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This guide provides essential information for authors preparing manuscripts for submission to the journal. Authors are encouraged to read this guide carefully before submission and to consult the journal's Aims and Scope, Article Types, Open Access and Fees, and Journal Policies pages where applicable.
The journal publishes scholarly work in nursing science, clinical nursing, community and public health nursing, nursing education, nursing management, patient safety, care quality, implementation science, digital nursing, nursing workforce, long-term care, family and caregiver support, interprofessional care and related interdisciplinary fields.
Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment or peer review. Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee external peer review or acceptance.
Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the work is suitable for the journal and that all required materials are prepared.
Authors should:
read the journal's Aims and Scope to confirm that the manuscript fits the journal's academic focus and target readership;
select the appropriate article type and follow the relevant requirements for structure, word limits, references, tables, figures and supplementary materials;
ensure that the manuscript is original, has not been formally published previously and is not under consideration by another journal;
obtain approval from all authors for the submitted version;
ensure that authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been agreed by all authors before submission;
prepare all required statements, including ethics approval, informed consent, author contributions, competing interests, funding, data availability, clinical trial registration and AI-use statements where applicable;
consider whether patient, public, caregiver, nurse, student or stakeholder involvement should be reported;
follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to the study design;
obtain permission for any third-party material, including figures, tables, images, videos, teaching materials, assessment instruments, questionnaires, care protocols or substantial text reproduced or adapted from other sources;
review the journal's policies on peer review, publication ethics, authorship, research ethics, data availability, use of AI, copyright, licensing and post-publication updates.
Authors who are unsure whether their manuscript is suitable for the journal may contact the Editorial Office with a pre-submission inquiry. A pre-submission inquiry should include the manuscript title, author list, abstract and a brief explanation of the manuscript's relevance to the journal. A positive response to a pre-submission inquiry does not guarantee peer review or acceptance.
Preprints
The journal considers manuscripts that have been posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that the work has not been formally published and is not under consideration by another journal at the same time.
Authors must disclose any preprint at submission and provide the preprint server name, DOI or link where applicable. If the manuscript is accepted, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published article.
Online Submission
Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Authors should create a user account, log in and submit the manuscript following the instructions in the system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.
The maximum file size for individual uploaded files is 50 MB, unless otherwise specified by the submission system.
The journal considers several types of manuscripts. Authors should select the article type that best matches the purpose, design and scope of their work.
Detailed requirements for each article type, including word limits, abstract format, reference limits, figure and table limits and required sections, are provided on the Article Types page.
Common article types may include:
Original Research Article
Reports original research findings based on clinical, community, educational, qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, epidemiological, implementation, workforce or other scholarly research. Original Research Articles should generally include Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections.
Clinical Trial / Nursing Intervention Study
Reports prospective or retrospective studies involving nursing care interventions, patient education, symptom management, care coordination, digital nursing tools, behavioral interventions, community care programs or other nursing-related interventions. Authors should provide ethics approval, trial registration information and intervention details where applicable.
Qualitative Study
Reports research using interviews, focus groups, observation, fieldwork, document analysis, narrative methods, ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology or other qualitative approaches. Authors should describe the research paradigm, sampling, data collection, analysis, reflexivity and strategies used to support credibility and trustworthiness.
Mixed-methods Study
Reports studies that integrate qualitative and quantitative components. Authors should describe the study design, rationale for mixing methods, timing and priority of components, integration strategy and how integration informed interpretation.
Survey Study
Reports questionnaire-based or web-based research involving patients, nurses, healthcare professionals, caregivers, students or other participants. Authors should describe sampling, recruitment, instrument development or validation, response rate, missing data and potential non-response bias.
Nursing Education Study
Reports research on nursing education, clinical teaching, simulation, curriculum development, competency assessment, continuing professional development, faculty development or interprofessional education. Authors should describe the educational context, learner group, intervention, assessment methods and evidence supporting educational validity where applicable.
Quality Improvement / Implementation Study
Reports quality improvement, patient safety, implementation, service improvement or practice change initiatives. Authors should describe the care context, intervention, implementation strategy, outcome measures, sustainability, unintended consequences and limitations.
Review Article
Provides a comprehensive, balanced and critical overview of a defined topic. Review Articles should synthesize current evidence, identify knowledge gaps and discuss future directions.
Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Presents a systematic search, selection, appraisal and synthesis of existing evidence. Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines and provide protocol registration information where applicable.
Brief Report / Short Communication
Reports concise but significant findings that may not require a full-length article. These submissions should present clear methods, focused results and a well-supported conclusion.
Case Report / Case Series
Describes clinically or educationally important cases with relevance to nursing care, patient safety, care coordination, symptom management or professional practice. Written informed consent for publication must be obtained when identifiable patient, caregiver, staff or student information is included.
Protocol
Describes a planned clinical trial, systematic review, implementation study, qualitative study, survey study or other research protocol. Authors should provide registration information where applicable and clearly describe the rationale, design, methods and planned analysis.
Guideline / Consensus
Provides evidence-based or expert consensus recommendations on a specific topic. The methodology for evidence review, panel composition, conflict-of-interest management, consensus development and recommendation grading should be clearly described.
Editorial / Commentary / Perspective
Presents expert opinion, critical discussion or interpretation of current issues in nursing science, clinical nursing, nursing education, health policy or care delivery. These article types are usually commissioned, but unsolicited submissions may be considered at the editors' discretion.
Letter to the Editor
Provides brief comments on articles published in the journal or concise observations of interest to readers.
Manuscripts should be prepared clearly, concisely and consistently. Authors should write for an international scholarly audience and avoid unnecessary jargon, unsupported claims or excessive technical detail that is not essential to understanding the work.
File Format
Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable format, such as Microsoft Word. LaTeX files may be accepted where appropriate. Figures, tables and supplementary materials should be prepared according to the journal's file and formatting requirements.
Title Page
The title page should include:
manuscript title;
full names of all authors;
author affiliations;
corresponding author name, email address and full contact details;
ORCID iDs, where available;
equal contribution or co-corresponding author notes, where applicable;
short running title, if required;
word count, number of figures, number of tables and number of supplementary files, if requested.
Abstract and Keywords
The abstract should accurately summarize the purpose, methods, main findings and conclusions of the manuscript. Original Research Articles, clinical studies, qualitative studies, mixed-methods studies and education studies should generally use a structured abstract where required by the article type.
Authors should provide keywords that are specific, searchable and relevant to the manuscript. Standardized medical, nursing or health science terms should be used where appropriate.
Main Text
Original Research Articles should generally include:
Introduction;
Methods;
Results;
Discussion;
Conclusions, where appropriate.
The Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be evaluated and, where applicable, reproduced. Authors should describe study design, setting, participants, eligibility criteria, sampling, recruitment, intervention or exposure, outcome measures, data collection, data analysis, statistical methods, qualitative analysis methods, software, ethical safeguards and limitations where relevant.
The Results section should present findings in a logical order, supported by appropriate tables, figures, quotations or statistical information. The Discussion should interpret the findings in the context of existing evidence, acknowledge limitations and avoid overstating conclusions.
Nursing Context and Care Setting
Where applicable, manuscripts should describe the nursing context and care setting clearly, including clinical specialty, care environment, community setting, healthcare system context, staff roles, patient group, caregiver involvement and organizational factors relevant to interpretation.
Authors should avoid presenting findings from a single setting, small sample, local program or selected population as universally applicable without appropriate limitations.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the text. Each table and figure should have a clear title and legend.
Figures should be of sufficient resolution for peer review and publication. Authors should avoid image manipulation that could misrepresent the data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast or color balance must not obscure, eliminate or misrepresent information.
Where figures or tables are reproduced or adapted from another source, authors must obtain appropriate permission and provide proper attribution.
Clinical Images, Educational Materials and Qualitative Data
Clinical images, care pathway diagrams, teaching materials, simulation screenshots, assessment tools, interview quotations, field notes, workplace observations, audio recordings, videos or other materials should be anonymized before submission where applicable.
Written consent for publication is required when any patient, participant, caregiver, student, nurse, staff member, case detail or quotation may be identifiable.
Supplementary Materials
Supplementary materials should be directly relevant to the manuscript and should support, but not replace, the main text. Supplementary files may include extended methods, additional tables, figures, datasets, checklists, protocols, survey instruments, interview guides, codebooks, intervention manuals, education materials, statistical analysis plans, videos, code or other supporting information.
References
References should be accurate, complete and relevant. Authors are responsible for checking all references before submission. References should be formatted in accordance with the journal’s reference style. Please click here to download the journal’s EndNote output style.
Authors should avoid inappropriate citation practices, including excessive self-citation, citation manipulation or citation of unreliable sources.
Language and Style
Manuscripts should be written in clear English. Authors should use respectful, inclusive and person-centered language. Terminology describing patients, caregivers, communities, health conditions, disability, age, gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status should be accurate and appropriate.
Authors who are not fluent in English may consider professional language editing before submission. Language editing does not guarantee editorial review or acceptance.
Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to study design and should submit completed checklists where required.
Relevant guidelines may include:
CONSORT for randomized trials;
SPIRIT for clinical trial protocols;
PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
STROBE for observational studies;
STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;
CARE for case reports;
COREQ or SRQR for qualitative research;
SQUIRE for quality improvement studies;
StaRI for implementation studies;
TIDieR for intervention description;
GRIPP2 for patient and public involvement;
CHERRIES for web-based surveys;
GREET for educational interventions and teaching;
ARRIVE for animal studies.
Authors should consult the EQUATOR Network to identify the most appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.
Nursing Interventions and Care Programs
For studies involving nursing interventions, care models, patient education, symptom management, discharge planning, community programs, digital nursing tools or caregiver support, authors should describe the intervention in sufficient detail.
Where applicable, authors should report:
care setting and clinical or community context;
target population and eligibility criteria;
intervention components and theoretical basis;
who delivered the intervention and their qualifications or training;
dose, frequency, duration, intensity and mode of delivery;
tailoring, adaptation and implementation process;
fidelity, adherence and quality assurance procedures;
comparator, usual care or control condition;
nursing-sensitive outcomes, patient-reported outcomes and process measures;
patient safety, acceptability, feasibility and burden;
adverse events, unintended consequences or implementation barriers.
Qualitative and Mixed-methods Research
For qualitative studies, authors should describe the research paradigm, sampling strategy, data collection method, interviewer or facilitator role, data analysis approach, reflexivity, credibility strategies and use of participant quotations.
For mixed-methods studies, authors should describe the design, rationale for mixing methods, timing and integration of qualitative and quantitative components, and how integration informed interpretation.
Surveys and Instrument-based Studies
For survey studies, authors should describe sampling, recruitment, instrument development or adaptation, pilot testing, validity evidence, response rate, missing data, non-response bias and limitations.
If a scale, questionnaire or assessment instrument is used, authors should provide information on its source, permission, scoring, reliability, validity evidence and cultural or language adaptation where applicable.
Nursing Education and Simulation Research
For nursing education studies, authors should describe the learner group, educational setting, curriculum or teaching intervention, assessment methods, validity evidence, evaluator blinding where applicable and limitations in transferability to practice.
For simulation studies, authors should describe the simulation modality, scenario design, fidelity, facilitator training, debriefing approach, learner preparation, assessment method and relevance to clinical practice.
Quality Improvement and Implementation Research
For quality improvement and implementation studies, authors should describe the organizational context, implementation strategy, stakeholder involvement, adoption, fidelity, sustainability, unintended effects and factors affecting generalizability.
Authors should distinguish clearly between quality improvement, service evaluation, implementation research and research requiring ethics review, according to local requirements.
Clinical Trial Registration and Data Sharing
Clinical trials and interventional studies should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before participant recruitment begins where applicable. The registry name and registration number should be provided in the manuscript.
Manuscripts reporting clinical trials should include a data sharing statement where required by applicable standards or journal policy. The statement should indicate whether de-identified individual participant data will be shared, what data will be shared, whether related documents such as the study protocol or statistical analysis plan will be available, when and for how long data will be available, and the conditions for access.
Authors must include all statements required by the journal and applicable policies. These statements should usually appear in the manuscript file, title page, acknowledgements section or submission system, according to the journal's instructions.
Required statements may include:
Ethics Approval
Studies involving patients, nurses, nursing students, caregivers, healthcare professionals, human participants, human data, human tissue, education records, workplace data or animals must include the name of the ethics committee, institutional review board or relevant authority, approval number or reference, and any relevant exemption information.
Informed Consent
For studies involving human participants, authors should state whether informed consent was obtained. For identifiable patient, caregiver, student, staff or participant information, case details, quotations, clinical images, videos, audio recordings, field notes, workplace observations or any other identifiable material, written consent for publication must be obtained where applicable.
Clinical Trial Registration
Clinical trials and interventional studies should provide the registry name and registration number where applicable. Registration should occur before participant recruitment begins.
Author Contributions
Authors should describe each author's contribution to the work. The journal encourages use of the CRediT taxonomy where appropriate.
Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests. For nursing research, relevant disclosures may include employment, consultancy, advisory roles, leadership positions, grants, institutional affiliations, policy advocacy positions, commercial education programs, training platforms, software interests, sponsored education, data access arrangements, statistical support, writing assistance or relationships with healthcare organizations, universities, nursing homes, community agencies, technology providers, insurers, funders or sponsors.
Funding
Authors should disclose all funding sources and grant numbers. The role of funders or sponsors in study design, intervention development, participant recruitment, data collection, data access, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit should be stated. If the work received no specific funding, this should also be declared.
Data Availability
Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where the data supporting the findings can be accessed or explaining why data cannot be shared.
For clinical, qualitative, workplace or education studies, authors should ensure that shared data are appropriately de-identified and consistent with ethics approval, informed consent and applicable data protection requirements. Restrictions due to privacy, ethics, legal, institutional confidentiality, employment concerns, participant re-identification risks or assessment security should be clearly explained.
Patient and Public Involvement
Where patients, caregivers, community members, nurses, students or other stakeholders were involved in setting priorities, designing the study, developing interventions, interpreting findings or disseminating results, authors should describe their involvement where applicable.
Use of AI and AI-assisted Technologies
AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all submitted content.
Use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies beyond basic language editing should be disclosed according to the journal's AI policy. Authors should identify the tool used, describe how it was used and verify all AI-assisted content, including references, factual claims and generated text.
Acknowledgements
Individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.
Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the following items are complete:
the manuscript fits the journal's Aims and Scope;
the correct article type has been selected;
the manuscript follows the relevant structure and formatting requirements;
the title page includes complete author, affiliation and corresponding author information;
all authors have approved the submitted version;
authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been confirmed;
the abstract and keywords are included;
all tables and figures are cited in the text and uploaded in the required format;
figure legends and table titles are complete;
supplementary materials are cited and uploaded where applicable;
references are accurate and complete;
ethics approval, informed consent and trial registration information are provided where applicable;
author contributions, competing interests, funding and data availability statements are included;
patient, public or stakeholder involvement is described where applicable;
AI-use disclosure is included where applicable;
reporting checklists and flow diagrams are uploaded for relevant study types;
intervention details, survey instruments, interview guides, assessment tools or educational materials are uploaded where appropriate and permissible;
permission has been obtained for third-party material;
the cover letter has been prepared;
all required files have been uploaded to the submission system.
Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.
During submission, authors may be asked to provide:
manuscript title and abstract;
author names, affiliations and email addresses;
corresponding author details;
article type;
keywords;
cover letter;
manuscript file;
figures, tables and supplementary files;
required statements and declarations;
reporting checklists;
suggested or opposed reviewers, where permitted;
funding and competing interest information.
The cover letter should briefly explain the importance of the work, its relevance to the journal and why it may be of interest to the journal’s readership. Authors should also disclose any related manuscripts, previous submissions, preprints, trial registry records, quality improvement reports, institutional reports, education resources or overlapping work.
Authors may suggest potential reviewers where permitted by the submission system. Reviewer selection remains at the editors’ discretion. Suggested reviewers must be independent and free from conflicts of interest.
After submission, the corresponding author will receive confirmation from the submission system. The Editorial Office may contact the corresponding author if required information is missing or if files need correction before editorial assessment.
If revision is invited, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the deadline stated in the decision letter. Extensions may be requested from the Editorial Office where necessary.
A revised submission should usually include:
a clean version of the revised manuscript;
a marked-up or tracked-changes version showing revisions;
a detailed point-by-point response to all editor and reviewer comments;
revised figures, tables or supplementary materials, where applicable;
updated declarations or statements, if any changes have been made.
Authors should respond to each comment respectfully and clearly. Where authors disagree with a reviewer or editor comment, they should provide a reasoned explanation supported by evidence where appropriate.
Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. Revised manuscripts may be returned to reviewers, assessed by the editors or declined if concerns have not been adequately addressed.
After acceptance, authors may be required to complete a publishing agreement, confirm copyright and licensing arrangements, select open access options where applicable and pay any applicable publication charges.
The corresponding author will receive proofs for review before publication. Proof corrections should be limited to typographical errors, formatting issues and factual corrections. Substantial changes to the content, authorship, data, analysis or conclusions after acceptance may require editorial approval.
Accepted articles may be published online before assignment to an issue, where applicable. The final published article will be assigned a DOI.
After publication, authors may share their article according to the journal's article sharing and self-archiving policies. Requests for corrections, retractions, expressions of concern or other post-publication updates will be handled according to the journal's relevant policies.
