Editorial Policies

Editorial Policies

Version: 2 January 2024

Aim & Scope

  • We publish original work that advances nursing science, clinical practice, education, management, and health policy.
  • Core areas: medical surgical nursing; community and public health; gerontological nursing; maternal–child nursing; nursing management and education; research methods; digital health; wound and diabetic care; patient safety and policy.
  • Manuscripts outside the scope will not be processed (Focus and Scope)

Ethics & Compliance

  • We follow COPE and ICMJE. Studies involving humans/animals require ethics approval (institution and number) and, when applicable, written informed consent.
  • Animal research follows ARRIVE and institutional permissions.
  • Compliance with personal data regulations (e.g., GDPR-equivalent) is required.

Authorship, CRediT & ORCID

  • ICMJE authorship criteria apply: substantial contribution; drafting/critical review; final approval; accountability.
  • Report each author’s role using the CRediT taxonomy.
  • ORCID is mandatory for the corresponding author and encouraged for all authors.
  • Post-submission changes to the author list/order require written consent from all authors with clear justification.

Use of AI & Assistive Tools

  • AI tools are not authors and cannot take responsibility.
  • All AI use (writing, analysis, visualization) must be disclosed (tool name, version, purpose) in Methods/Acknowledgments/Contributions.
  • Authors are responsible for originality, accuracy, citations, data privacy, and licensing.
  • Do not upload confidential or personal data to public AI services without explicit permission (Generative AI Policy)

Data, Code & Materials (DAS)

  • A Data Availability Statement (DAS) is required: repository/DOI or access conditions, or a justified restriction.
  • Sharing analysis code and key materials is encouraged with a clear license and README.
  • Source data for main figures should be available as supplementary files or via repository links.

Study Registration & Reporting

  • Clinical/prospective studies: public registration before enrolment (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov/ISRCTN) with the registration ID in the manuscript.
  • Systematic reviews/meta-analyses: PRISMA and registration (e.g., PROSPERO/INPLASY/OSF).
  • Use relevant reporting guidelines: CONSORT (RCT), STROBE (observational), STARD (diagnostic), PRISMA (reviews), CARE (case reports), SRQR/COREQ (qualitative) following Equator Network. Submit completed checklists at submission.

Originality, Plagiarism & Misconduct

  • We prohibit plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and misleading image manipulation.
  • Similarity checks are conducted; excessive overlap may lead to rejection.
  • Allegations follow COPE flowcharts; sanctions may include retraction and submission bans.

Confidentiality & Privacy

  • Participant identities must be de-identified unless written consent permits disclosure.
  • Data sharing with re-identification risk must be anonymized or restricted per consent and regulations.

Conflicts of Interest (COI) & Funding

  • All authors must complete the JNJ COI disclosure.
  • Declare funders and their roles (if any) in study design, data collection, analysis, and publication.
  • Editors/reviewers disclose COI before assignment.

Preprints & Duplicate Submission

  • Preprints are allowed (e.g., OSF Preprints, SSRN, INA-Rxiv). Provide the DOI/identifier.
  • No multiple submission: the manuscript is not under review elsewhere.
  • After publication, update the preprint with the JNJ article DOI.

Editorial Process & Peer Review

  • Standard model: double-blind peer review.
  • Desk review checks scope, novelty, methodological soundness, and ethics.
  • External peer review by ≥2 experts; statistical/methods review may be requested.
  • Decisions: accept; minor/major revision; reject. Queue transparency is maintained via OJS.

Method Transparency & Reproducibility

  • Describe methods and analyses in sufficient detail for replication.
  • Report effect sizes, confidence intervals, and assumption checks.
  • For omics/ML: provide dataset details, preprocessing, evaluation metrics, and concise model documentation where relevant.

Figures, Graphics & Image Integrity

  • Avoid excessive editing; describe any processing in Methods.
  • Provide high-resolution files; source data for main panels should be available on request or via repository.
  • Use licensed/permissioned images with proper credit.

Copyright, License & Open Access

  • Model: Diamond Open Access - free for authors and readers.
  • License: CC BY 4.0. Authors retain copyright; the publisher receives a non-exclusive right to publish through a Publishing Agreement.

Article Charges & Waivers

  • Article Processing Charge:  Rp 350,000 (≈ USD 22). No submission, page, or color charges.
  • Special support may be considered for exceptional data curation or similar needs.

Appeals, Complaints & Disputes

  • Authors may appeal a decision with clear methodological/substantive arguments; a senior editor will reassess.
  • Ethical/editorial complaints are handled by the JNJ Research Integrity Officer or Editorial Ethics Board.