Author Guidelines

TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS

Original Article

An Original Article should report clinical studies or original research that has not been previously published or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The manuscript should not exceed 7,000 words, including the list of authors and affiliations, corresponding author details, acknowledgments, and figure legends. The abstract should not exceed 250 words, and the manuscript should include at least 25 references, most of which should come from international journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science, and no more than 5 figures/tables (see below for layout details).

Systematic Review

A Systematic Review is a comprehensive and critical assessment of evidence from various data sources related to a specific topic in the field of nursing. A systematic search for relevant data sources must be conducted, and the collected items should be carefully evaluated for inclusion based on pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. An analytical description and graphical representation of the process should be included. Specific features of the participant or patient population from the studies included in the review must be described, as well as measures of exposure and outcomes, with indications of the relevant data sources. A structured abstract is required (as in short reviews). The text should not exceed 7,000 words, including acknowledgments, with no more than 4 tables and/or figures, and at least 40 references.

Meta-Analysis

A Meta-Analysis must follow the same guidelines as a Systematic Review. The meta-analysis is expected to provide comprehensive information and statistical assessment of the pre-defined pooled outcome estimates, heterogeneity and study quality, potential publication bias, meta-regression, and subgroup analyses if applicable. Depending on the study type, authors are encouraged to submit a PRISMA flow diagram or MOOSE checklist. Both Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses will generally be treated as Original Articles in terms of editorial processing.

TITLE AND AUTHORSHIP

The title should accurately reflect the summary of the study (concise, informative, without abbreviations, and a maximum of 12 words).

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution and are able to take public responsibility for the content. Provide:

  • Full names of authors (without academic titles)

  • Authors’ affiliations [department and institution names]

  • Name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of the corresponding author.

The corresponding author is responsible for all communication during the publication and post-publication process.

ABSTRACT

The abstract must be less than 250 words and should not contain references or abbreviations. It must be concise yet sufficiently informative, highlighting the main points and significance of the article. In general, the abstract should include:

  • Introduction: One or two sentences providing background and study objectives.

  • Methods: Describe the study design, setting (do not mention the actual location; use geographical type or code if necessary), and participants (details on selection, inclusion/exclusion criteria, number enrolled and withdrawn, and relevant clinical and demographic characteristics).

  • Results: Present the main findings, including (where relevant) statistical significance levels and confidence intervals.

  • Conclusion: Should be related to the study’s objectives and hypotheses.

  • Keywords: Provide three to five keywords in alphabetical order that accurately identify the subject, objectives, methods, and focus of the paper.

TEXT

The manuscript should be structured into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Footnotes are not recommended; their content should be integrated into the main text. Use only standard abbreviations; nonstandard abbreviations may confuse readers. Avoid abbreviations in the title. Spell out the term in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, unless the abbreviation represents a standard unit of measurement. If a sentence begins with a number, the number should be spelled out.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Acknowledgments should be limited to professionals who contributed to the paper, including those providing technical assistance, financial or material support, and general supervision by the head of the department.

TABLES AND FIGURES

Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals, and each should have a concise caption clearly indicating the purpose or content of the table. If your manuscript contains more than 5 tables, or for particularly large tables, these may be submitted as Supplementary Data and will appear in the online version of your article.