Author Guidelines
Information for AuthorsThe editor of Nursing Research welcomes manuscripts of relevance and interest to those concerned with the conduct or results of research in nursing. Send manuscript and computer disks to Molly C. Dougherty, PhD, RN, FAAN, Editor, Nursing Research, CB# 7460 Carrington Hall, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460 (e-mail: m_dougherty@unc.edu). Manuscripts may also be submitted online to: handfing@email.unc.edu.
• Editorial Purposes. The editorial purposes of Nursing Research are to: report research, that contributes to the knowledge base of the discipline of nursing and that provides a better understanding of human responses to illness and the promotion of health; serve an educational function through presenting reports and critiques of methodology and research design; and stimulate for ideas and exchange of information about nursing research and practice. Selection of articles for publication is based on their contribution to knowledge, value of method, significance of findings, and relevance to contemporary nursing.
•General Information. It is understood that submitted manuscripts are prepared specifically and solely for Nursing Research. It is advisable to precede submission with an e-mail message (or letter) of inquiry to the Editor describing the article. Accepted manuscripts become the property of Nursing Research and may be reproduced in other publications in whole or in part only with the permission of Nursing Research. Nursing Research has exclusive rights to the article and to its reproduction and sale in all countries. If aspects of the research are reported elsewhere, include a copy of the publication(s).
Nursing Research reserves the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity, style, and space requirements. Declined manuscripts are not returned; therefore, authors should retain at least one copy. Nursing Research reserves the right to edit all manuscripts to its style and space requirements and to clarify the presentation. Before publication, proofs of edited copy are submitted to the author(s) who are responsible for checking the accuracy of the material. Authors will receive a few tear sheets of the article and may order reprints with order forms sent at the time of publication.
• Preparing the Manuscript. Submit a disk and four double-spaced copies of the manuscript. Online submissions are encouraged and should be sent as a single Word attachment. Prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Ed). Full-length manuscripts report completed research and are limited to 14-16 typewritten pages. Methodology manuscripts describe innovative aspects of the research process and are limited to 8 typewritten pages. Brief manuscripts feature limited, critical studies; cutting-edge ideas; well-done pilot studies; or studies with limited samples but important results-these are limited to 8 typewritten pages.
Nursing Research is concerned that the rights and dignity of all subjects involved in research be protected. No manuscript is considered for publication unless it contains an explicit statement in this regard.
Keep titles short, and use descriptive headings to indicate division of the article. Generally, addenda and appendices are not used. Acknowledgments should be limited to key contributors and placed immediately after the title page. Prepare references, tables, and figures according to the APA Manual (5th Ed). Do not include personal communications and unpublished material in the references. We will not accept more than 40 references. Tables and figures are printed only when they express more than can be done by words in the same amount of space.
• Abstract. Precede the abstract with the title of the manuscript. Prepare a structured abstract with the following sections (include these headings):
Background: Summarize the literature review in one sentence, demonstrating the need for this study.
Objectives: Clearly state the main question or hypothesis of this study in one sentence.
Methods: Describe the study design, participants, and measurements used in a few sentences.
Results: Describe the main results in a concise paragraph. This section should be the most descriptive. Note levels of statistical significance and confidence intervals were appropriate.
Conclusion(s): Make conclusions based only on the reported results. Describe any further study needed.
Key Words: The indexers use MeSH guidelines to index articles. Provide 2-3 key words; be very specific in your word choice. Use MeSH key words when possible. Visit the following website for further information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/ meshhome.html
• Anonymous Review. Manuscripts are reviewed anonymously by members of an expert panel. The decision with regard to publication is based on the reviews. Authors should not identify themselves in the manuscript other than on the title page, which is removed before review.
• Submitting Your Manuscript on Computer Disk. Include all material for your manuscript in one computer file. The file should be organized in the following order: (a) title page, (b) abstract, (c) main text, (d) references, (e) figure legends, and (f) tables. Do not indicate placement of figures or tables in the text-the copy editor will automatically place your figures and tables as near as possible to their first mention. Use the word wrap feature of your word processing program.
Do not spend time overformatting your manuscript. Following are some Dos and Don'ts regarding manuscript formatting:
Do enter lists as single columns.
Do use your word processing features to indicate bold, italic, superscript, and subscript text for emphasis or in a mathematical equation.
Don't use bold, italic, underline or other type effects for headings.
Don't use all capital letters for a heading; use initial caps instead.
Don't attempt to center text for headings.
Don't use double spaces after sentences; use single spaces instead.
Don't use multiple spaces to set up columns or tables; use tabs instead.
Don't use special characters to indicate bullets for list items.
Don't justify your text.
Whichever word processing program and platform you are using save your file as Word for Windows 6.0. Word 97 users: The name of the file should be no longer than eight characters, the extension should be exactly three characters, and there should be only one dot in the file name.
The copies of your submitted manuscript should match exactly what is on the disk. On the disk label, indicate the primary author' s name, the manuscript name, and the date. Put your disk in a protective disk mailer or it will most likely be destroyed by the mail system.
If you would like to submit art electronically, the images may be sent as a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or as an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file in Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe Photoshop®, or QuarkXpress®. A laser proof must accompany the electronic art that is being submitted on disk.
