Download PDF version of Instructions for Authors
How to submit a manuscript: Instructions for Authors
Prepared by
Beverley Copnell, RN, PhD
Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing is an international journal which promotes excellence in clinical practice, research, education and management, and provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The editors welcome articles on any topic of interest to pediatric or neonatal intensive and critical care nurses.
Manuscripts submitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing must not have been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), and must not be concurrently under consideration by any other journal. Once accepted for publication, manuscripts become copyright to Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing and may not be reproduced without permission from the editors.
Format
Manuscripts must be written in English; either American or British spelling may be used but must be consistent throughout. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, using Arial or Times New Roman font in at least 11-point, with margins of at least 2 cm or 1 inch. Number pages consecutively beginning with the title page. The preferred length for research, clinical and review papers is 1000-2500 words, excluding references. Submissions to Spotlight on PICU should not exceed 1500 words. The sections of the manuscript should be in the following order.
Title page
• Title should be concise and informative, and typed in bold capitals.
• Names (first name, initial(s) and family names) of authors in the order in which they are to appear. Include a maximum of 4 qualifications for each author
• Institutional affiliation(s) of each author
• Address, telephone and fax numbers and email address of corresponding author
Abstract
An abstract not exceeding 250 words is required for all submissions except those for Spotlight on PICU. For research studies, the abstract should be structured under the following headings: Background, Methodology, Results (or Findings), Conclusions.
Body of text
Use headings to structure the paper. The type of paper will determine the headings, eg for research papers the main headings will be Introduction, Background, Methodology/Methods, Results/Findings, Discussion, Conclusion. Up to 2 levels of headings may be used. Papers reporting research conducted in humans or animals should include a statement that the study was approved by the relevant body or bodies.
References
The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. References such as “personal communications” or “unpublished data” cannot be included in the reference list, but can be mentioned in the text in parentheses.
References should start on a separate page following the text. They must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text and listed in numerical order. In the text, designate reference numbers on the line (i.e., in normal text, not superscript) in parentheses. If using Endnote or Reference Manager, references should be formatted using the style Intensive Care Medicine.
Examples
Journal article: Tan AM, Gomez JM, Mathews J, Williams M, Paratz J, Rajadurai VS (2005) Closed versus partially ventilated endotracheal suction in extremely preterm neonates: physiologic consequences. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing 21:234-242
Journal article published on-line ahead of print: Duff JP, Rosychuk RJ, Joffe AR (2007) The safety and efficacy of sustained inflations as a lung recruitment maneuver in pediatric intensive care unit patients. Intensive Care Medicine 10.1007/s00134-007-0764-2
Book: McHaffie H (2001) Crucial decisions at the beginning of life: parents’ experiences of treatment withdrawal from infants Radcliffe Medical Press, Abingdon
Book chapter: Cordery C (1995) Doing more with less: nursing and the politics of economic rationalism in the 1990s. In: Gray G, Pratt, R. (ed) Issues in Australian Nursing 4. Churchill Livingstone, Melbourne, p 355-374
Conference paper: Copnell B, Tingay DG, Kiraly NJ, Sourial M, Gordon MJ, Mills JF, Morley CJ, Dargaville PA Comparison of the effectiveness of open and closed endotracheal suction. Procedings of the Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting, San Francisco, May 2006. E-PAS2006:2059:5560.2342.
Electronic source: National Institutes of Health (2004) Program announcement: Improving care for dying children and their families. http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-04-057.html Accessed: July 20, 2004
Figures and Tables
All figures (graphs, photographs, diagrams) and tables should be numbered consecutively and cited in the text. Each figure and table should be on a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Tables should have a title above and, if needed, a legend at the bottom explaining any abbreviations used.
Figure legends should be typed on a separate page. They should be concise but self-sufficient explanations of the illustrations.
Illustrations should be supplied in electronic format.
Written permission must be obtained to reproduce illustrations and tables that have appeared elsewhere, even if the work of the author(s). Borrowed material should be acknowledged in the legends. Identifiable clinical photographs must be accompanied by written permission from the persons in the photograph, or parent or guardian for children.
Manuscript submission
Electronic submission is required. Manuscripts should be saved as a Word document and emailed to the editor Franco Carnevale (franco.carnevale [at] mcgill.ca).
