Medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals' perceptions of publishing in academic journals

Purpose To explore medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals' perceptions of publishing in academic journals. Methods Using a descriptive survey approach, a random sample of American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) members was invited to share their experiences with publishing, including motivating factors, perceived challenges, and support measures to benefit new writers. Percentages and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results There were 261 completed responses analyzed for this study. The majority (141, 54%) of the participants thought it was very important to publish in academic journals; however, only 26 (10%) of the participants indicated that they had published an article in an academic journal. Of the remaining 235 participants, 42 (17.9%) stated that they were interested in publishing an article in an academic journal. Discussion Participants who had publishing experience were motivated by personal satisfaction and gratification, and participants who expressed an interest in publishing indicated they would be motivated to do so by having an improved understanding of the publication process. Both groups indicated that lacking the time to write was the greatest perceived barrier to publishing. In addition, participants who had published thought writing with an experienced author would be most beneficial to new authors, while participants who were interested in publishing thought attending a technical writing workshop would be most beneficial to new writers. Conclusion To increase the number of published articles in the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession, organizations like the ASRT should consider establishing or increasing programs that support medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals in their writing and publishing endeavors.