Based on our experiences at the University of Kentucky, the manuscript option dissertation is clearly a win-win situation from every angle. Other doctoral programs may find this approach invigorating. The ultimate benefit is the rapid dissemination of new knowledge to healthcare professionals for application to practice.
Peer review of manuscripts for potential publication has become an intrinsic component of the scientific process, and is aimed at improving the manuscript's quality through unbiased, independent, and critical assessment by experts who are not on the journal's staff (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 2003).

