| |
International Journal of Nursing Studies - Guide for Authors
The International Journal of Nursing Studies provides a
forum for publication of scholarly papers that report research findings, research-based reviews, discussion papers and commentaries which
are of interest to an international readership of practitioners, educators, administrators and researchers in all areas of nursing, midwifery
and the caring sciences.
Papers should address issues of international interest and concern and present the study in the context
of the existing international research base on the topic. Those which focus on a single country should identify how the material presented
might be relevant to a wider audience and how it contributes to the international knowledge base. Selection of papers for publication
is based on their scientific excellence, distinctive contribution to knowledge (including methodological development) and their importance
to contemporary nursing, midwifery or related professions.
The Guidelines are separated into the following sections:
•
Pre-submission considerations
• Types of Paper considered for publication
• Preparation of the Manuscript
•
Manuscript Layout
• Documentation required at submission stage
• Post-acceptance
PRE-SUBMISSION
CONSIDERATIONS
Authors should submit to the journal online via the journal's home page or at  http://ees.elsevier.com/ijns
. You will be guided through the creation and uploading of the various files, including the Author
Checklist. Once the uploading is done, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used
for reviewing. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by e-mail.
Submitted papers should be relevant to an international audience and authors should not assume knowledge of national practices, policies,
law, etc. Authors should consult a recent issue of the journal for style if possible. Since the journal is distributed all over the
world, and as English is a second language for many readers, authors are requested to write in plain English and use terminology which
is internationally acceptable.
All authors will be required to complete Parts 1 and 2 of the Author
Checklist during the submission process to assist them in ensuring that the basic requirements of manuscript submission
are met, including details of the roles of funding sources and any conflicts of interest. The Author
Checklist is designed to be a self-assessment checklist to assist authors in preparing their manuscript.
Submission
Declaration
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of
an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that
its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and
that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent
of the copyright-holder.
Other/multiple and parallel publications
The journal seeks to publish original papers that make
a substantial novel contribution. Generally the generous word limits of the IJNS permit authors to publish all aspects of a study within
a single paper. However we recognize that this is not always possible. Please see our editorial on multiple papers from single studies
and duplicate publication http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.07.003. In order to aid editorial decisions about distinctiveness
and to avoid inadvertent duplication please upload copies of all previous, current and under review publications from this study and
/ or give full detail in the Author Checklist.
All
published and in press accounts of the study from which data in this paper must be referred to in the paper and the relationship between
this and other publications from the same study must be made clear. It is not sufficient to simply cite a prior publication - the text
must state that results are from the same study. Citation of publications 'in press' is acceptable, provided that full detail is given.
If other publications are under review or in preparation this should be mentioned in your letter to the editor and you should give
an undertaking that you will take all possible steps to ensure subsequent publications contain a reference to your IJNS publication if
you are successful. The study should be referred to by a distinctive name which will be used in any future publications to identify that
it as the same study.
Ethical approval
All studies must be conducted to a high ethical standard and must adhere to local
regulations and standards for gaining scrutiny and approval.
The work described in your article must have been carried out in accordance
with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm,; EC Directive 86/609/EEC for animal experiments http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/legislation_en.htm.
This must be stated at an appropriate point in the article.
For information on Ethics in Publishing and Ethical guidelines for journal
publication see http://www.elsevier.com/authorethics and http://www.elsevier.com/ethicalguidelines. The approving
body and (if relevant) approval number should be identified in the Author
Checklist.
Trial or other study registration
We encourage the prospective registration of studies. Where a study has been registered please give the number in your Author Checklist
(e.g. ISRCTN) and include the registration number within the title, abstract or body of the paper as appropriate.
Role of the
funding source
You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation
of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation
of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such
involvement then this should be stated. Please see http://www.elsevier.com/funding
Funding Body Agreements and Policies
Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier,
to comply with potential manuscript archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing
agreements and policies please visit http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies
Contributors & Acknowledgements
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition
of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content,
(3) final approval of the version to be submitted.
Each author is required to declare his or her individual contribution to the article.
Roles for all authors should be described in your covering letter. In this letter you must make a true statement that all authors have
approved the final article and acknowledge that all those entitled to authorship are listed as authors.
All those individuals who
provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proofreading the article, etc.) that do not meet
criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the paper.
Conflict of interest
All authors must disclose any financial
and personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential
conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations,
and grants or other funding. See also http://www.elsevier.com/conflictsofinterest.
English Language Service
Please write your text in good English. Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission
please visit http://www.elsevier.com/languagepolishing or our customer support site at http://epsupport.elsevier.com
for more information. Please note Elsevier neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside
vendors through our services or in any advertising. For more information please refer to our Terms & Conditions: http://www.elsevier.com/termsandconditions
Review Process
The decision to publish a paper is based on an editorial assessment and peer review.
Initially
all papers are assessed by an editorial committee consisting of 2 or more members of the editorial team. The prime purpose is to decide
whether to send a paper for peer review and to give a rapid decision on those that are not.
Editorials and Commentaries may be accepted
at this stage but in all other cases the decision is to reject the paper or to send it for peer review. Papers which do not meet basic
standards or are unlikely to be published irrespective of a positive peer review, for example because their novel contribution is insufficient
or the relevance to the discipline is unclear, may be rejected at this point in order to avoid delays to authors who may wish to seek
publication elsewhere. Occasionally a paper will be returned to the author with requests for revisions in order to assist the editors
in deciding whether or not send it out for review. Authors can expect a decision from this stage of the review process within 2-3 weeks
of submission.
Manuscripts going forward to the review process are reviewed by members of an international expert panel. All such
papers will undergo a double blind peer review by two or more reviewers, plus a member of the Associate Editorial Board. We aim to complete
this process within 8 weeks of the decision to review although occasionally delays do happen and authors should allow at least 12 weeks
from submissions before contacting the journal. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to the final decision regarding acceptance.
Queries
For questions about the editorial process (including the status of manuscripts under review) please contact the editorial
office ijns@kcl.ac.uk . For technical support on submissions please contact http://epsupport.elsevier.com
CONSIDERATIONS SPECIFIC TO TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGNS
The editors require that manuscripts adhere
to recognized reporting guidelines relevant to the research design used. These identify matters that should be addressed in your paper.
These are not quality assessment frameworks and your study need not meet all the criteria implied in the reporting guideline to be worthy
of publication in the journal. The checklists do identify essential matters that should be considered and reported upon. For example,
a controlled trial may or may not be blinded but it is important that the paper identifies whether or not participants, clinicians and
outcome assessors were aware of treatment assignments.
You are encouraged (although not required) to submit a checklist from the
appropriate reporting guideline together with your paper as a guide to the editors and reviewers of your paper.
Reporting guidelines
endorsed by the journal are listed below:
Observational cohort, case control and cross sectional studies - STROBE - Strengthening
the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Quasi-experimental/non-randomised
evaluations - TREND - Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Non-randomized Designs http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Randomised (and quasi-randomised) controlled trial - CONSORT - Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Study of Diagnostic accuracy/assessment scale - STARD - Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Systematic Review of Controlled Trials - PRISMA - Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Systematic Review of Observational Studies - MOOSE - Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology http://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032
Qualitative researchers might wish to consult the guideline listed below:
Qualitative studies - COREQ - Consolidated
criteria for reporting qualitative research. Tong, A., Sainsbury, P., Craig, J., 2007. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative
research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 19
(6), 349-357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/intghc/mzm042
TYPES OF PAPERS CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION
The IJNS publishes original research, reviews, study and discussion papers. In addition we publish editorials and commentaries on
existing content with the journal. Where a case is made we will also publish protocols of studies.
Editorials - 1,000-2,000 words
Authors who have ideas for editorials which address issues of substantive concern to the discipline, particularly those of a controversial
nature or linked directly to forthcoming content in the journal, should contact the Editor in Chief (ijns@kcl.ac.uk)
Research Papers - 2,000-7,000 words
Full papers reporting original research can be a maximum of 7000 words in length, although
shorter papers are preferred. Research papers should adhere to recognised standards for reporting (see Author
Checklist).
Reviews and Discussion Papers - 2,000-7,000 words
• Reviews, including:
-
systematic reviews, which address focussed practice questions;
- literature reviews, which provide a thorough analysis of the literature
on a broad topic;
- policy reviews, i.e. reviews of published literature and policy documents which inform nursing practice, the
organisation of nursing services, or the education and preparation of nurses and/or midwives;
• Book Review Articles,
i.e. papers which provide a critical discussion of an aspect of nursing with reference to two or more recent publications on a similar
topic. The Editor-in-Chief welcomes proposals for book review articles, and may also commission them.
• Discussion Papers,
i.e. scholarly articles of a debating or discursive nature.
Short scale development reports - up to 1,500 words + 5 references
Short reports of up to 1,500 words and 5 references, reporting the development and or psychometric testing of a scale and including
a copy of the full scale so it can be published in full. If authors wish to retain copyright - they can do this by simply marking it
as copyright to them / their institution and saying it is reproduced with permission.
Comments and commentaries - 500-1,500 words
Designed to stimulate academic debate and discussion the Editor invites readers to submit commentaries (up to 1500 words) or short
comments (about 500 words) on papers published in the IJNS. Contributions that are of general interest, stimulating and meet the standards
of scholarship associated with the Journal may be selected for publication in a commentary section or as a standalone contribution. Contributions
should be submitted as in the usual way.
Protocols of controlled intervention studies and systematic reviews - up to 2,500 words
Authors should make a case for publication of the protocol in which they should state the trial registration number (if any) and
when the findings are due to be reported.
PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT
(please refer to the Author
Checklist for further guidance on preparing your manuscript).
Submitted papers should be relevant to an international
audience and authors should not assume knowledge of national practices, policies, law, etc. Authors should consult a recent issue of
the journal for style if possible. Since the journal is distributed all over the world, and as English is a second language for many
readers, authors are requested to write in plain English and use terminology which is internationally acceptable.
Abbreviations
- Avoid the use of abbreviations unless they are likely to be widely recognised. In particular you should avoid abbreviating key concepts
in your paper where readers might not already be familiar with the abbreviation. Any abbreviations which the authors intend to use should
be written out in full and followed by the letters in brackets the first time they appear, thereafter only the letters without brackets
should be used.
Statistics - Standard methods of presenting statistical material should be used. Where methods used are not
widely recognised explanation and full reference to widely accessible sources must be given.
Exact p values should be given to no
more than three decimal places.
Wherever possible give both point estimates and confidence intervals for all population parameters
estimated by the study (e.g. group differences, frequency of characteristics)
Identify the statistical package used (please note
that SPSS has not been "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" for many years).
Informed consent - Where applicable
authors should confirm that informed consent was obtained from human subjects and that ethical clearance was obtained from the appropriate
authority.
Permissions - Permission to reproduce previously published material must be obtained in writing from the copyright
holder (usually the publisher) and acknowledged in the manuscript.
Word limits - Our experience suggests that all things being
equal, readers find shorter papers more useful than longer ones. Given this, and competition for space in the Journal, shorter papers
of between 2,000 and 3,500 words are preferred. However, full papers may be up to 7,000 words in length, plus tables, figures, and references.
Ordinarily there should be no appendices although in the case of papers reporting tool development or the use of novel questionnaires
it is usual to include a copy of the tool as an appendix.
Exceptions - Authors of any manuscripts that do not comply with
these restrictions should make preliminary enquiry to the Editor-in-Chief before submitting the manuscript.
Permissions -
Permission to reproduce previously published material must be obtained in writing from the copyright holder (usually the publisher) and
acknowledged in the manuscript.
Informed consent - Where applicable authors should confirm that informed consent was obtained
from human subjects and that ethical clearance was obtained from the appropriate authority.
MANUSCRIPT LAYOUT
Title - The title should be in the format 'Topic / question: design/type of paper' and identify the population / care setting
studied.
(e.g. The effectiveness of telephone support for adolescents with insulin dependant diabetes: controlled before and after
study).
Abstract - Abstracts should be less than 350 words, and should not include references or abbreviations.
Abstracts
of research papers must be structured and should adopt the headings suggested by the relevant reporting guidelines (see below).
In general they should include the following Background; Objectives; Design; Settings (do not specify actual centres, but give
the number and types of centre and geographical location if important); Participants (details of how selected, inclusion and
exclusion criteria, numbers entering and leaving the study, relevant clinical and demographic characteristics); Methods; Results,
report main outcome(s) / findings including (where relevant) levels of statistical significance and confidence intervals; and Conclusions,
which should relate to study aims and hypotheses.
Abstracts for reviews should provide a summary under the following headings, where
possible: Objectives, Design, Data sources, Review methods, Results, Conclusions.
Abstracts for book review articles
and discussion papers should provide a concise summary of the line of argument pursued and conclusions.
Key Words
- Provide between four and six key words in alphabetical order, which accurately identify the paper's subject, purpose, method and focus.
Use the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) thesaurus or Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) headings where possible
(see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html).
Statements of:
• What is already known about the topic?
• What this paper adds?
Required for all papers (with the exception of Commentaries) is a clear summary of 'What
is already known about the topic?' and 'What this paper adds' identifying existing research knowledge relating to the specific
research question / topic and a summary of the new knowledge added by this study
Under each of these headings, please provide
clear OUTCOME statements in the form of two or three bullet points for each. Do NOT give process statements of what the paper
does.
eg. This review demonstrates that nurse-led intermediate care reduces hospital stay but increases total inpatient stay (outcome)
NOT This review considers the impact of nurse-led intermediate care on acute stay and total inpatient stay (process).
References
- No more than three references should be used to support a single idea. Avoid citation of personal communications or unpublished material.
Citations to material in press (i.e accepted for publication) is acceptable. Citation of material currently under consideration elsewhere
(e.g. "under review" or "submitted") is not.
All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list
of references following the text of the manuscript. In the text refer to the author's name (without initials) and year of publication
(e.g. "Since Peterson (1993) has shown that?" or "This finding is supported by results obtained later (Kramer, 1994)").
For three or more authors use the first author followed by "et al.", in the text.
The list of references should be arranged
alphabetically by authors' names. References should be given in the following form:
Arthur, D., Sohng, K.Y., Noh, C.H., Kim, S.,
1998. The professional self concept of Korean hospital nurses. International Journal of Nursing Studies 35 (3), 155-162.
Barnes,
B., Bloor, D., 1982. Relativism, rationalism and the sociology of knowledge. In: Hollis, M., Lukes, S. (Eds.), Rationality and Relativism.
Basil Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 21-47.
Dijkstra, A., Buist, G., Dassen, Th.W.N., 1996. Nursing-care dependency: development and psychometric
testing of the NCD-scale for demented and mentally handicapped in-patients. In: Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Conference of the WENR,
Research on Nursing throughout the Lifespan, vol. 1. Ekblad & Co, Vastervik, pp. 117-126.
Gower, B., 1997. Scientific method:
an historical and philosophical introduction. Routledge, London.
Web references
- As a minimum, the full URL should
be given. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given.
Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in
the reference list.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED AT SUBMISSION STAGE
Manuscripts must be electronic files.
You will need to prepare the following files for submission:
Covering letter - to the editor in which you detail authorship
contributions and other matters you wish the editors to consider.
Title page - Include full name, job title, highest academic
and professional qualification and institution for each author. Indicate an e-mail address for the corresponding author. Include acknowledgements
to key contributors.
Author Checklist
Manuscript
- The manuscript with a font size of 12 or 10 pt double-spaced with wide margins (2.5 cm at least) and numbered pages. Depending on the
paper type this should include the title, abstract, key words, "what the paper adds", text, references, tables, figure legends,
figures, appendix.
Table and figures - There should be no more than five tables and figures in total and included in a separate
file. All tables and figures should be clearly labelled. If your manuscript includes more than 5 tables in total, or for very large tables,
these can be submitted as Supplementary Data and will be included as such in the online version of your article.
File formats
- General points
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Save text in illustrations
as "graphics" or enclose the font.
• Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times, Symbol.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork
files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
• Submit each figure as a separate file.
A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions
Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as"
or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone
combinations given below):
• EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
• TIFF:
color or grayscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
• TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum
of 1000 dpi.
• TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
•
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please supply "as is".
Please do not:
• Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document.
• Supply
files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low.
• Supply files that are too
low in resolution.
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.
Appendices - Ordinarily
there should be no appendices although in the case of papers reporting tool development or the use of novel questionnaires authors must
include a copy of the tool as an appendix unless all items appear in a table in the text.
POST ACCEPTANCE
Proofs
One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author (if we do not have an
e-mail address then paper proofs will be sent by post) or, a link will be provided in the e-mail so that authors can download the files
themselves. Elsevier now provides authors with PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader version
7 (or higher) available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions on how to annotate
PDF files will accompany the proofs (also given online). The exact system requirements are given at the Adobe site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrsystemreqs.html#70win.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form)
and return them to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason, this is not possible,
then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and return by fax,
or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness
of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage
with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore, it is
important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as
inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed
with the publication of your article if no response is received.
Offprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will
be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a
cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use. Additional paper offprints can be
ordered by the authors. An order form with prices will be sent to the corresponding author.
Copyright
Upon acceptance
of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (for more information on this and copyright see http://www.elsevier.com/copyright). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding
author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this
agreement.
Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation
within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other
derivative works, including compilations and translations (please consult http://www.elsevier.com/permissions). If excerpts
from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s)
in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: please consult http://www.elsevier.com/permissions.
|
| |
|
