to be cultivated.

The mentorship program, however, will not only provide the mentee with training and support. Although I have been involved in conducting research the past 26 years, culminating into almost 20 publications, some in high impact journals, and having reviewed a couple of articles, I have no doubt that I will likewise benefit from the Web of Science mentorship program. Reviewing a manuscript comes with a responsibility to the journal and to the authors. I see this responsibility as doing justice to both through being skillful at reviewing. Through the mentorship program I know I will develop additional skills with regards to reviewing articles.

Elize Pietersen, Editorial Board, Primary Healthcare Research & Development