Advances in Nursing Science

Table of Contents

Purpose of the Journal

The primary purposes of Advances in Nursing Science (ANS) are to contribute to the development of nursing science and to promote the application of emerging theories and research findings to practice. Articles deal with any of the processes of science, including research, theory development, concept analysis, practical application of research and theory, and investigation of the values and ethics that influence the practice and research endeavors of nursing sciences. Acceptance or rejection of an article is based on the judgment of peer reviewers. Each issue is focused on a general topic, and manuscripts must be submitted by the date indicated for an identified issue topic. Forthcoming issue topics are provided for the upcoming 4 to 6 issues. A general description of the focus and suggested content for different types of articles follows:

Beginning in June of 2006, each issue ANS includes paper and on-line articles. All articles are listed in the Table of Contents for both the paper and on-line sections. The Table of Contents in the paper volume includes the titles of all on-line articles, the names of all authors, and a condensed abstract. A link directly to the article online is provided at the end of the abstract. All articles are available on Ovid and are indexed with CINHAL, ISI, and all other indexes in which ANS appears.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in similar form, in any language, without the consent of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the study to a significant extent. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher.

Compliance with NIH and Other Research Funding Agency Accessibility Requirements: A number of research funding agencies now require or request authors to submit the post-print (the article after peer review and acceptance but not the final published article) to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, LWW will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and will transmit the post-print of an article based on research funded in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, or other funding agencies to PubMed Central. The revised Copyright Transfer Agreement provides the mechanism.

Copyright: All authors must sign a copy of the Journal’s “Authorship Responsibility, Financial Disclosure, and Copyright Transfer” form and submit it at the time of manuscript submission. This form can be downloaded and signed. You can submit this form one of two ways: 1) Scan the signed document and save as a PDF file; attach the file to your submission as a submission item. OR 2) FAX the signed form to the journal editor at (815) 366-8239.

Permissions: Authors must submit written permission from the copyright owner (usually the publisher) to use material being borrowed or adapted from other sources, including previously published material of your own, along with complete details about the source. Any permissions fees that might be required by the copyright owner are the responsibility of the authors requesting use of the borrowed material, not the responsibility of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. You can download our file to use for this purpose, or use the letter of permission you obtain from the publisher. You can submit this form one of two ways: 1) Scan the signed permission and save as a PDF file; attach the file to your submission as a submission item. OR 2) FAX the signed permission to the journal editor at (815) 366-8239.

Authors must obtain written permission for the following material:

Preparation of Manuscript

We require that manuscripts meet standards of English language used for professional publication. For assistance with English language editing, see Maine Desk Professional Editorial Services (a nursing resource), Write Science Right , International Science Editing, SciTechEdit International, or Science Docs.

The following components are required for all submissions. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review.

Please note the following guidelines for preparing your manuscript:

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. Key the references (double-spaced) at the end of the manuscript. Cite the references in text in the order of appearance. Cite unpublished data—such as papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication and personal communications, including e-mail communications—in parentheses in the text. If you cite your own works, list them as "Author, YYYY" in the citation and the reference list in order to maintain your anonymity for the review process.

The citations and reference list is to be styled according to the AMA Manual of Style, Ed. 10, Copyright 2007, AMA. Examples of citations within the text and reference list style are as follows:

Figure legends: Include legends for all figures. They should be brief and specific, and they should appear on a separate manuscript page after the references.

Tables

Tables will be submitted as a separate file when you are instructed to attach files to your submission. Create tables using the table creating and editing feature of your word processing software (eg, Word, WordPerfect). Do not use Excel or comparable spreadsheet programs. Group all tables in a separate file. Cite tables consecutively in the text, and number them in that order. Each table should appear on a separate page and should include the table title, appropriate column heads, and explanatory legends (including definitions of any abbreviations used). Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript. They should be self-explanatory and should supplement, rather than duplicate, the material in the text.

Supplementary Digital Content (SDC)

Authors may submit supplemental digital content that enhances their article’s text to be considered for online posting. You are required to include call-out and legend details in your manuscript (see detailed instructions). Articles published with supplementary digital content will include a link to the supplementary content in the body of the published article; the link connects to the supplementary file on line.

Supplemental digital content may be color or black and white, and can include any of the following types of material:

• Text documents (such as survey instruments)
• Graphs
• Tables (particularly long or complex tables that are not well suite for paper print)
• Figures
• Graphics
• Illustrations
• Audio
• Video

Each supplemental content item is to be attached as a separate file at the time of submission.

Please note that the same journal policies for manuscript submission relating to peer-review, patient anonymity, copyright, and permissions also apply to supplemental digital content.  Refer to the detailed instructions for submitting supplemental digital content for information about how to prepare your manuscript and how to attach the supplemental files to your submission.

Supplemental digital content that does not meet these requirements may be returned to the author without review.

Style

ANS insists on readability addressed to a wide audience. The tone of the article should be scholarly but not "stiff." The approach should be both informative and interpretive with some emphasis given to the implications of information presented and to the provision of fresh insights. First person pronouns are acceptable for manuscripts that require an active author's voice. Research papers should include all pertinent information related to the study, including the purpose of the study, a brief summary of background literature and justification of the study, a summary of the theoretical framework on which the study is based, the research problems or hypotheses, methodology and design, analysis of data, and a summary of conclusions and recommendations for further research and for nursing practice. Articles that deal with research methodologies and designs, concept analysis, theory analysis, value or ethical problems, application of theory and/or research findings in practice should be organized in a logical manner consistent with the author's purpose.

Here are a few guidelines for recommended language related to ethnicity, illnesses, disabilities and handicaps:

Manuscript Submission

On-line Manuscript Submission. All manuscripts must be submitted on-line through the ANS Editorial Manager Web site at http://ans.edmgr.com.

You are required to indicate the issue topic for which your manuscript is being submitted when you reach the "category" section in the submission process.

We recommend that you submit manuscripts no more than four months in advance of the deadline date, but no later than the deadline, for the particular issue for which the article is to be considered.

Please consult the list of forthcoming issues on the "Future Topics" page for further information on the topics planned and the deadline dates for submission. Articles must be received by the manuscript due date.

To submit your manuscript on the ANS Editorial Manager web site:

First-time users: Click the "Register" button from the main menu (on the upper banner) and enter the requested information. On successful registration, you will be sent an e-mail indicating your user name and password. Save a copy of this information for future reference. Then log into the system as an author.

Return users: If you have received an e-mail from us with an assigned user ID and password as an author or as a reviewer, do not register again. Just log in as an author. Once you have an assigned ID and password, you do not have to re-register, even if your status changes (that is, author, reviewer, or editor).

After you log in as an author, you can submit your manuscript according to the step-by-step instructions on the web. You will be able to track the progress of your manuscript through the system. If you experience any problems, please refer to the detailed "Author Tutorial" guide available on the Editorial Manager web site. If you still need assistance, contact the Editorial Office e-mail: peggy.chinn@uconn.edu.

Submisson of Letters to the Editor

We encourage letters to the editor as a way to promote dialogue, challenge and alternative perspectives to articles published in ANS. Letters to the Editor are also submitted on-line through the ANS Editorial Manager Web site at http://ans.edmgr.com. When you are asked for the article type, select the "Letter to the Editor" option. Use the first available forthcoming issue topic as the issue for which your manuscript is being submitted when you reach the "category" section in the submission process.

After Submission

There are three stages of manuscript review prior to final publication of the article. They are as follows:

I. Editorial peer review to determine the scholarly merit of the article. All manuscripts are reviewed by three members of the Editorial Review Panel. Members of the board evaluate the manuscripts based on the following criteria:

II. Determination of eligibility for publication. Upon completion of the peer review, the editor makes a decision regarding the eligibility of the article for selection based on the comments and recommendations of the editorial board reviewers. At least two reviewers must recommend the article for publication if the article is to be eligible for selection. Based on the peer review, the editor makes one of the following decisions: