Submissions

Author Guidelines

Journal Of Nursing Practice (JNP) welcomes original research articles, review articles, and case reports or case studies that contribute to nursing knowledge, practice, education, management, and health services. Manuscripts must demonstrate relevance to the journal’s scope, methodological rigor, and an identifiable scientific contribution.

Manuscripts must be written in clear academic English and submitted through the JNP online submission system.
1. Manuscript Guidelines
 Authors must prepare their submissions using both JNP templates:

• Download Title Page Template
  Include author names, affiliations, corresponding author details, ORCID identifiers, and confidential administrative information.
• Download Main Article Template
  Prepare the manuscript for anonymous review, including the title, abstract, keywords, main text, required declarations, and references.

Upload the completed Title Page and Main Article as two separate Microsoft Word files.

2. General Submission Requirements
By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

• The work is original and is not under consideration by another journal.
• Any previous dissemination, related publication, or overlap with another manuscript has been disclosed to the editor.
• All authors have approved the submitted version and agree to its submission.
• Authorship, funding, conflicts of interest, ethical approval, and AI use have been reported accurately.
• Permission has been obtained where required for copyrighted instruments, illustrations, or reproduced material.

Submit editable Microsoft Word files. Remove instructional text, unused examples, comments, and tracked changes.
The manuscript should normally not exceed 22 pages, including the title, abstract, tables, figures, and references. Longer submissions should be justified to the editor.
Supporting files may include a cover letter, ethical approval documentation, reporting checklist, supplementary material, and permissions.

3. Title Page and Anonymous Main Article  
JNP uses double-anonymous peer review. Author identities must be provided separately from the manuscript sent to reviewers.
Title Page
 Include:

• The complete manuscript title, identical to the title in the Main Article.
• Full names of all authors, in the agreed publication order, without academic degrees or professional titles.
• Complete affiliations: department or study program where relevant, full institution name, city, and country.
• The corresponding author’s name and email address, marked with an asterisk (*).
• Email addresses and ORCID identifiers for all authors.
• Telephone numbers requested in the template, for confidential administrative communication only.

Superscript numbers identify affiliations, not author order. Authors sharing an affiliation must use the same number. Authors with multiple affiliations should carry the corresponding numbers. If all authors share one affiliation, affiliation numbers may be omitted.
The corresponding author does not have to be the first author. Extend the author-information fields when necessary.
Main Article
Do not include author names, affiliations, email addresses, ORCID identifiers, telephone numbers, signatures, or identifying document properties.
During review, use neutral identifiers such as “Author 1” and “Author 2” in the contribution statement. Provide the complete statement in the confidential Title Page.
Where acknowledgments, funding details, ethics committee information, or other information would reveal author identity, temporarily replace only the identifying details with “Blinded for peer review.” Provide complete information in the Title Page or confidential supporting documents. Retain sufficient methodological and ethical information for assessment.
Cite authors’ previous publications normally and in the third person. Do not remove relevant references merely because they were written by the submitting authors.
Restore all identifying information before publication.

4. Online Submission Metadata
Enter the title, abstract, keywords, author names, author order, affiliations, corresponding author, and ORCID information accurately in OJS.
Names must be consistent between OJS and the Title Page. Do not abbreviate a family name to a single letter. For an author with a single-word name, enter the same name in both the given-name and family-name fields; do not invent an additional name.
The corresponding author must check all submission metadata and ensure that every contributor qualifying for authorship is included.

5. General Formatting
Use the formatting styles in the current JNP templates:

• A4 paper with 2.54 cm margins.
• Times New Roman throughout.
• Article title: 16 pt, bold, centered, with appropriate capitalization.
• Author names: 12 pt, bold, on the Title Page.
• Manuscript text: 12 pt.
• Section headings: 12 pt, bold, with 6 pt spacing as specified in the template.
• Table text and table or figure captions: 12 pt.
• Table and figure captions: not bold.
• Tables: 1.5 line spacing.
• Body paragraphs: retain the spacing and indentation provided in the template.
• Pages: numbered consecutively.

Use italics where appropriate rather than underlining, except for hyperlinks. Avoid repeated spaces or tabs to align text.
Use consistent punctuation, abbreviations, symbols, units, and decimal precision. Use a decimal point in English text and explain relevant rounding differences.

6. Title, Abstract, and Keywords
Title
The title must be specific, concise, informative, and representative of the study’s content or principal finding.
Avoid including a research location unless distinctive regional characteristics are essential to interpreting the study.
Abstract
The abstract must not exceed 250 words. For original research, use five separately labeled paragraphs:

• Background: the problem and justification for the study.
• Purpose: the principal objective or research question.
• Methods: the design, setting, participants, procedures or instruments, and analysis.
• Results: the principal findings, including important numerical results or qualitative themes.
• Conclusion: the answer to the objective and the main implication supported by the findings.

Do not include references, tables, figures, or discussion in the abstract. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
Review articles and case reports may adapt the abstract structure where justified, while retaining a clear purpose, approach, findings, and conclusion.
Keywords
Provide three to five specific keywords or phrases, arranged alphabetically and separated by commas. Use appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) where available.
Keywords should represent the article’s principal concepts and support accurate indexing.

7. Main Article Structure
Original research manuscripts should follow this order:

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Background
5. Methods
6. Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusion
9. Acknowledgments
10. Author Contributions
11. Funding
12. Conflicts of Interest
13. Declaration of AI Use
14. References

Background
Explain the nursing or health problem and its significance. Critically compare relevant and current research to establish the state of the art.
Identify a research gap, justify the original contribution, and explain its relevance to nursing. A difference in location or population alone does not establish scientific novelty.
End with an explicit objective or research question. A separate Objective section is not required.
Methods
Provide sufficient information to understand and, where applicable, reproduce the study. Use these subheadings as appropriate:

• Design and Setting: identify the design, setting, recruitment or data collection dates, and rationale for the approach. Describe interventions and comparators sufficiently for replication.
• Participants and Sampling: describe the population, eligibility criteria, recruitment, sampling method, sample size, and its justification.
• Instruments and Data Collection: identify instrument sources, versions, language, scoring, cutoffs, relevant validity and reliability, adaptations or permissions, and collection procedures.
• Data Analysis: describe analytical methods, relevant assumptions, missing-data handling, statistical thresholds, and software/version. For qualitative studies, explain analysis and measures supporting trustworthiness.
• Ethical Considerations: provide the information specified in Section 8.
  Use appropriate reporting guidance where relevant, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, or COREQ, according to the study design.
• Results
  Present findings in an order consistent with the objectives. Include participant flow and sample characteristics where relevant.
  Report important estimates, effect sizes, confidence intervals, sample sizes, and denominators where appropriate, rather than relying only on p-values. Qualitative findings should present clearly developed themes supported by relevant evidence.
  Refer to every table and figure and explain the important findings without repeating every value.
• Discussion
  Interpret findings in relation to the objective, theory, and relevant current research. Explain agreements, differences, possible mechanisms, and the scientific contribution.
  Include Limitations and Implications for Nursing Practice as appropriate. Explain how limitations affect interpretation or generalizability and identify implications for practice, education, policy, or further research.
  Avoid causal claims unsupported by the study design.
• Conclusion
  Answer the objective concisely and emphasize the important finding or original contribution. Do not introduce new results, new discussion, or recommendations extending beyond the evidence.

8. Ethical Approval and Consent
Research involving human participants or animals must report the relevant ethical review and protections.
State the ethics committee name, approval number, and year of issuance. For example:
“Ethical approval was granted by [committee name] (Approval No. [number], issued in [year]).”
Describe informed consent, confidentiality, and participant protection. Obtain consent for publication when identifiable personal information or images are included.
For low and negligible risk research, an alternative statement of ethical compliance may be considered only with reviewer and/or editor approval under the applicable accreditation provisions. This is not an automatic exemption for surveys.
If approval is not applicable, explain why. Report exemptions accurately and do not invent approval information.
Retain consent records securely. Provide ethical approval documentation or appropriately redacted supporting evidence when requested. Do not upload identifiable participant consent forms into publicly accessible files.

9. Tables and Figures
Number tables and figures consecutively in the order of their first citation, using separate numbering sequences. Place them near the relevant text.
Tables

• Use editable tables, not screenshots.
• Place a concise title above each table.
• Use 12 pt Times New Roman and 1.5 line spacing.
• Use horizontal rules without colored shading or vertical grid lines.
• Define abbreviations, units, denominators, and statistical symbols in notes.
• Use consistent decimal precision.
• Cite adapted sources and obtain permission where required.

Normally include no more than six tables. Additional detailed material may be submitted as supplementary files.
Figures
Place the caption below the figure. Ensure labels, units, and symbols are readable at the final publication size.
For raster images, 300 dpi at the intended publication size is a recommended production target. Vector artwork is preferable for charts where possible.
Cite adapted sources and obtain permission where required. Remove unused example tables and figures.

10. Authorship and Required Declarations
Authorship requires substantial intellectual or scholarly contributions, participation in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approval of the final version, and accountability for the work.
Individuals providing assistance that does not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.
Every published article must contain the following four declarations. During review, mask identifying details as described in Section 3 and provide complete information confidentially.

• Author Contributions
  Describe the actual contribution of every author. CRediT roles may be used.
  Example:
  “Author 1: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft. Author 2: Supervision, Validation, Writing – review and editing.”
  Assign only roles actually performed.
• Funding
  State the funding organization and grant number, where applicable, and explain the funder’s role when relevant. If no funding was received, state:
  “This research received no funding.” Declare funding separately from acknowledgments.
• Conflicts of Interest
  Disclose relevant financial, personal, professional, academic, or institutional interests that could influence the research or publication. If none exist, state:
  “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.” If a conflict exists, identify its nature and the relevant parties.
• Declaration of AI Use
  Disclose whether AI tools were used in preparing the manuscript. If AI was used:
  “During manuscript preparation, the authors used [tool/version] for [specific purpose]. The authors reviewed and edited the output and remain responsible for the content and integrity of the article.”
  If no AI was used:
  “The authors did not use AI tools in preparing this manuscript.”
  Retain only the statement that accurately describes the work. AI tools must not be listed as authors.
• Acknowledgments
  Acknowledge assistance that does not qualify for authorship. Obtain permission from named individuals where appropriate. State “None” when there are no acknowledgments.

11. AI Use in Writing and Editorial Processes
Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, confidentiality, citations, and integrity, including content produced with AI assistance.
AI must not be used to fabricate data, references, ethical approvals, or research findings. It must not replace scientific judgment or accountability.
Editors must disclose AI use according to their editorial role and protect manuscript confidentiality. AI must not replace scientific assessment or editorial decision-making.
Reviewers must not use AI to analyze or assess manuscripts, generate review comments, or upload manuscripts or manuscript excerpts to AI services.
These requirements apply throughout submission, review, revision, and publication.

12. References and Citations
Use APA 7th edition and author-year citations consistently.
Arrange references alphabetically and use hanging indentation. Include full journal titles, publication details, and DOI links where available. Do not abbreviate journal names according to CASSI when applying APA 7.
All in-text citations must match reference-list entries, and all listed references must be cited. Use a reference manager such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote.
Include at least 15 references. Select sources for relevance and quality rather than adding citations solely to increase the total.
For the highest national accreditation scoring categories, aim for:

• More than 80% primary research sources.
• More than 80% references published within the preceding 10 years.

Primary sources report original research directly; not every journal article is a primary source. Relevant classic sources may support foundational concepts but should not replace current studies when comparing findings or justifying novelty.
These proportions support accreditation scoring and do not mean every reference must be recent.
Check capitalization, punctuation, italics, volume and issue numbers, page ranges or article identifiers, DOI accuracy, and completeness. Remove corrupted reference-manager fields and literal HTML entities.

13. Review Articles and Case Reports
Adapt the template to the manuscript type while retaining applicable declarations.
Systematic and scoping reviews should describe eligibility criteria, databases, search dates, search strategies, selection, data extraction, and synthesis. Report appraisal methods where applicable.
Reviews must provide critical analysis and an identifiable original contribution rather than merely compile previous publications.
Case reports should describe the clinical context, assessment, intervention, outcomes, discussion, and conclusion. Protect patient confidentiality and report consent for publication where applicable.

14. Originality and Publication Integrity
Manuscripts may be screened for similarity, citation accuracy, and other integrity concerns.
A similarity percentage is a screening indicator, not automatic evidence of plagiarism. Matched passages must be assessed in context.
Authors must cooperate with requests for clarification, supporting documents, and investigation of suspected misconduct. They should promptly notify the editor of significant errors discovered before or after publication.
Corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or withdrawals may be issued as appropriate. Correction and retraction notices should explain the action and be linked to the affected article. Retracted articles must remain identifiable in the scholarly record, with their status clearly marked and relevant metadata updated.
See the Plagiarism and Retraction Policy

15. Review and Revision
Manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening for scope, reporting quality, ethical compliance, originality, and conformity with these guidelines.
Suitable manuscripts proceed to anonymous review by at least two reviewers. Editors make publication decisions after considering the reviews and the manuscript’s merits.
For revisions, submit a point-by-point response addressing each editorial and reviewer comment. Identify changes and explain recommendations that were not adopted. Maintain anonymity in files intended for reviewers.
See the Peer Review Policy.

16. Acceptance and Publication Preparation
After acceptance, supply the complete identified manuscript and restore all information masked for review.
The editorial team completes the assigned DOI, publication dates, volume, issue, and page range or article identifier. Authors must not invent or estimate these details.
The published article must include complete affiliations, the corresponding author’s email, applicable ethical information, the four required declarations, copyright, and the access license.
The PDF and OJS metadata must be consistent. Each article is provided as an individual full-text PDF through its article webpage.
Authors must check proofs for errors in text, author details, tables, figures, references, and declarations.

17. Copyright, Licensing, and Fees
Copyright and publication rights are governed by the journal’s Copyright Notice and publication agreement. The copyright holder and access license must be stated consistently on the article and its webpage.
The journal’s published Copyright Notice specifies the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
JNP does not charge a submission fee. Publication charges, additional charges, and waiver arrangements are provided on the Author Fees page.

18. Submission Preparation Checklist
Before submission, confirm that:

• The Title Page and Main Article are separate Word files prepared using the current templates.
• Author information is complete and consistent with OJS metadata.
• The Main Article and its document properties do not identify the authors.
• The abstract contains no more than 250 words.
• Keywords are specific, alphabetically arranged, and limited to five.
• The objective, research gap, contribution, and methods are clearly reported.
• Ethical approval or a justified alternative statement is included.
• Author contributions, funding, conflicts of interest, and AI use are declared.
• Tables, figures, citations, and references follow the current template and APA 7.
• Supporting permissions and documents are available where applicable.
• Instructions, unused examples, comments, and tracked changes have been removed.

Every author has approved the manuscript and its submission.
Submit through the JNP submission page. For submission assistance, contact jnpstrada@gmail.com.