Nursing in Critical Care

Author Guidelines

1. GENERAL

Nursing in Critical Care is an international peer-reviewed journal, with an impact factor of 0.868. It covers any aspect of critical care nursing practice, research, education or management. Critical care nursing is defined as the whole spectrum of skills, knowledge and attitudes utilised by practitioners in any setting where adults or children, and their families, are experiencing acute and critical illness. Such settings encompass general and specialist hospitals, and the community. Nursing in Critical Care covers the diverse specialities of critical care nursing including surgery, medicine, cardiac, renal, neurosciences, haematology, obstetrics, accident and emergency, neonatal nursing and paediatrics. We welcome the submission of well written papers, considered relevant to critical care nursing (see section 4 for accepted manuscript types). Please read the instructions below carefully for details on the submission of manuscripts, the journal's requirements and standards as well as information concerning the procedure after a manuscript has been accepted for publication in Nursing in Critical Care at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com

2. ETHICAL GUIDELINES

Nursing in Critical Care adheres to the below ethical guidelines for publication and research, and is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics .

2.1. Authorship and Acknowledgements

Authorship: Authors submitting a paper do so on the understanding that the manuscript has been comprehensively read and approved by all authors and that all authors agree to the submission of the manuscript to the Journal. ALL nArtiamed authors must have made an active contribution to the conception and design and/or analysis and interpretation of the data and/or the drafting of the paper and ALL must have critically reviewed its content and have approved the final version submitted for publication. Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship.

It is a requirement that all authors have been accredited as appropriate upon submission of the manuscript. Contributors who do not qualify as authors should be mentioned under Acknowledgements.

Acknowledgements: Under Acknowledgements please specify contributors to the article other than the authors accredited. Please also include specifications of the source of funding for the study and any potential conflict of interests if appropriate. Suppliers of materials should be named and their location (town, state/county, country) included.

2.2. Ethical Approvals

Research on human subjects: experimentation involving human subjects will only be published if such research has been conducted in full accordance with ethical principles, including the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (version, 2002) and the additional requirements, if any, of the country where the research has been carried out. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a statement that the study was undertaken with the understanding and written consent of each subject and according to the above mentioned principles. A statement regarding the fact that the study has been independently reviewed and approved by an ethical board should also be included. Processes for safeguarding the interests and well being of participants, respecting rights and maintaining confidentiality and anonymity must be reported. Any limits to confidentiality should also be reported. Editors reserve the right to reject papers if there are doubts as to whether appropriate procedures have been used.

Images of, or Information about, Identifiable Individuals: It is the author’s responsibility to obtain consent from patients and other individuals for use of information, images, audio files, interview transcripts, and video clips from which they may be identified. To ensure we have the rights we require please provide a signed consent/release form in all instances.

• If the person is a minor, consent must be obtained from the child’s parents or guardians.
• If the person is dead, we consider it essential and ethical that you obtain consent for use from the next of kin. If this is impractical you need to balance the need to use the photo against the risk of causing offence. In all cases ensure you obscure the identity of the deceased.
• If using older material, or for material obtained in the field, for which signed release forms are, for practical purposes, unobtainable, you will need to confirm in writing that the material in question was obtained with the person’s understanding that it might be published.

Patient Consent Form can be downloaded here.

2.3 Permissions

If all or parts of previously published illustrations are used, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author's responsibility to obtain these in writing and provide copies to the Publishers.

Please refrain from naming individuals, Trusts and Hospitals to preserve anonymity.  

3. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT AND STRUCTURE

3.1. Language

The language of publication is English. Authors for whom English is a second language must have their manuscript professionally edited by an English speaking person before submission to make sure the English is of high quality. It is preferred that manuscripts are professionally edited. Visit the Wiley English Language Editing Service site to learn about the options. Please note that using the Wiley English Language Editing Service does not guarantee that your paper will be accepted by this journal.

3.2. Title Page

A separate title page must be submitted. This should include:

1. Article title: This should be no more than 12 words and should accurately reflect the content of the paper. Normally, the title would not include the country from which the data were collected, the context for the research would normally appear in the abstract. The editors reserve the right to make the final decision

2. Manuscript type: see section 4 for manuscript types

3. Key words: Up to 5 keywords should be identified, which describe the topics covered in your article

4. Author details: Author/s' name/s, qualifications, job title/s, place of work, postal and e-mail addresses for correspondence (to be published if a paper is accepted), contact telephone number/s

3.3. Abstract

A short abstract of no more than 300 words, summarising key content and recommendations from the article should be included. The abstract should not include references or abbreviations. If reporting the outcomes of a research project, then the headings of background, aim, study design, methods, results and conclusion should be included. All other abstracts should be structured around the relevant headings for your paper type (see section 4). Manuscripts submitted without an abstract or correct formatting will be returned to the author for revision without being reviewed.

Optimizing Your Abstract for Search Engines

The abstract is the most public part of your article, so carefully selecting the key terms is important. Many students and researchers looking for information online will use search engines such as Google, Yahoo or similar. By optimizing your article for search engines, you will increase the chance of someone finding it. This in turn will make it more likely to be viewed and/or cited in another work.

3.4 Main body

Please follow the guidelines detailed in section 4 specific to your manuscript type

3.5. Impacts

At the end of the paper, a box should be inserted that identifies

a) what is known about the subject and

b) what this paper contributes. This box should be a maximum of 150 words, and does not count towards the total word count.

3.6 References

The modified Harvard system is requested.

Examples:

Lewis T, Hall J. (1992). Rhabdomyolysis and Myoglobinuria, In: Hall J, Schmidt G, Wood L, (eds), Principles of Critical Care, Volume 2. New York: McGraw Hill

Williams N. (2001). Patient resuscitation following major thermal trauma. Nursing in Critical Care; 6: 115-121

Muller D, Harns P, Watley L. (1986). Nursing children: psychology research and practice. London: Harper Row.

Please reference websites in the following style:

National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2002). Final appraisal determination: Drugs for early thrombolysis in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, NICE, www.nice.org.uk/article.asp?a=36672 Accessed 7 October 2002.

The editor and publisher recommend that citation of online published papers and other material should be done via a DOI (digital object identifier), which all reputable online published material should have - see www.doi.org/ for more information. If an author cites anything which does not have a DOI they run the risk of the cited material not being traceable.

3.7 Tables, Figures and Figure Legends

A maximum of two tables and/or diagrams may be used to provide detail and to elaborate on the arguments in the main body of the text.

Tables: Should only be used to clarify important points. Tables must, as far as possible, be self-explanatory. The tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals.

Figures: All graphs, drawings and photographs are considered figures and should be numbered in sequence with Arabic numerals. Each figure should have a legend and all legends should be typed together on a separate sheet and numbered correspondingly. If all or parts of previously published illustrations are used, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain these in writing and provide copies to the Publisher. If more than two tables and/or diagrams are necessary please seek advice from the Editors.

Preparation of Electronic Figures for Publication

Although low quality images are adequate for review purposes, print publication requires high quality images to prevent the final product being blurred or fuzzy. Submit EPS (line art) or TIFF (halftone/photographs) files only. MS PowerPoint and Word Graphics are unsuitable for printed pictures. Do not use pixel-oriented programmes. Scans (TIFF only) should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (halftone) or 600 to 1200 dpi (line drawings) in relation to the reproduction size (see below). Please submit the data for figures in black and white or submit a Colour Work Agreement Form (see Colour Charges below). EPS files should be saved with fonts embedded (and with a TIFF preview if possible).

For scanned images, the scanning resolution (at final image size) should be as follows to ensure good reproduction: line art: >600 dpi; halftones (including gel photographs): >300 dpi; figures containing both halftone and line images: >600 dpi.

Further information can be obtained at Wiley’s guidelines for figures:
http://authorservices.wiley.com/submit_illust.asp

Permissions: If all or parts of previously published illustrations are used, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author's responsibility to obtain these in writing and provide copies to the Publisher.

Colour Charges: It is the policy of Nursing in Critical Care for authors to pay the full cost for the reproduction of their colour artwork. Therefore, please note that if there is colour artwork in your manuscript when it is accepted for publication, Wiley-Blackwell require you to complete and return a Colour Work Agreement Form before your paper can be published. Any article received by Wiley-Blackwell with colour work will not be published until the form has been returned. If you are unable to access the internet, or are unable to download the form, please contact the Production Editor at: nicc@wiley.com.

Once completed, the form must be posted or couriered to the Production Editor at the address below:

Dinesh Sugumar
Production Editor
Journal Content Management Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley Services Singapore Pte Ltd
1 Fusionopolis Walk
#07-01 Solaris South Tower
Singapore 138628

Any article received by Wiley-Blackwell with colour work will not be published until the original form has been returned.

Relevant Documents:

• Colour Work Agreement Form

Authors are encouraged to visit Wiley-Blackwell's Author Services for further information on the preparation and submission of articles and figures.

4. Manuscript types

We welcome the submission of papers, relevant to critical care nursing, which meet the criteria detailed below. If you are unsure about the suitability of your paper for inclusion in this journal please feel free to discuss with the editors before submission.

In preparing your manuscript we strongly advise that you read the reviewer guidelines as these will provide you with an indication of what blind-peer reviewers will be considering when appraising the suitability of your manuscript for publication.

4.1 Original research papers

Reports of original quantitative research (excluding references) are limited to 3,500 words. Reports of qualitative original research are limited to 4,000 words (excluding references).

Submitted papers must include the following:

A structured abstract using, in the order shown, the following headings: Aims and objectives; Background (stating what is already known about the topic); Design; Methods; Results; Conclusions (stating what this study adds to the topic); Relevance to clinical practice. Section headings might need slight adjustment to reflect the methodology of original research, for example, a paper based on research conducted within the interpretive paradigm might present a section entitled ‘findings’ rather than ‘results’; ‘implications for practice’ rather than ‘recommendations’.

In the main text, where available, relevant reporting guidelines should be followed (please see the EQUATOR Network for a full list). Otherwise, appropriate headings based on the following sections should be used:

1. Introduction
2. Background/ justification for study
3. Aims and objectives of study/research questions/hypothesis
4. Design and methods: setting and sample, data collection tools and methods, data analysis
5. Ethical and research approvals
6. Results/findings
7. Discussion
8. Limitations
9. Implications and recommendations for practice
10. Conclusion

4.2 Literature reviews

Papers reporting literature reviews, of up to 4,000 words will be considered. Submitted reviews must include the following:

A structured abstract under the headings: Aims and objectives; Background (stating what is already known about this topic); search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria; Conclusions (stating what this study adds to the topic); Relevance to clinical practice. Section titles might require different terminology dependent on the methodology undertaken to provide the review, but should address all relevant sections. In the main text, where available, relevant reporting guidelines should be followed (please see the EQUATOR Network for a full list). Otherwise, appropriate headings based on the following sections should be used:

1. Introduction
2. Background/ justification for review
3. Aims and objectives of review/research questions
4. Design and methods: type of review, search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria/critical appraisal/ data analysis
5. Results/findings
6. Discussion
7. Limitations
8. Implications and recommendations for practice
9. Conclusions

4.3 Case Studies

We welcome papers, normally up to 3000 word in length, that focus on nursing issues and comply with the following guidelines:

1. An abstract is included, which should state the aims and objectives of the case study presentation and the key issues and points of learning for critical care practitioners.
2. Anonymity of the patient must be guarded at all times and this may require an amalgam of data from a series of patients to ensure the identity of that individual is kept confidential.
3. Depending on the nature of the case study, consent from the patient and a letter of permission from the hospital may need to be submitted with the paper – please contact the editors for additional advice.
4. No inflammatory or direct critique of care practices should be included that could lead to litigation. However, constructive criticism and exploration of alternative approaches to care can be debated if supported by the literature and where no defamatory remarks have been included. Please refer to the case study by Coombs that sets a template for future case studies (Coombs M. 2007. Cocaine-induced myocardial infarction. Nursing in Critical Care; 12: 176-180). Please consult the editors if you require further assistance.

4.4 Quality Initiatives/Service evaluations

We welcome papers reporting quality and safety initiatives of up to 3, 500 words. Topics might include:

• The development and implementation of quality initiatives (these papers should include methodology and a statement relating to governance of the project).
• The views of patients and the public in determining quality initiative projects.
• Case studies elaborating on the patient experience of an innovative quality or safety initiative or a case study of patient care and how the care was shaped as a result of an innovative quality initiative.
• Innovative approaches to education and training that inform quality and safety.

Authors are encouraged to follow the SQUIRE guidelines. Quality initiative papers should follow a format that includes:

1. An abstract, which should state the aims and objectives and the key issues and points of learning for critical care practitioners.
2. The main body should cover:
a. Rationale for quality initiative: this should be situated from a robust literature review that answers the question: what is the problem? What evidence exists that suggests how might we tackle this?
b. Method: The strategies for improvement and the methods used to change practice should be identified and justified.
c. Evaluation: How were measurements to gauge the change in performance before and after the quality initiative derived/decided? How were these methods used to analyse data? How was quality determined and on what basis was this definition reached?
d. Service user involvement: Were staff, patients and the public consulted in the generation of the project? Were staff and/or patients advised they were part of this study, if so how and what information were they given? What measures were put in place to enable staff/patients to opt out? How were staff informed about the project and how were they prepared / trained to help them meet the challenges?
e. Approvals: Was there ethical review, if not, what type of scrutiny / peer review did the project receive? Respect of anonymity of place and geography should be observed when reporting these initiatives.
f. Discussion: Limitations and critical reflection on what worked well and for whom should be included. Important learning that can be translated to the wider critical care community and practice areas should be evident.    

5. SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via the online submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncr. The use of an online submission and peer review site enables immediate distribution of manuscripts and consequentially speeds up the review process. It also allows authors to track the status of their own manuscripts. Complete instructions for submitting a paper is available online and below. Further assistance can be obtained from the Editorial Office: niccoffice@wiley.com.

5.1. Getting Started

Launch your web browser (supported browsers include Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Netscape 7.0, 7.1, or 7.2, Safari 1.2.4, or Firefox 1.0.4) and go to the journal's online Submission Site: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncr

Log-in or click the 'Create Account' option if you are a first-time user.

• If you are creating a new account.

- After clicking on 'Create Account', enter your name and e-mail information and click 'Next'. Your e-mail information is very important.

- Enter your institution and address information as appropriate, and then click 'Next.'

- Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID), and then select your area of expertise. Click 'Finish'.

• If you have an account, but have forgotten your log in details, go to Password Help on the journals online submission system http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncr and enter your e-mail address. The system will send you an automatic user ID and a new temporary password.

• Log-in and select 'Author Center (enter correct name, different name might be used by some online systems).'

5.2. Submitting Your Manuscript

• After you have logged in, click the 'Submit a Manuscript' link in the menu bar.

• Enter data and answer questions as appropriate. You may copy and paste directly from your manuscript and you may upload your pre-prepared covering letter.

• Click the 'Next' button on each screen to save your work and advance to the next screen.

• You are required to upload your files.

- Click on the 'Browse' button and locate the file on your computer.

- Select the designation of each file in the drop-down menu next to the Browse button.

- When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the 'Upload Files' button.

• Review your submission (in HTML and PDF format) before sending to the Journal. Click the 'Submit' button when you are finished reviewing.

5.3. Manuscript Files Accepted

Manuscripts should be uploaded as Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rft) files (not write-protected) plus separate figure files. Please note that any manuscripts uploaded as Word 2007 (.docx) will be automatically rejected. Please save any .docx file as .doc before uploading. GIF, JPEG, PICT or Bitmap files are acceptable for submission, but only high-resolution TIF or EPS files are suitable for printing. The files will be automatically converted to HTML and PDF on upload and will be used for the review process. The text file must contain the entire manuscript including abstract, text, references, tables, and figure legends, but no embedded figures. Figure tags should be included in the file. Manuscripts should be formatted as described in the Author Guidelines below.

5.4. Blinded Review

All manuscripts submitted to Nursing in Critical Care will be reviewed by two experts in the field. Nursing in Critical Care uses double-blinded review. The names of the reviewers will thus not be disclosed to the author submitting a paper and the name(s) of the author(s) will not be disclosed to the reviewers.

To allow double-blinded review, please submit (upload) your main manuscript and title page as separate files.

Please upload:

• Your manuscript without title page under the file designation 'main document'

• Figure files under the file designation 'figures'

• The title page, Acknowledgements and Conflict of Interest Statement where applicable, should be uploaded under the file designation 'title page'

All documents uploaded under the file designation 'title page' will not be viewable in the HTML and PDF format you are asked to review at the end of the submission process. The files viewable in the HTML and PDF format are the files available to the reviewer in the review process.

5.5. Suspension of Submission Mid-way in the Submission Process

You may suspend a submission at any phase before clicking the 'Submit' button and save it to submit later. The manuscript can then be located under 'Unsubmitted Manuscripts' and you can click on 'Continue Submission' to continue your submission when you choose to.

5.6. E-mail Confirmation of Submission

After submission you will receive an e-mail to confirm receipt of your manuscript. If you do not receive the confirmation e-mail after 24 hours, please check your e-mail address carefully in the system. If the e-mail address is correct please contact your IT department. The error may be caused by spam filtering software on your e-mail server. Also, the e-mails should be received if the IT department adds our e-mail server (uranus.scholarone.com) to their whitelist.

5.7. Manuscript Status

You can access Scholar One Manuscripts any time to check your 'Author Center' for the status of your manuscript. The Journal will inform you by e-mail once a decision has been made.

If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.

For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement

If the OnlineOpen option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below: CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp

For authors choosing OnlineOpen

If the OnlineOpen option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

Creative Commons Attribution License OAA Creative

Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License

OAA Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

If you select the OnlineOpen option and your research is funded by The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal’s compliant self-archiving policy please visit: http://www.wiley.com/go/funderstatement.

5.8. Submission of Revised Manuscripts

Locate your manuscript under 'Manuscripts with Decisions' and click on 'Submit a Revision' to submit your revised manuscript. Please remember to delete any old files uploaded when you upload your revised manuscript. Please also remember to upload your manuscript document separate from your title page.

The Editorial Board and its panel of reviewers are committed to helping all authors, and particularly new authors, to develop their work so that it can be published. The revised submission may then need to be returned to the referees. After final acceptance of the paper, it may be some months before it can be scheduled for publication. On average, the length of time between submission and publication is likely to be in the region of 6 months.

5.9 After Acceptance

After your manuscript has been accepted, it will be assigned to a specific issue of the journal and will be detailed in the contents page. However, the editors will make the final decision regarding whether your paper is included as a print version or assigned to be available online only via the journal webpages. The cataloguing of your paper through international bibliographic databases including Pubmed will be unaffected by this decision.