Official Journal of American Assisted Living Nurses Association, National Gerontological Nursing Association and Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association




OUR GOAL:

Geriatric Nursing is committed to providing timely information on new and innovative programs and practices in clinical care and administration. We also report clinical research findings that are applicable to practice. GN strives to provide pertinent, pragmatic information, newsworthy information, continuing education, resources and guidelines to maximize caregivers' ability to help elders capitalize on their achievements, prevent or modify ill health, and complete the tasks of late life in ways that add to its enjoyment and meaning.

EDITORIAL POLICIES:

Geriatric Nursing is a peer-reviewed journal that welcomes original manuscripts, about all aspects of aging. Manuscripts on timely topics of interest to those individuals working directly or indirectly with elders--wherever they are living-whether in the community, acute care situation, or long-term care facility, are encouraged. Although not primarily a research journal, any research reports submitted to GN must have been conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki (e.g., un-coerced subjects who have given their informed consent to participate).

REVIEW PROCESS

After the review process has been completed (generally 4-6 weeks), the corresponding author will receive e-mail notice regarding the outcome of the review process and will receive further information concerning the suitability of their article for publication. Revisions may be requested. All manuscripts published will be edited and formatted to conform to the standards and style of Geriatric Nursing.

Statements and opinions expressed in the articles and communications published in the Journal are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the editor, or publisher. The editor and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material, and do not guarantee, warrant, or endorse any product or service advertised in this publication, nor do they guarantee any claim made by the manufacturers of such product or service.

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS:

Geriatric Nursing uses as Web-based online manuscript submission and review system. Please visit http://ees.elsevier.com/gn to submit your manuscript electronically. The website guides authors stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. Submission items include a cover letter, the manuscript (including title page, abstract, manuscript text, references, and table/figure legends), tables, and figures. Revised manuscripts should also be accompanied by a unique file (separate from the covering letter) with responses to reviewers' comments.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION:

All manuscripts undergo peer review by at least 2 editorial advisors and the editor. Preparation of a manuscript according to the following guidelines will expedite review and potential publication.

Manuscripts style utilized by the journal is modified Vancouver/AMA style. Please see a recent copy of the journal for sample.

All pages, including references, tables and figure legends, should be double-spaced. Please number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page in the upper right hand corner. Do not put identifiable information on each page of the manuscript (i.e., Taylor, et al....page 1). Length of the manuscript depends on the subject matter, but brevity-about 8-10 pages-is desirable.

Title Page: The title page must include manuscript title (keep concise but informative), full names of all authors, together with their highest academic degrees and institutional affiliations; disclaimers, if any, and the name, address, phone, fax and e-mail contact information for the corresponding author. Authors who have received financial support from a manufacturer or been given product free of charge to use in a study should acknowledge this support in a separate note at the bottom of the title page.

Abstract: Each original article must be accompanied by an abstract of 100-150 words, typed on a separate page, which summarizes the main points of the article.

Body of the Paper: Abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out at the first mention in the text and should not be used so extensively throughout the text as to make the meaning of the article unclear or confusing.

Reporting on Randomized Controlled Trial
If your work is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, please refer to http://www.consort-statement.org and/or http://www.consort-statement.org/Downloads/checklist.pdf (RCT checklist) for further instructions. CONSORT statement is an important research tool that takes an evidence-based approach to improve the quality of reports of randomized trials. Authors re requested to include this information within RCT articles.

Do not use your word-processor's footnote or endnote capabilities. Do not use unusual formatting or font symbols that may be translated incorrectly. If a brand-name drug or medical device is mentioned, the name and location of the manufacturer should be included or a generic name should be substituted. Make reference to any tables or figures in the text but tables and figures should be included at the end of the article on separate pages, not interspersed in the text. Please do not use right justification or center text or headings when preparing the manuscript. Be sure to key the letter "O", the number zero "0", the letter "l" and the number "1" correctly.

References: References must be current, relevant, and conform to correct Journal format. Incomplete or missing information will delay publication. References are cited consecutively as they appear in the text, as superscript numbers. The same superscript number utilized throughout the paper designates references mentioned more than once in an article. Do not use alphabetized reference listings or APA format. Personal communications should not be included in the reference list, but may be cited in parentheses in the text. Web site citations used in reference lists must contain accurate URLs and be current and accessible to the reader with full citation provided. Multi-authored articles should include up to the first 3 authors (last name and initials), followed by "et al". Consider the following examples:

1. Hanks GE. Radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for early prostate cancer: two roads to the same end. Cancer 1988; 61:2153-60.
2. Balaledmant RA, Drago JR. Prostate cancer: promising advances that may alter survival rates. Postgrad Med 1990; 87:65-72.
3. Resnick, B. Seizures and Epilepsy in the Older Adult. 2004. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/ . Cited March 31, 2006.

For books citations, include up to the first 3 authors (last name and initials), title of book (lowercase and no quotation marks), edition or volume, city of publication, publisher, and year. When particular pages of a book are relevant or when a book is referenced several times, the relevant pages may be listed. Consider the following examples:

1. Strauss AL. Chronic illness and the quality of life. St Louis: CV Mosby; 1975.
2. Sulloway, FJ. Freud: biologist of the mind. New York: Basic Books; 1979, p. 102-10, 130-1, 194.

Figure and Table Legends: Legends should be typed double-spaced on a separate sheet of paper. Spell out in the legends any abbreviations or acronyms used as labels on the figures. If taken from material previously published, the legend must give full credit to the original source, and the author must obtain written permission to reproduce previously published material from the original source of publication and include it at the time of manuscript submission. Number tables consecutively in the order of mention: all tables must be cited in the text. Data in tabular form should supplement, rather than duplicate, the text.

Copyrights: Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, a formal copyright release will be sent to the authors(s) for signature and return prior to publication of the article.

Permissions and Consents: All manuscripts are accepted for publication with the understanding that they are contributed solely to Geriatric Nursing. On acceptance, manuscripts become the permanent property of the journal and may not be reproduced elsewhere without written permission from the publisher.

Use of any previously published material or material adapted from something previously published, must include written permission of the copyright holder and author for any quotation, table, or figure taken from previously published material. Patient or guardian consent must accompany any photograph that shows a recognizable likeness of a person. Failure to obtain this information may delay publication of accepted articles.

Artwork, also known as figures, consists of camera-ready photographs, line drawings such as graphs or illustrations, and combination art-combining line and photographic images. Authors must submit as a CMYK (4 color EPS or TIFF file is preferred over a PDF format for the following reasons: EPS-encapsulated post-script-is a vector-based file and not suitable for photos or combination art. File submitted must be at 1000 dpi or higher. TIFF files (text to image file format) work bests for photographs. Files submitted in this format must be 300 dpi or higher. TIFF files are not compressed and cannot be expanded. Usually the image becomes grainy or jagged when enlarged. PDF files (Post-script document format) cannot be changed/edited and should be submitted at 300 dpi or higher--these do not reproduce as well as an EPS or TIFF file and are therefore not encouraged. All images should be at least 5" wide.

WE CANNOT accept e-files of artwork created by desktop publishing programs such as Power Point® or Excel®. Software such as Photoshop® and Illustrator® may be used in the creation of art. Gray scale images should be at least 300 dpi and accompanied by a proof. Black and white line art needs to be 1000 dpi, and color line art needs to be at least 500 dpi and accompanied by a proof. Combinations of gray scale and line art should be at least 1000 dpi with a proof. Please include hardware and software information, in addition to the file names, with the disk.

CHECK LIST FOR AUTHORS

_____ Manuscript Proper

• Title Page - includes title, full name, degrees, and institutional affiliations of all authors, including contact information for corresponding author.
• Abstract (approximately 150 words)
• Text of Article
• Reference List (in proper format and double-spaced)
• Author bio-line (list authors with their degrees and professional affiliations)
• Any acknowledgments

_____ Legends (All Figures and Tables MUST have titles)
_____ Figures, if utilized, should be properly labeled. Photographic consent release must be obtained for any identifiable persons in a photograph.
_____ Written permissions to reproduce previously published material and other consents/releases are required. Failure to obtain necessary permissions to reproduce will delay publication.

Editor
Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP
5435 Watercress Place
Columbia, MD 21045
Fax: 410-828-0494
E-mail: gneditor@gmail.com

Managing Editor
Ardis O'Meara
906 Weatherbee Road
Townson, MD 21286
Phone: 410-828-9462
Fax: 410-828-0494
E-mail: gneditor@gmail.com