Author Guidelines
Purpose

CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing is designed as a forum for communication among nurses who use computers. As a refereed journal, CIN is a vehicle for the publication of high-quality, relevant, and timely articles on a variety of topics related to the use of computers in and application of computer technology to contemporary nursing practice, education, research, and administration. Articles in CIN are selected to reflect the diversity of computer hardware, software, and applications that nurses use in their work to provide current and useful information to a broad audience of readers.
Manuscript Development

Although not required, authors are encouraged to submit query outlines of potential articles. Feedback and advice about the topic will be given. E-mail queries are acceptable and encouraged. Write to the Editor at Leslie@medesk.com.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Three copies of the manuscript should be sent to:

Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN
Editor-in-Chief, CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing
10A Beach St, Suite 2
Portland, ME 04104
Tel: (207) 553-7750
Fax: (207) 553-7751
E-mail: Edit@medesk.com

Note that the disk copy must include the identical file that produced the printed copies. On the disk label, include the file name and the word processor used to prepare the manuscript. If the manuscript includes figures or tables, include these as separate files, one table or figure per file. To name the files, use the following convention:
  1. Choose a descriptive word from the title. Do not use your first or last name.
  2. For the manuscript, use the descriptive word, followed by mss, followed by the file type after a period.
  3. For tables or figures, use the descriptive word, followed by tab1 (for Table 1), or fig1 (for Figure 1), then the file type after a period. If there are multiple tables or figures, number them consecutively.
For example, a recent article in the journal was titled Using Online Learning in a Traditional Face-to-Face Environment. It included 3 figures and 1 table. The files on the disk could have had the following names:
  • Facemss.doc (for the manuscript with abstract and references, in Microsoft Word format)
  • Facefig1.tif, Facefig2.TIF, and Facefig3.TIF (for the figures, in TIFF format)
  • Facetab1.doc (for the table, in Microsoft Word format)
An Authorship Responsibility, Financial Disclosure and Copyright Transfer form must accompany the manuscript. This form is available upon request from the CIN Editorial Office in hard copy or electronic (.RTF) form. The corresponding author will be notified by e-mail upon receipt of the manuscript. If you wish to receive a hard copy acknowledgment, please indicate this in the cover letter and enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. For return of the original manuscript after the review process, enclose a self-addressed manuscript-sized envelope with sufficient postage affixed. Every effort will be made to notify the corresponding author of a decision regarding the manuscript within 8 to 12 weeks of receipt.

It is acceptable to submit the electronic copies of the manuscript as an attachment to an e-mail and mail the required hard copy elements under separate cover. In the event you elect to do this, please include the following on the subject line of the e-mail: CIN Mss: (include a descriptor). In addition, please include a cover e-mail indicating that this is a manuscript for consideration for CIN and additional elements will be coming via snail mail. Because of virus concerns in attachments and in the editorial office, we do not open attachments that are not clearly identified as to purpose and source. Send e-mail submissions to Edit@medesk.com.

MANUSCRIPT REVIEW

CIN is a refereed journal. Published manuscripts have been reviewed, selected, and developed with the guidance of our manuscript reviewers and Editorial Board. Manuscript content is assessed for relevance, accuracy, and usefulness to nurses and their immediate associates. Manuscripts are reviewed with the understanding that neither the manuscript nor its essential content has been published or is under consideration by others.

EDITORIAL DECISIONS

After review, the typical editorial decisions regarding disposition of the manuscript are: (1) accept, (2) tentatively accept pending revision and approval by the Editor, (3) revise and resubmit for re-review, or (4) reject. In the event that revisions are necessary, the corresponding author will be notified of any pertinent deadlines in a cover letter.

AUTHORSHIP RESPONSIBILITY

All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Each author should have participated significantly to the conception and design of the work and the writing of the manuscript and be willing to take public responsibility for it. The Editor-in-Chief may request justification of assignment of authorship. Names of those who contributed general support or technical help may be listed in an acknowledgment.

MANUSCRIPT SPECIFICATIONS

Manuscripts must be typewritten or printed on one side of good quality, 8.5 3 11-inch or A4 paper with 1-inch margins. Dot matrix or draft printing of computer-prepared manuscripts is not acceptable. Double-space all pages, including the title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, and references. Do not use justification or proportional spacing on the text. Do not hyphenate words at the end of lines. Number pages consecutively beginning with the abstract page. Include a running head (50 or fewer characters) at the top of each page to identify the manuscript. The running head must not contain any author names, initials, or other identifying information.

Each manuscript must contain the following elements:

Title Page. The title page should include the title of the manuscript, author name(s) and affiliation(s), and the running head. In addition, the title page should identify one author as the corresponding author, including name, mailing address, preferred telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. The title page will be removed from the manuscript before review.

Biography, Information, Acknowledgments. This page should include a brief biographical paragraph about each author (maximum 75 words), providing information about the article, such as where the work was done, whether the work was supported by a grant or other source, and/or the meeting, if any, at which the paper was presented. Acknowledgments can also be included as separate paragraphs on this page. Include a running head but do not number this page.

Abstract. Include a concise 100- to 150-word summary of the article. In addition, identify up to 5 key words that can be used to describe and index the article. Use MeSH (National Library of Medicine) headings for key words whenever possible. Include a running head and number the abstract as page 1.

Text. Nonresearch papers should begin with a brief introduction followed by the body of the paper. Use headings and subheadings as appropriate to divide the text. Research papers should be in standard format. In both cases use the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, 9th ed, for references. Manuscripts should be 15-18 pages, including abstract and references. Figures and tables do not count in the page total. As a general rule, an 18-page paper should have no more than 4 figures or tables. Tables and figures should be placed in the back of the manuscript after references. Tables must be numbered consecutively with Arabic numbers (Table 1, Table 2, etc) and have a title at the top. Figures and tables must be cited in numeric order in the text.

Figures and Tables. Authors have the option of submitting artwork electronically using the following guidelines. Images may be submitted electronically as either a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file in Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe PhotoShop®, or QuarkXPress®. If art is more than one color, each figure must be saved in its own file with registration marks and trapping. At the present time, CIN uses black-and-white artwork only, and authors are encouraged to supply graphics in black and white or grayscale. A laser proof must accompany electronic art submitted on disk.

References. Cite each reference numerically in the text in parentheses or with a superscripted number. The list of references is placed at the end of the manuscript and typed double-spaced. References are cited consecutively by number and listed in citation order in the reference list. Follow the guidelines in the AMA Manual of Style (9th ed) for format.

The following are examples of a journal and book reference. Refer to the AMA manual for other formats and more detail.

Journal
1. Snyder-Halpern R, Hoyman K. Clinical information system implementation. Challenges across two merged hospitals. Comput Nurs. 2001;18(4):157-161.

Book
1. Nicoll LH. Nurses' Guide to the Internet. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000.

EDITING

The Editor of CIN reserves the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and syntax. Substantive changes of any nature will be verified with the corresponding author before publication.

PERMISSIONS

Written permission must be obtained from (1) the holder of copyrighted material used in the manuscript, (2) persons mentioned in the narrative or acknowledgment, and (3) the administrators of institutions mentioned in the narrative or acknowledgment. Where permission has been granted, the author should follow any special wording stipulated by the grantor. Letters of permission must be submitted before publication of the manuscript. The author(s) is responsible for paying any permission fees that may be incurred.

INDEXING

CIN is indexed in CINAHL, International Nursing Index, MEDLINE, and Social Science Citation Index.



Copyright Statement • Privacy Policy