Author Resources

Writing for the American Journal of Nursing: Author Guidelines

AJN’s mission is to promote excellence in professional nursing by providing cutting-edge, evidence-based information that embraces a global, holistic perspective of health and nursing. AJN is dedicated to communicating research, professional issues, and clinical developments in accessible, compelling, and incisive ways to readers who are committed to lifelong learning in the workplace, in school, and in their personal lives.

AJN seeks evidence-based manuscripts and original research reports on a variety of clinical and professional topics. The journal also welcomes submissions for its various departments and columns.

The journal reviews manuscripts formatted according to the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (JAMA 1997;277(11):927-34; also available online at www.icmje.org).

REVIEW PROCESS
All materials are subject to peer review. Three or more authorities on the subject on which the author has written will be asked to judge the validity, originality, accuracy, and significance of the work presented and to indicate whether the subject matter is suitable for publication in AJN. Initial reviews usually take six to eight weeks from the date of delivery to the editorial offices, although expedited reviews are provided for original research and other manuscripts with time-sensitive data. Authors who believe their manuscripts are time sensitive should contact the editor-in-chief before submitting the manuscript.

After the initial peer review, an AJN editor may inform the author of the manuscript’s status or a decision will be sent by e-mail. A manuscript may be accepted or rejected, or it may need to be revised by the author before a final decision can be made. Authors may log on to http://ajn.edmgr.com at any time to check the status of their submissions. Authors who do not receive notice of a decision within eight weeks of submission may contact the editorial offices for an update on the manuscript’s status.

Rejected manuscripts are not returned to authors. Authors who submit original artwork or photographs that they wish returned upon rejection or publication of their work should include a self-addressed envelope suitable for mailing the materials safely; they should also include sufficient return postage.

QUERY LETTERS
We encourage authors to discuss their ideas about a potential manuscript with the editor-in-chief or the editorial director in order to best tailor it to AJN’s audience and to make sure a manuscript on the same topic hasn’t recently been accepted. Query letters should include a paragraph describing the proposed manuscript, its projected length, how the topic will be treated, an outline, a short biographical sketch that includes the author’s qualifications for writing on the topic, and the author’s contact information (e-mail and street addresses and day and evening telephone numbers).

We do consider completed manuscripts without a prior query. We do not accept simultaneous submissions or previously published manuscripts for review.

SUBMISSION
AJN is primarily a clinical nursing journal; however, we welcome manuscripts reporting on compelling original research on clinical or professional topics. The journal also welcomes submissions for its various departments and columns. Additional submissions guidelines apply to the Art of Nursing, Reflections, and Viewpoint departments. Please note that the journal does not accept manuscripts for the columns produced by the American Nurses Association (The Politics of Caring, Issues Update, and Health and Safety). Contact the ANA directly regarding these columns.

Authors should submit a cover letter with each manuscript. The cover letter should include a description of any other submissions or previous publications that might be considered redundant or that may duplicate any part of the submitted manuscript. It should also contain a description of the steps the authors took to ensure the anonymity of any people discussed in the manuscript (in clinical scenarios or case studies, for instance. See the “Anonymity” section below).

AJN requires all authors to submit an AJN Author Agreement, or for Art of Nursing submissions, the AJN Art of Nursing Agreement, which is e-mailed to the primary author in response to submission of the manuscript. This three-page form includes the following:

I. The Financial Disclosure is an acknowledgment of all funding sources that supported the submitted work, as well as any commercial association that could pose a conflict of interest or create a bias. These include consultant arrangements, honoraria for speaking or writing on the topic discussed in the manuscript, patent licensing arrangements, or payments for conducting or publicizing a study or other work.

II. The Authorship Statement describes what each author contributed to the manuscript, including the participation of any individuals who were paid directly for writing the manuscript and the source of the funding. The names of any individuals who participated in writing the manuscript but are not listed as authors in the cover letter should be included here, along with an explanation of why they are not credited as coauthors. Anyone who contributed to the project but not as an author of the manuscript should be named in the acknowledgments, with a description of the person’s role in the project and their written permission to be acknowledged in the published article.

III. The Copyright Transfer addresses the retained rights, originality, authorship responsibility and warranty, and copyright ownership of the manuscript.

The AJN Author Agreement is also available online and must be scanned and e-mailed to Alison.bulman@wolterskluwer.com, or faxed to AJN at (212) 886-1206, attention ALISON BULMAN.

PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT
Type the manuscript on 8½" x 11" paper with margins of 1½" on all sides, left justified only. Type must be a minimum of 12-point font size. Double-space throughout, and arrange the text in the following sequence: acknowledgments page; abstract with key words for indexing (for feature articles or original research); main text; references; and figures, tables, and illustrations when appropriate. Number the pages consecutively, in the upper right-hand corner. Include a short title in the header of each page, just above the page number.

The preferred method of submission is by the Internet at http://ajn.edmgr.com. For details on acceptable program formats for submission (for example, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), from the main page, under the “Files and Resources” heading, click on the “System Requirements” link. To accommodate blinded peer review, place the authors’ names only on the cover letter and nowhere else in the submission. Authors will enter their information directly into the Web site, and it will remain linked to their manuscripts. This is a secure site; AJN editors control access to all submissions.

Content. Describe in detail how the ideas and information presented can be directly applied in clinical practice. Essentially, the reader will ask, “What’s in this article for me and for my patients? What can I take away from this piece that will improve my care, my patients’ lives, or my professional life?”

The style of a submission depends on the type of article it is. For example, manuscripts reporting original research should follow the format described in the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.” Pieces submitted to AJN’s Art of Nursing, Reflections, or Viewpoint departments should be organized according to criteria specific to these pages.

We encourage authors to use headings and subheadings throughout the manuscript. We also encourage the use of diagrams, tables, charts, illustrations, and photos; however, authors should include these as attachments, as opposed to placing them in the body of the text. Use generic drug names instead of proprietary names whenever possible. If it’s necessary to use trade names, they should be capitalized and inserted within parentheses after the generic name on first mention. Thereafter, the generic name should be used, if possible. Product names should be treated likewise, with the manufacturer’s full name and the city in which the product is manufactured in parentheses. All direct quotes, including those from government sources, online publications, and publications that are in the public domain, must be presented as such with quotation marks and appropriate citations. Treating direct quotes otherwise will be considered plagiarism. Manuscripts that are plagiarized or that contain plagiarized material will be rejected, even if authors have received written notice of acceptance.

References. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation. Authors may submit manuscripts that adhere to the Vancouver style described in the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.” For editing purposes, however, we prefer manuscripts with references formatted in scientific notation, as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA). All manuscripts accepted for publication are checked for factual accuracy of content and references. Authors may be required to submit copies of source materials for fact checking during the editing phase.

Tables, Figures, Illustrations, and Photos. Tables, figures, illustrations, and photos should be included when pertinent. Legends must accompany all tables and figures. Authors should indicate whether illustrations are original works or copies. Authors must obtain copyright releases for reprinting any previously published material. Copyright permission may also be necessary for any adaptations of previously published material. If you are uncertain about whether you need copyright permission for an adapted table, figure, illustration, or other material, please note this in your cover letter. Photographs must be accompanied by written permission of any individuals included in the photo, unless it’s historic or considered a "public" photo. Photos should be at least 5" x 7" but not larger than 11" x 14". If submitting an image digitally, on disk or CD-ROM, you must also submit a printout. Resolution of digital images that are 5" x 7" or larger must be at least 300 dpi; a higher resolution is required for smaller images. We can accept Illustrator, Photoshop, or QuarkXPress files saved in JPEG, TIFF, PICT, or PDF format. Mac-based files are preferred, but we can accept PC-based. Authors submitting artwork for the Art of Nursing department should obtain a copy of the author guidelines for that department. Again, please check the “System Requirements” link on http://ajn.edmgr.com for details on which formats are acceptable. Do not embed photos or figures in the word processing program; they must be attached as separate documents on the Web site.

Video Content
Authors may submit video as their primary submission, and write an accompanying description for publication in AJN.

Authors may also submit videos to enhance their written manuscript. The manuscript must contain references to the video that are clearly labelled as "Supplemental Digital Content," with a brief description of the video and its intended function as a supplement to the manuscript, the videographer's name, participants, length (minutes), and size (MB). Authors must obtain written consent from anyone appearing in the video. Consent should be faxed to Senior Editorial Coordinator Alison Bulman at (212) 886-1206.

Size & File Type Requirements. Video files should be submitted with the following file extensions: .wmv, .mov, .qt, .mpg, .mpeg, or .mp4, and formatted with a 320 X 240 pixel minimum screen size. Video documents are attached the same way as the manuscript and cover letter in the online submission process.

For more information, please call or e-mail Alison Bulman at (646) 674-6602, alison.bulman@wolterskluwer.com.

Anonymity. We encourage authors to include clinical scenarios or case studies in their manuscripts. It’s imperative to protect the anonymity of people described in these scenarios, and to obtain the written consent of all such people, even if individual names are not used, whenever the identity of such a person could accidentally be determined. Authors should change identifying information about people discussed in the scenarios, including clinical and personal details. Authors are asked to include in the cover letter a description of what steps they took to protect people’s anonymity in the manuscript, if relevant.

Continuing Education Questions. The editors will determine whether your manuscript is suitable to be a continuing education feature in the journal. If it is, the test questions will be developed independently. Do not submit test questions with your manuscript.

HOW TO SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT
Log on to http://ajn.edmgr.com to register and submit a manuscript.
For questions about submitting a manuscript, contact Alison Bulman, Editorial Coordinator (alison.bulman@wolterskluwer.com), at (646) 674-6602 (phone) or (212) 886-1206 (fax).

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.