Submission guidelines

Submit manuscript

Please read the guidelines in full before submitting your manuscript.
Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

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This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

The Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the author responsibilities section on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.

We also encourage you to familiarize yourself with our Editorial Policies and our Publication Ethics Policies.

Sage Publishing disseminates high-quality research and engaged scholarship globally, and we are committed to diversity and inclusion in publishing. We encourage submissions and peer review from a diverse range of authors and reviewers from across all countries and backgrounds. Read our diversity, equity, and inclusion pledge.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal. Open access options are available – see below.

Please read the guidelines below then submit your manuscript here.

Access: Subscription
Accepts preprints? Yes
Identity transparency: Double anonymized

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.

Figures submitted in color will be published in color in the online version of the journal at no cost. If you wish to have color figures in the printed version, the following fees apply: $800 for the first color figure and $200 for each color figure thereafter.

Optional open access publishing is available for a fee via the Sage Choice program, and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. Open Access agreement eligibility is determined by the corresponding author’s affiliation matching an agreement at acceptance. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access.

For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

Open access fees do not cover page or color charges and are charged separately.

Your article must be within the scope of the journal and be of sufficient quality. If not, it will not be reviewed. Please read the journal’s Aims and Scope to see if your article is appropriate.

The manuscript must be your original work, you must have the rights to the work, and you must have obtained and be able to supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you, including figures, illustrations, tables, lengthy quotations, or other material previously published elsewhere.

Article types

View our Special Collections currently accepting submissions.

Please visit the Sage Journal Author Gateway for guidance on producing visual and/or video abstracts.

Original Research Reports:  Original research reports include studies of all designs including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. (Pilot, preliminary, and feasibility studies should be submitted as Brief Reports).  All research reports must contain a statement in the methods section about the protection of human subjects and approval by the appropriate institutional review board (IRB). Reports should provide new knowledge for clinical practice and highlight significance for psychiatric nursing.  Original articles are limited to 20 pages, exclusive of references, tables and figures. Original research articles are the highest priority for JAPNA.

  • For reports of randomized control trials, use the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Guidelines (http://www.consort-statement.org/). The CONSORT Guidelines provide direction for reporting randomized controlled trials and include a 25-item checklist focused on minimum reporting requirements, and a flow diagram to document the progression of all participants through the trial.
  • For reports of Observational studies (nonexperimental quantitative research), use the  STRengthening the Reporting of OBservation studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Guidelines (https://strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=available-checklists )
  • For qualitative studies, the following resources are recommended: 

Suggested headings:

  • Introduction
    • Provide an adequate but concise background.
    • State the objective(s) of the research in the last paragraph of the introduction.
  • Methods
    • Include design, setting, participants, ethical considerations, and full details of data collection (including dates the original data were collected) and analysis.
    • Provide support for the adequacy of the sample.
    • For quantitative studies, provide specific evidence for validity of measures.
    • For qualitative studies, describe types of dependability and credibility used and how trustworthiness of qualitative data was assured.
  • Results
    • Include pertinent demographic data on the sex, age, and race-ethnicity of the study participants.
    • Report only the findings directly related to the study objectives or research questions.
    • Report sample numbers for all percentages, and report SDs or SEs for all means.
    • When reporting statistically significant results, report test statistic values, degrees of freedom, and probability level (not to exceed p < .001; do not use p = .000).
  • Discussion
    • Discuss the significance of the study findings, without simply repeating them.
    • Include limitations and recommendations.
    • Provide implications for psychiatric nursing practice, policy, and/or research.
  • Conclusions
    • What can reasonably be determined from your findings? It is important that you do not overstate these.
    • Include a statement about the clinical relevance of the research.
    • Apply your conclusions to nursing practice.

Review Articles:  Review Articles provide a comprehensive review and critical synthesis of the literature on a specific topic. Types of review manuscripts considered include systematic reviews either with or without meta-analysis, integrative reviews, narrative reviews and reviews and syntheses of qualitative research (e.g., metasynthesis). All reviews should be guided by a clear statement of purpose or research question. The methods section should clearly report data sources, search procedures, article selection process, data extraction, and data synthesis procedures.  All reviews require a synthesis of the findings with specific implications for practice, policy, and/or research. Review papers are limited to 25 pages exclusive of references, tables, and figures.  Suggested headings within the text include: Background, Objective(s), Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions.

Quality Improvement Manuscripts:  Quality improvement (QI) papers are reports of systematic, data-based interventions designed to achieve improvements in the quality, safety, and value of healthcare. Reports of QI projects should provide new knowledge with clear implications for psychiatric nursing practice beyond the study site.  QI manuscripts are limited to 10 pages, exclusive of references, and no more than 2 tables or figures. The appropriate guideline for reporting a QI research project is the SQUIRE guidelines (http://www.squire-statement.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=471).  Suggested headings within the text include: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. 

Discussion Papers:  JAPNA publishes critical analytical discussion papers addressing conceptual, philosophical, theoretical, methodological or professional phenomena of interest when it is clear that the content represents an extension of knowledge and that the phenomena are relevant to psychiatric nursing. These papers may include analyses of innovations and trends in clinical practice, care delivery systems, education programs, and public policy.  They focus on the latest evidence-based information about the presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and management of a particular clinical problem relevant to psychiatric nursing practice. Discussion Papers are limited to 10 pages, exclusive of references, and usually do not contain tables or figures.

Brief Reports:  Brief Reports are reports of small-scale studies (e.g., pilot work, feasibility studies, preliminary reports, research conducted in one setting, or case studies) that may serve to stimulate additional investigation or alert readers regarding work in progress. Brief Reports are limited to 8 pages, exclusive of references, and usually do not contain tables or figures. Tables or figures may be included only at the Editors’ discretion. Most Brief Reports should follow the standard format for original research articles. For case reports, use the CARE (CAse REport) guidelines (https://www.care-statement.org/).

Letters to the Editor:  Letters to the Editor comment on a paper published in JAPNA within the past 6 months prior to submission. The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject, or excerpt letters. Letters should be limited to 500-1000 words. Whenever possible, authors of manuscripts referenced in the letter will be invited to respond.

Notes to Students Submitting Manuscripts: If the manuscript submitted was produced to meet the requirement for a degree program or course of study under the supervision of one or more mentors, JAPNA encourages students and their faculty mentors to carefully review the journal guidelines and the scholarly articles published therein prior to their consideration of submitting a manuscript for review. Authors submitting student projects are advised to review their submissions with their advisors to be sure the manuscripts are ready for submission. The faculty member’s contribution to the manuscript should be acknowledged in the “Authorship Contribution Statement” described in the ethical guidelines in this document.  Student and faculty authorship should be determined according to ICMJE guidelines.  Papers that do not meet the journal's professional standards will not be sent out for review. Students and their faculty mentors are strongly encouraged to contact the editorial team prior to the submission of a manuscript for guidance regarding the suitability of the paper and its adherence to guidelines and standards.

Clinical trial registration

The journal conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first participant enrollment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

Reporting guidelines

Your manuscript must follow the relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines, depending on the type of study. The EQUATOR wizard can help identify the appropriate guideline. You will need to upload the appropriate checklist with your submission.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

If your research involves animals, you will be asked to confirm that you have carefully read and adhered to the ARRIVE guidelines.

Formatting your manuscript

Accepted file types

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. You do not need to follow a template, but please ensure your heading levels are clear, and the sections clearly defined.

Your article title, keywords, and abstract all contribute to its position in search engine results, directly affecting the number of people who see your work. For details of what you can do to influence this, visit How to help readers find your article online.

Title

Your manuscript’s title should be concise, descriptive, unambiguous, accurate, and reflect the precise contents of the manuscript. A descriptive title that includes the topic of the manuscript makes an article more findable in the major indexing services.

Abstract

Please include a structured abstract of 250 words between the title and main body of your manuscript that concisely states the purpose of the research, major findings, and conclusions. Original research, quality improvement, and review papers should use the following subheadings: Background, Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Brief reports and discussion papers should use the subheadings: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. (Letters to the editor do not require an abstract.

If your research includes clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will not be considered.

For clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

Keywords

Please include a minimum of 3 keywords, listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic. Use MeSH key words when possible: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html.

Main Document

The main document should include: 

  • Title, abstract, and keywords (page 1) 
  • Manuscript text (begin on page 2) 
  • References (begin on a new page) 
  • Tables and table captions (begin each table on a new page) 
  • Figure captions (begin each figure caption on a new page). Figure files should be uploaded as separate files and not be included in the manuscript main document. (See information on figures below.) 

Note: Please ensure that no identifying author or institution names are included anywhere in your manuscript to facilitate our double-anonymous peer-review process. Please use XXXX in place of in-text citations and items in the reference list by any of the authors of this submitted manuscript to remove all identifying information related to the authors of the paper you are submitting. This applies to the entire entry-item in a reference list.

Artwork, figures, and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures, and graphs in electronic format, please read Sage’s artwork guidelines.

Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. If you have requested color reproduction in the print version, we will advise you of the costs on receipt of your accepted article. For journals that charge for color in the print version - $800 for the first color figure and $200 for each color figure thereafter.

Please ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.

Title page

To ensure fair and anonymous peer review, your manuscript must be fully anonymized. Please ensure any identifying information is removed from the main manuscript document and included on the Title Page instead. Do not include any author names in the manuscript file name and remove names from headers and footers. This version of the manuscript will be sent to the peer reviewers. The Title Page will not be sent to peer reviewers. See the Sage Journal Author Gateway for detailed guidance on making an anonymous submission.

The Title Page should include:

  • Article title
  • The full list of authors including names and affiliations of each
    • The listed affiliation should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a note at the end of the manuscript – please indicate this on the title page.
    • All persons eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission (please see the authorship section for more information).
  • Contact information for the corresponding author: name, institutional address, phone, email
  • Acknowledgments section
  • Declaration of conflicting interest
  • Funding statement
  • Ethical approval and informed consent statements
  • Data availability statement
  • Any other identifying information related to the authors and/or their institutions, funders, approval committees, etc, that might compromise anonymity.
Acknowledgments

If you are including an Acknowledgements section, this will be published at the end of your article. The Acknowledgments section should include all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship. Per ICMJE recommendations, it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your manuscript.

Writing assistance and third party submissions: if you have received any writing or editing assistance from a third-party, for example a specialist communications company, this must be clearly stated in the Acknowledgements section and in the covering letter. Please see the Sage Author Gateway for what information to include in your Acknowledgements section. If your submission is being made on your behalf by someone who is not listed as an author, for example the third-party who provided writing/editing assistance, you must state this in the Acknowledgements and also in your covering letter. Please note that the journal editor reserves the right to not consider submissions made by a third party rather than by the author/s themselves.

Statements and declarations

To ensure proper anonymization, please include a section with the heading ‘Statements and Declarations’ on your title page, after the Acknowledgements section [and Author Contributions section if applicable] including each of the sub-headings listed below. If a declaration is not applicable to your submission, you must still include the heading and state ‘Not applicable’ underneath. Please note that you may be asked to justify why a declaration was not applicable to your submission by the Editorial Office. This information will be added to the end of your published paper.

Ethical considerations

Please include your ethics approval statements under this heading, even if you have already included ethics approval information in your methods section. If ethical approval was not required, you need to explicitly state this. You can find information on what to say in your ethical statements as well as example statements on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.

All papers reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved the study, or waived the requirement for approval, providing the full name and institution of the review committee in addition to the approval number. If applicable, please also include this information in the Methods section of your manuscript.

Please include any participant consent information under this heading and state whether informed consent to participate was written or verbal. If the requirement for informed consent to participate has been waived by the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (i.e. where it has been deemed that consent would be impossible or impracticable to obtain), please state this. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. More information and example statements can be found on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.

Submissions containing any data from an individual person (including individual details, images or videos) must include a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative. Non-essential identifying details should be omitted. Please do not submit the participant’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent to publish but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file in addition to the statement confirming that consent to publish was obtained within the manuscript text. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section.

Declaration of conflicting interest

The journal requires a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors so that a statement can be included in your article. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, see our policy on conflicting interest declarations and the ICMJE recommendations.

If no conflict exists, your statement should read: ‘The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article’.

Funding statement

All articles need to include a funding statement, under a separate heading, even if you did not receive funding. You’ll find guidance and examples on our Funding page.

Data availability

The Journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.

Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to:

  • Share your research data in a relevant public data repository
  • Include a data availability statement linking to your data. If it is not possible to share your data, use the statement to confirm why it cannot be shared.
  • Cite this data in your research

Reference style and citations

The journal follows the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms.

Every in-text citation must have a corresponding citation in the reference list and vice versa. Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year.

Authors should update any references to preprints when a peer reviewed version is made available, to cite the published research. Citations to preprints are otherwise discouraged.

References for All Submissions
Limit references to those that best support the text. Cite references in the text according to the style outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, and format the reference list in APA 7th edition style. Cite current, primary sources only. Include DOI numbers for all sources for which they are available. JAPNA will review all citations to preprints. If the preprint has been published in a journal, the citation should be to the published version and not the preprint. When citing a preprint in the text, add (PREPRINT) in the parentheses after the author’s name and year. In the reference list, add (Preprint) after the repository name.

References Examples

Supplemental material

This Journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.

English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Author Services. Visit Sage Author Services for further information.

As part of the submission process you will need to confirm that this is your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that this is for first publication in this Journal, that it is not being considered for/has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that the journal may accept submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers.

Preprints

The journal will consider submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers.

Please enter the preprint DOI in the designated field when submitting your manuscript. We advise that you inform the Journal Editorial office about your posted preprint at submission.

Note that you should not post an updated version of your manuscript on a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed.

Learn more about our preprint policy.

Submission site

Submit your manuscript online via Sage Track.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in Sage Track before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

Manuscripts should only be submitted with the consent of all contributing authors. The individual responsible for submitting the manuscript should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the manuscript are listed as authors.

Ensure you upload all relevant manuscript files, including any additional supplemental files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

Authorship

Please view our authorship policies, which includes information on criteria for authorship, who should be the corresponding author and more.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

Files

  • Cover letter. To help the Editor in their preliminary evaluation, please indicate why you think the manuscript suitable for publication. The cover letter should include an explicit statement of the importance or relevance of the manuscript to the journal. The cover letter should include a statement affirming that the manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  • Title page with all required identifying information as laid out in Preparing your manuscript for submission (above). This will not be sent to the peer reviewers. The title page should include:
    • Full title
    • Author(s) name(s), full credentials, job titles, and institutional affiliation(s) with city and state/country, and ORCID IDs (https://orcid.org; a persistent digital identifier)
    • Contact information of corresponding author: name, address, e-mail address, and phone number
    • A statement of any conflicts of interest or a statement that no conflicts exist (See Declaration of Conflicting Interests section below.)
    • Clinical Trial Registration number, if applicable
    • Authorship Contribution Statement. The following Authorship Contribution Statement must be included (which matches the Authorship Contribution Form that must be uploaded with the manuscript files). The statement indicates that each author adheres to the ICMJE authorship guidelines http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html.
      • Author Contribution Statement: All authors contributed to the conception or design of the study or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data. All authors drafted the manuscript, or critically revised the manuscript, and gave final approval of the version that was submitted for publication. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring integrity and accuracy.
    • A statement describing the funding sources and other acknowledgments or a statement that no funding was received.
      • If applicable, include a statement indicating that the article has been posted as a preprint and where. Please include the DOI for the preprint.
  • Your manuscript, properly formatted and anonymized according to all stipulations above, and within the scope of the journal. Any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) should be removed or anonymized and included on the Title Page instead. See above for more information on anonymization. This version will be sent to the peer reviewers.
  • Military/VA authors. Please refer to your organization's publication submission policy/process and include a copy of publication approval from your organization.
  • Figures and images.
  • Supplemental material. This journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images, etc) alongside the full-text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.

Please complete the Authorship Contribution Statement available here and in the Instructions and Forms on the submission site, and submit this with the manuscript. The paper will not be sent for review until Authorship Contribution Statements have been received.

Other information required for submission

  • ORCID ID of the submitting author.
    • It is strongly encouraged that all co-authors ensure their ORCID IDs are linked to their accounts in the submission system prior to article acceptance, as this is the only way to have their ORCID ID present on the published article. ORCID IDs cannot be added to manuscripts after acceptance/publication. Please note that each co-author must log in to the submission system to add their own ORCID ID to their account. To add an ORCID ID, edit your account, click the link when prompted, and sign into your ORCID account to validate your ID. You will then be redirected back to the submission system and your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata.
    • Please create an ORCID ID if you do not already have one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
  • Complete list of authors, with their institutional affiliations.
    • The author information you enter at submission must exactly match what is included on your manuscript and/or title page, including full names, academic affiliations, and corresponding author contact details.
    • The listed affiliation should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a note at the end of the manuscript.
    • All listed authors must meet the criteria for authorship (above).
    • All persons eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission.
    • All authors must have given consent for the manuscript to be submitted in its current form.
  • Keywords: During submission, you may be asked to select or enter keywords for your manuscript. These keywords are used to match appropriate reviewers to your manuscript.
  • The number of figures, tables, and words in your manuscript.
  • Funder information: Name, grant/award number.
  • You may be required to enter your declaration of conflicting interest as part of the submission process, in addition to listing it on your manuscript and/or title page. Please have it on hand.
  • If you have posted your manuscript to a preprint server, you will be asked to supply the DOI (this does not prohibit submission, but no changes should be made to the preprint version while your manuscript is under evaluation in this journal). Please see our guidelines on prior publication. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy. If your manuscript is accepted, you must include a link in your preprint to the final version of your published article.

The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal:
Identity transparency: Double-anonymized
Reviewer interacts with: Editor
Review information published: None

Your manuscript will undergo an initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in these guidelines, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk rejected without peer review at this point if they are out of scope for the journal or otherwise unsuitable.

After passing the initial evaluation, your manuscript will then be peer reviewed. You can log in at any time to check the status of your manuscript. We will notify you when a decision has been reached.

The journal operates a strictly double anonymized peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author and, the author’s name from the reviewer.

The following manuscript types may not require two independent reviews to be accepted: Editorials, Letters to the Editor.

To ensure the integrity of the peer review process we assign reviewers and cannot accept author recommendations.

All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the Editor who then makes the final decision on all manuscripts, including those appearing in a special issue or special collection. The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

The journal has an Editorial Board who serve the journal as external peer reviewers. Each member of the Editorial Board are active researchers in the field and selected based on strict criteria, ensuring they possess the necessary expertise and experience. The Editor(s) may use one Editorial Board Member as a reviewer for each manuscript, and will then reach beyond this pool to include additional reviewers to meet the required number before a decision can be made. This ensures a comprehensive and robust peer review process, aligning with our commitment to publish the most credible and valid research. Care is taken not to invite any Editorial Board Member that has any potential conflict of interest with any author of the paper.

As a COPE member we engage with multiple forms of post-publication discussion in line with wider guidance from Sage: Commentaries, Critiques and Responses.

You can view our complaints and appeals policy here.

Read Sage's complete peer review policy.

Plagiarism

The journal and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. Please read Sage's complete policy on plagiarism and the actions we may take.

Contributor’s Publishing Agreement

Before publication, we require the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive license agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Journal Author Gateway.

Preprints

If your manuscript was posted on a preprint server prior to acceptance, you must include a link in your preprint to the final published version of your published article.

Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal, Sage Edit, or by email, and should be returned promptly to avoid delaying publication. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence, and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. This is the final opportunity to make changes to your manuscript. Further corrections will not be possible after publication. Changes to the author list are not permitted at this stage.

Publication

OnlineFirst publication: This enables us to publish final articles online immediately, without waiting for assignment to a future issue of the Journal. This usually significantly reduces publication lead time. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite OnlineFirst articles.

Access to your published article: We provide you with online access to your published article. The online access link is provided to the corresponding author for sharing with their co-authors.

Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process. Between us, we can ensure that your article is found, read, downloaded and cited as widely as possible. Many of the most effective tactics are those you can do quickly and easily to your network of contacts and peers. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway for numerous resources to help you promote your work.

The Sage Journal Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance your article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journals Solutions Portal.

You can view our complaints and appeals procedure.

Contact us

You can direct any questions to the journal’s editorial office:
Michelle DeCoux Hampton, RN, PhD michelle.hampton@sjsu.edu