Author Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation
General Guidelines
1. Manuscripts should be written in English.
2. The length of the manuscript has different limits depending on the type of article submitted. 1) An original article should be no more than 6,000 words; 2) A review article should not exceed 8,000 words; and 3) An editorial should be no longer than 2,500 words. This word count includes only the main body of the text (i.e., not abstract, references, tables, or figures).
3. The paper size setting should be A4, and compatible with Microsoft Word. The formatting requirements are as follows: the texts written in English should be double-spaced and in Times New Roman 12-point font size with margins of top 30 mm, bottom 25 mm, left 25 mm, and right 25 mm. Page numbers are placed at the bottom of each page.
4. Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract and limit their use in the text. Expand all abbreviations at first mention in the text. Avoid using abbreviations in the article title. The letter "p" for p-values (i.e., as an indicator of statistical significance) should be lowercase and italicized.
5. For standard abbreviated words and units, refer to the NLM (National Library of Medicine) Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 2nd Edition (2007) (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine).
6. Authors should obtain permission to use measurements/instruments for their studies from the copyright owners.
7. Generic names should be used. When proprietary brands are used in research, include the name of the brand and the manufacturer, city (state), and nationality in parentheses after the first mention of the generic name in the Methods section. Brand names are identified by logos such as TM and ®. Use brand names only when necessary.
8. A space is required between English text and parentheses and between a number and parentheses.
 
Composition of Manuscripts
1. The composition of manuscripts shall be in the following order: title page, abstract, main text, references, tables, figures, and appendices. Each section begins on a new page. The main body of the manuscript (including the references, figures, tables, and any acknowledgements) should not include any identifying information, such as the authors' names or affiliations, to ensure a blind review.
2. The title page should include: the title of the article; author information; type of manuscript; numbers of references; word count of the abstract; running title; keywords; permission for measurements/instruments used in the study; IRB approval institution and number; disclosure; professional English editing certificate; and reporting guidelines checklist relevant to the research design used.
3. Abstract: An abstract of up to 250 words for articles (including reviews) should be typed double-spaced on a separate page. It should cover the main factual points, including statements of the purpose, methods, results, and conclusion. The abstract should be accompanied by a list of three to five keywords for indexing purposes; be very specific in your word choice. 
4. Text: The text should be composed in the following order: introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. The title of the manuscript and a list of three to five keywords are presented at the top of the second page.
1)
Introduction: Clearly state the need for this study and the main question or hypothesis of the study. Summarize the literature review or background in the area of the study.
2)
Methods: Describe the study design, setting and samples, ethical considerations, measurements/instruments, data collection/procedure, and data analysis. If a study presents qualitative research, the instrument can be omitted. When discussing research methods, it is important to provide specific and detailed information to enable reproducibility. However, if the methods used are well-established, it is sufficient to provide references. If the methods are new or variations of existing ones, it is necessary to describe them in detail.
 
[Description of participants]
 
Ensure correct use of the terms sex (when reporting biological factors) and gender (identity, psychosocial or cultural factors), and, unless inappropriate, report the sex or gender of study participants, the sex of animals or cells, and describe the methods used to determine sex or gender. If the study was done involving an exclusive population, for example in only one sex, authors should justify why, except in obvious cases (e.g., prostate cancer). Authors should define how they determined race or ethnicity and justify their relevance.
3)
Results: Describe the main results in a concise paragraph. This section should be the most descriptive.
4)
Discussion: The discussion should be based only on the reported results. It is strongly recommended that authors discuss how the study findings relate to advances in nursing practice, nursing knowledge development, and nursing implications.
5)
Conclusions: State the conclusions and recommendations for further study. Do not summarize the study results.
5. Tables, Figures, Pictures: There should be no more than five tables and figures in total. Tables and figures should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text.
1)
Each table and figure should be placed on a separate page and in English.
2)
The size of the tables and pictures should be less than 150 × 200 mm (6 × 8 inches). All lines are to be single. Vertical lines are not acceptable.
3)
The title of a table should be placed on top. Within the title, the first letters of important words should be capitalized (e.g., Table 1. Clinical Characteristics of the Sample).
4)
Tables and Figures should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. All abbreviations used in tables should be explained in footnotes. List abbreviations in alphabetical order; do not include the word "and" before the last abbreviation (e.g., BP=blood pressure; ED=emergency department)
5)
Footnote symbols including asterisks and other symbols should be placed after abbreviation in table. Table footnotes should be indicated with superscript symbols in sequence: †, ‡, §, ||, , #, *, ††
6)
If the point value of a number can exceed 1, write "0" before the decimal point (e.g., t=0.26, F=0.98, R2=.61), otherwise do not write "0" before the decimal point (e.g., p<.001).
7)
The p value (as an indicator of statistical significance) should be written without a footnote and should be rounded to three decimal places (e.g., p=.003). If "p" is .000, then indicate that p is less than 0.001 (e.g., p<.001).
8)
Percentages (%) should be rounded off to one decimal place (e.g., 24.7%); test statistics, such as t, F, x2, and r, should be rounded off to two decimal places (e.g., t=0.26, F=0.98, R2=.61).
9)
The title of the figure should be placed below the figure with the first letter capitalized (e.g., Figure 1. Path diagram of the model.).
10)
The resolution of figures should be greater than 3 mega-pixels.
6. Appendices: Authors should submit an appendix containing the developed final measurement in instrument development studies and a list of reviewed articles in systematic review or meta-analysis research.
7. References
1)
Citation in text
 
Citations of references in the text should follow Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors Editors, and Publishers 2nd edition (2007)
(1)
References should be numbered serially in the order of appearance in the text, with numbers in brackets [ ] (e.g., social support [1], fatigue [2,3], depression [4-6]).
(2)
If a reference is cited more than once, use the original reference number (e.g., social support [1,2], fatigue [2-5], depression [1,4-6]).
2)
Reference list
(1)
References should be listed on a separate page at the end of the paper in the order of citation. The number of references should be 35 or less for an original article except for a manuscript on model construction, which is allowed to include up to 50 references. Citations of master's and doctoral dissertations should be minimized, with a maximum of three citations.
(2)
References should be written in English and listed according to the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers, 2nd Edition, 2007