AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Clinical Simulation in Nursing is an international, peer reviewed journal published online monthly. Clinical Simulation in Nursing is the official journal of the International Nursing Association of Clinical and Simulated Learning (INACSL) and the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) and reflects the mission of these organizations. The journal accepts manuscripts meeting one or more of the following criteria:

• Research articles and systematic reviews using simulation andor standardized patients
• Practice articles using simulation and or standardized patients
• Innovative teaching/learning strategies developed through simulation and technology
• Innovative implementation and management strategies for simulation within practice and academic centers; and
• Articles updating knowledge, guidelines, regulations, and legislative policies that impact nursing and health care education and practice

EDITORIAL POLICY

Most papers are read by the Editor-in-Chief before being sent out for review. Some papers that are written far below the standard for publication in Clinical Simulation in Nursing will be rejected by the Editor-in-Chief without obtaining peer review. The decision of the Editor-in-Chief regarding acceptance or rejection is final. Clinical Simulation in Nursing has adopted word limit for all articles as detailed below. Manuscripts will be returned to the author if the word count is exceeded.

WORD LIMIT for article categories (excluding abstracts and references)

Original paper- 3500 (4 tables and/or 4 figures)
Review article - 4000 (8 tables)
Short communication - 1500 (3 tables)
Book/software/product review - 1200 words
Letter to the Editor - 200 words

REFERENCE LIMIT

Original paper - 40
Review article - 75
Short communication - 20

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

All manuscripts must be submitted through the online submission Web site (http://ees.elsevier.com/nursingsimulation ). The site guides authors through the creation and uploading of files. Manuscripts will be considered for publication with the understanding that they are original contributions that have not been published previously and are not under consideration by another publication.

The Journal requires all authors to acknowledge, on the title page of their manuscript, all funding sources and/or granting agencies that supported their work, as well as all institutional or corporate affiliations of all the authors. Authors are also required to disclose to the Editor, in a covering letter at the time of submission, any commercial associations that could pose a conflict of interest or financial bias. These include consultation fees, patent licensing arrangements, company stock, payments for conducting or publicizing a study, travel, honoraria, gifts, or meals. If the article is accepted for publication, the Editor will determine how any conflict of interest should be disclosed. Authors are expected to fulfil the requirements of their employer's publication policy before submitting their manuscript. The Journal follows the ICMJE's Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (http://www.icmje.org).

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Manuscripts should focus on any area that advances nursing knowledge through simulation or technology. Research submissions must include appropriate analysis tables. Manuscripts must conform to the following guidelines. Upload your manuscript in Microsoft Word format and not as a PDF file. Follow the word limits for manuscript type noted earlier. Figures and/or tables should not be embedded into the text document. Complete instructions for electronic submission can be found at www.elsevier.com/authors.

Style
The Journal follows the style guidelines delineated in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., 2010, with the exception that manuscript pages should be numbered.

Title Page/Author Information
The following information should appear on the title page: a) title of the manuscript; b) author (s) name (s) with highest degree earned; c) position title; d) institutional affiliation (s); e) institutional addresses; f) email address, telephone and fax number of corresponding author; g) acknowledgement of extramural funding; and h) any commercial financial support.

Article Type
Identify type of article that is to be submitted: research paper, clinical article, review/theoretical, letter to the editor, etc.

Cover Letter
Submit as a separate file to the editor and include the following: the title of the paper, contact information for the corresponding author, disclosure of information if any previous presentations of data have been given, the manuscript is not being currently reviewed by another journal, other manuscripts with related data currently submitted to other journals, and disclosure of financial interests.

The Journal requires all authors to acknowledge, on the title page of their manuscript, all funding sources and/or granting agencies that supported their work, as well as all institutional or corporate affiliations of all the authors. Authors are also required to disclose to the Editor, in a covering letter at the time of submission, any commercial associations that could pose a conflict of interest or financial bias. These include consultation fees, patent licensing arrangements, company stock, payments for conducting or publicizing a study, travel, honoraria, gifts, or meals.

In addition, the cover letter should include a statement detailing the work each author contributed to the work. This may include: (1) conception and/or design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and /or interpretation of data (2) drafting or revising the manuscript. All contributors who do not meet the author criteria as defined should be included in the acknowledgements section.

Language
Clinical Simulation in Nursing has an international readership. In acknowledgement of this, both English and American spellings of word are acceptable in a manuscript.

Abstract
All manuscripts must include an abstract. Research articles should include a structured abstract of approximately 100 words with a focus onfindings and conclusions under the following headings: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Other articles should include an unstructured abstract summarizing the main points of the article.

Manuscript
Manuscripts should be saved in Microsoft Word format, double-spaced throughout the manuscript with a one inch margin. Include acknowledgments, abstract, text, references and figure legends. Page numbers should appear on each page. Line numbering should be used starting with the first paragraph of the article.

Manuscript Classification
Identify the manuscript's topical area by selecting one or more classifications from the list.

Comments
Enter comments that are to be directed to the Editor-in-Chief/Associate Editor/Column Editors.

Key Points
Provide three key point statements that summarize the main points of your article.

Key Words
Identify no fewer than five (5) key words that literature searches would use to locate your manuscript if it were published.

References
References must conform to APA style. The author must assume responsibility for the accuracy of references.

Figures and Tables
Each image must be a separate, stand-alone file, named to match the figure number listed in the text (e.g., figure1.eps). Figure legends should not be included in the body of the submission. Tables should be placed at the end of the manuscript, one to a page. Artwork specifications may be found at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. Authors may submit video files as online extra material. Videos must compliment the article content. Video specifications may be found at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/authorartworkinstructions.

Duties of the Corresponding Author
The corresponding author assumes the responsibility for assuring that all co-authors see and approve page proofs prior to final publication and that all co-authors agree to the article as submitted. The corresponding author signs the copyright agreement for all co-authors.

Permissions
If academic, hospital, or business affiliations are given or are referred to in the manuscript, it is the responsibility of the author to obtain permission from the proper authorities to use the names of such. It is also the author's responsibility to obtain written permission (including electronic rights) to reprint previously published information, charts, tables, etc.

REVIEW PROCESS INFORMATION

This is a referred journal. All manuscripts received by the Editor-in-Chief and sent to reviewers are treated as privileged communication. Manuscripts meeting the stated guidelines go through the classic double-blind, peer review process common to respected professional journals. Anonymously, peers review each manuscript, and approve or disapprove based on merit and clarity of presentation. This process reinforces not only the integrity of Clinical Simulation in Nursing but also the profession through the dissemination of professional knowledge.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, email us at sedgren@BoiseState.edu

Revised: 5 December 2011