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Guidelines
for Authors
The American Journal for Nurse Practitioners
(AJNP), a peer-reviewed journal, is published 10 times per
year and is indexed in CINAHL. It focuses on topics of interest
and importance to nurse practitioners (NPs) and other advanced
practice nurses. Manuscripts concerning clinical practice,
healthcare delivery, health policy, critical issues or trends,
continuing education, pharmacoeconomics, or research will
be considered. However, all topics should apply to clinical
NP practice and should provide current and useful information
in a clear, concise format using charts, tables, photographs,
and algorithms when appropriate. Research-related manuscripts
should include the purpose, methods, results, discussion,
and conclusion.
Manuscripts submitted to AJNP must not have been published
previously or be under consideration for publication in another
journal. Those selected for possible publication will be subject
to peer review. Authors may wish to have their manuscripts
reviewed by experts in the field before submitting them, and
should inform AJNP in writing of such review. All manuscripts
will be copyedited and forwarded to the author for approval.
The author assumes responsibility for all content. Once a
manuscript is accepted for publication in AJNP, it becomes
the property of NP Communications, LLC.
Text
Format
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The
title sheet of the manuscript must include the title and the
author’s name, credentials, mailing address, email address,
telephone number, and fax number. The corresponding author
should be designated if there is more than one author. The
author’s name will be removed during the peer review
process.
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Manuscripts
are to be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font,
using 1-inch margins (maximum, 16 pages).
They are to be submitted in electronic form (Microsoft Word
only) on a PC-compatible diskette and via email.
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References
(no older than 5 years if possible) should be cited using
a superscript1 in the text, and then listed in the reference
section in the order presented. If cited, Internet websites
must be reliable resources (original articles are preferred).
References should be styled in AMA format. See recent issues
of AJNP for guidance.
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Authors
are responsible for the accuracy of all information, including
citations and references.
Artwork:
Should Be Camera Ready
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Photos
and Slides
–Physical photos
and slides, preferably in color, are acceptable. Glossy black
and white photographs should be submitted unmounted. Authors
must obtain written permission from photographers and from
all persons identifiable in photographs. NP Communications
and Karen Spencer Design take no responsibility for the quality
of images submitted by authors.
–Digital Photos: Images must
be prepared so that they may be printed at 4 x 6 with a resolution
of 300 dpi. File sizes >1MB must be submitted on a CD (they
cannot be emailed).
•
PowerPoint
Images:
All logos and images must be embedded in the PowerPoint file,
and photographic images must be saved at 300 dpi at 4 x 6.
PowerPoint charts cannot be reproduced; they will be redrawn
by our art director.
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Tables,
Figures, Graphs, and Illustrations
–Tables: Up to six tables
(containing actual tabular material; simple lists should be
incorporated into the text) are welcome. Tables should be
cited in the text in numerical order, but they should be physically
placed in numerical order after the reference section. Authors
must obtain permission to reproduce a previously published
table, which must also include a credit line stating the original
source.
–Figures,
Graphs, and Illustrations: These should be professionally
prepared in black ink or produced on a high-quality laser
printer. They should be cited in the text in numerical order,
but they should be physically placed in numerical order after
the reference section. All explanatory material and legends
should be placed in captions beneath the figure, graph, or
illustration to which they pertain.
Student
Authors
AJNP encourages NP faculty members to submit
manuscripts of excellence on behalf of student authors. It
is expected that faculty members will have reviewed the manuscript
for content, format, and accuracy before submission, and that
the manuscript will adhere to the format described above.
Student papers must meet AJNP criteria for publication, and
will be peer reviewed if considered for publication. Names
of the student author and faculty advisor should appear on
the title sheet.
Case Studies
These should exemplify the clinical decision-making
process in NP practice, and should be written in such a fashion
as to challenge readers to “solve” the cases.
Case studies should present background information and the
patient’s chief complaint, associated problems, and
personal and family history. They should discuss the differential
diagnosis, diagnostic tests performed (if any), the management
plan, and the outcome. Risk factors, cost/benefit ratios,
and pertinent legal and ethical issues should be discussed
if relevant. Decision-point questions should be posed throughout
the case study to provide a rationale for each step in the
clinical decision-making process. Decisions should be supported
by the literature and by case-specific data. In fact, authors
are encouraged to present a case-specific decision-making
algorithm, chart, or table that reflects the process required
to “solve” the problem.
Additional Topics
AJNP welcomes short reports on late-breaking
news, notices about upcoming continuing education events or
professional update meetings, easy-to-follow tips for patients,
and other information of interest to NPs.
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