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Guide for authors

Submission of manuscripts

  • The official language of the AUEC is English and all submission materials, including supplementary documentation, must be submitted in English.
  • All manuscripts, correspondence, and editorial material for publication must be submitted online via the Elsevier Editorial Manager at https://www.editorialmanager.com/AUEC. Authors simply need to "create a new account" (i.e., register) by following the instructions at the website, and using their own e-mail address and selected password.
  • Articles submitted for review must be original works and may not be submitted for review or published electronically elsewhere in pre peer-review while under review by AUEC. AUEC will not accept articles submitted to pre-peer review and pre-print repositories prior to, or during, peer review or consideration for publication.
  • Following Registration, enter the "Author area" and follow the instructions for submitting "Entry data" and a complete manuscript, including abstract, tables, figures and the cover letter.
  • Do not include your name or other author identifying information in the body of the manuscript to enable blind peer review.
  • The entire peer-review process will then be managed electronically to ensure timely review and publication. Authors can expect an initial decision on their submission within 6 weeks.

Preparation of manuscript

1. Format of the manuscript

Microsoft Word is the preferred software program. Manuscripts written in 11-point Arial or Times New Roman fonts are preferred and more reliably convert to PDF files during electronic submission.

Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced throughout (including title page, abstract, text, references, tables, and legends) with 2.5 cm (one inch (1")) margins all around, and text with left-hard justification.

Every submission, regardless of category, must include:

  • A cover letter, stating: the category of article, sources of outside support for research, including funding, equipment, and drugs, and disclosing any conflict of interest. If your manuscript has been submitted to another journal prior to submission to AUEC full disclosure of this information is required including reason(s) for withdrawal/rejection and any comments from reviewers/editors.
  • Competing Interests: When the proposed publication concerns any commercial product, either directly or indirectly, the author must include in the cover letter a statement (1) indicating that he or she has no financial or other interest in the product or distributor of the product or (2) explaining the nature of any relation between himself or herself and the manufacturer or distributor of the product. Other kinds of associations, such as consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interests or patent-licensing arrangements, also must be disclosed. If, in the Editor's judgment, the information disclosed represents a potential conflict of interest, it may be made available to reviewers and may be published at the Editor's discretion; authors will be informed of the decision before publication. Authors should ensure that any members of the Editorial Board, Reviewers or Editors of AUEC who are involved in any capacity in the authoring process including supervision and mentoring, are listed as having a potential for competing interests.

Note that the online manuscript submission program requires separate entries of some information that also appears in the manuscript. These separate entries are needed to manage processing and reviewing your manuscript and correspondence.

2. Word limits by category of manuscript

Submissions to the AUEC should comply with the following word lengths. The Editor-in-Chief may approve a word length greater is particular circumstances.

  • Original articles: maximum 4,500 words including title page, abstract, text, figure legends and references.
  • Case reports and "how to do it": maximum 1,500 words including title page, abstract, text, references and figure legends. A "how to do it" article should be a description of a useful, clinical technique and contain descriptive, illustrative material.
  • Review articles are limited to 6,500 words including title page, abstract, text, figure legends and all references. The total number of references should not exceed 80. Subtract 100 words for each illustration and 300 words for each table. More specific guidelines about the content of review articles are available from the editorial office upon request.
  • Correspondence (Letters to the Editor), commentaries and updates are limited to 500 words. Subtract 100 words for each illustration and 300 words for each table.
  • Editorials are limited to 2,500 words including references. Subtract 100 words for each illustration and 300 words for each table.

3. Sections of the manuscript

Arrange manuscript as follows: (1) title page, (2) abstract and keywords, (3) text, (4) acknowledgments, (5) disclosures, (6) references, (7) tables (each complete with title and footnotes) (8) Figures and (9) figure legends. Number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page as page 1 and ending with the legend page.

  • Title Page (first page) should contain:
    • Title. Short and informative
    • Running Head. Short title of 30 characters and spaces
    • Authors. List all authors by first name, all initials, family name, professional registration designation (if applicable) and highest academic degree using (for example 'RN PhD', 'MBBS PhD', 'BParaMedSci MSc'. The Journal does not accept post-nominals for qualifications that have not been conferred and awarded by the relevant institution, such as candidates for research higher degrees.
    • Institution and Affiliations. List the name and full address of all institutions where the work was done. List departmental affiliations of each author affiliated with that institution after each institutional address. Connect authors to departments using numbered superscripts.
    • Corresponding Author. Provide the name, exact postal address with zip or postal code, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the author to whom communications, proofs, and requests for reprints should be sent.
  • Abstract & Keywords: Purpose, procedures, findings and principle conclusions must be covered in under 200 words. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms. For Original Research and Quality Articles, the Abstract should be divided into Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Provide up to 6 keywords, at least five of which should be selected from those recommended by the Index Medicus Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) browser list (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html).
  • Main Body Text: For Original Research or Quality Articles, text should be organised as follows:
    • Introduction (purpose of study and brief review of background);
    • Material (or Patients) and Methods (described in detail);
    • Results (concisely reported in tables and figures, with brief text descriptions), and
    • Discussion (clear and concise interpretation of results).
    • Cite references, illustrations and tables in numeric order by order of mention in the text.
    • Avoid abbreviations. Define abbreviations at first appearance in the text.
    • Measurements and weights should be given in standard metric units.
    • Footnotes. Type footnotes at the bottom of the manuscript page on which they are cited.
  • Acknowledgments: Authors are encouraged to acknowledge persons other than co-authors who have made substantial contributions to the development of their study or manuscript. Permission from all persons named in the acknowledgements must be obtained prior to submission to the Journal and authors must inform the Editor in writing that such permission has been obtained. This statement can be included in the "comments" section when submitting a manuscript online. Any personal acknowledgements should also be submitted as a separate attached page with the manuscript.
  • Disclosures: All manuscripts must include a statement relating to Competing Interests and Funding
  • References: Consecutive numbers in superscript should be used to indicate references in the text, e.g. …in nursing practice guidelines.21,46 The full reference should be cited in a numbered list essentially according to the Vancouver Uniform Requirements
  • Tables: Tables should be typewritten double-spaced on separate sheets (one to each page). Do not use vertical lines. Each table should be numbered (Arabic) and have a title above. Legends and explanatory notes should be placed below the table. Abbreviations used in the table follow the legend in alphabetic order. Lower case letter superscripts beginning with "a" and following in alphabetic order are used for notations of within-group and between-group statistical probabilities. Tables should be self-explanatory, and the data should not be duplicated in the text or illustrations. Tables must be submitted as part of the text file and not as illustrations.
  • Figure Legends: Figure legends should be numbered (Arabic) and typed double-spaced in order of appearance beginning on a separate sheet. Identify (in alphabetic order) all abbreviations appearing in the illustrations at the end of each legend. All abbreviations used on a figure and in its legend should be defined in the legend. Cite the source of previously published (print or electronic) material in the legend.
  • Illustrations: Images or figures are submitted online as one or more separate files that may contain one or more images. Within each file containing images, use the figure number (e.g., Figure 1A) as the image filename. The system accepts image files formatted in TIFF and EPS. PowerPoint (.ppt) files are also accepted, but you must use a separate PowerPoint image file for each PowerPoint figure. If you wish to publish colour figures and agree to pay the "colour charge" check the appropriate box. Colour illustrations incur a colour charge of US$312 for the first page and US$208 for every additional page containing colour. Permission from the copyright holder (typically the publisher) must be submitted to the Editorial Office for the reproduction of any previously published table(s), illustration(s) or photograph(s). Permission must be valid for reuse in both print and electronic formats.
  • Characters: Symbols, letters, numbers and contrasting fills must be distinct, easily distinguished and clearly legible when the illustration is reduced in size. Black, white and widely crosshatched bars are preferable; do not use stippling, gray fill or thin lines. Written permission from unmasked patients appearing in photographs must be obtained by the authors included in the online submission.
  • Patient Images: Appropriate consents must also be obtained for any patient images appearing in your manuscript. For Elsevier's Patient Consent Policy, please visit https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/patient-consent.

Regulatory requirements

  • Authorship: All submissions must comply with the requirements and definition of authorship as established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. In addition, submissions must include an authorship contribution statement in accordance with the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework.
  • Research Manuscripts: All submissions must provide evidence that research-based submissions have been approved by the appropriate Human Ethics Committee and that the study was conducted in accordance with the approved protocol. All work must conform to the "National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans" by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, or the equivalent in other countries, or the Declaration of Helsinki. The ethical guidelines that were followed by the investigators must be included in the Methods section of the manuscript. State clearly that the subject gave informed consent. Anonymity should be preserved.
  • Humane Animal Care: The Methods section must contain a statement (if applicable) assuring that all animals received humane care in accordance with the "Statement on Animal Experimentation" by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, or its equivalent in other countries, such as the National Institutes for Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
  • Copyright: Papers accepted for publication become the copyright of the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia Ltd., and authors will be asked to sign a transfer of copyright form, on receipt of the accepted manuscript by Elsevier. This enables the Publisher to administer Copyright on behalf of the Authors and the College, whilst allowing the continued use of the material by the Author for Scholarly communication.

October, 2020