Submissions

SUBMISSION FILES

The manuscript should be submitted in separate files: 1) Title page, and 2) Blinded Manuscript (Main text file). Do NOT combine both files. It is also noted that a copyright form is not required as the author(s) retain unrestricted copyrights. (Read also the copyright notice and open access policy).

(1) Title Page file

This must include the following information:

• Title of the manuscript
• Names (spelled out in full) of all the authors, emails, and the institutions with which they are affiliated)
• Corresponding author's details (name, email, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)
• Declaration of Conflicting Interest
• Funding (with a grant number, if available, and a recipient)
• Acknowledgment
• Authors' Contributions (Clearly state the contribution of each author; ensure each author meets four authorship criteria based on ICMJE Recommendations)
• Author's Biographies (Academic or structural position of each author (e.g., Prof. Mary Fisher, PhD, RN) and ORCiD iD)
• Data Availability Statement (check data sharing policy)
• Ethical Consideration (State the complete name of institutions or ethics committee and approval number)

(2) Blinded Manuscript / Main Text file

Please click below on the type of manuscript you plan to submit and follow the guidance provided. Or, you can choose a reporting guideline from EQUATOR Network or NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives. 

• Original Research Article: Quantitative Study; Qualitative study; Mixed Methods
• Methodology Paper
• Study Protocol
• Review Article
• Theory and Concept Development
• Editorial
• Guest Editorial
• Letter to the Editor
• Perspective
• Case study

Abstract
An abstract is required in all types of articles since January 2022. The abstract should be included in the main text during the submission and should not be more than 350 words. There is no citation in the abstract. If possible, remove all uncommon abbreviations.

Keywords
For keywords of the abstract, please use MeSH on Demand by the US National Library of Medicine. Copy and paste your abstract, then see how keywords come up. Choose 3-10 keywords for your article.

Table
Tables should be self-contained and complement, not duplicate, the information contained in the text. They should be supplied as editable files, not pasted as images. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the table, legend, and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. All abbreviations must be defined in the footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for p-values. Statistical measures such as SD or SEM should be identified in the headings. Put the tables in the main content in the appropriate position instead of putting them under the references.

Figure Legends
Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.

Figures
Although authors are encouraged to send the highest-quality figures possible, a wide variety of formats, sizes, and resolutions are accepted for peer-review purposes. 

References
American Psychological Association (APA) format 6th or 7th Edition with DOI assigned is acceptable for citation and references. Examples of the reference formats can be seen here.

SUBMISSION OF REVISED MANUSCRIPT

To submit a revised manuscript, the authors should combine the "response to reviewers" file (including a point-by-point response listed or in a table) and the main text (with highlights of changes) into one file. To submit a revised paper, please do not submit it as a new submission; the authors can easily upload it into the system after logging into the author’s account.

ON ACCEPTANCE AND PUBLICATION

The post-acceptance steps are as follows:

• Complete the title page if authors do not submit at the first time of submission.
• The authors will receive copyediting requests which should be checked thoroughly and returned promptly. In this stage, the accepted manuscripts are copy edited for punctuation, print style, and format. In addition, the authors are responsible for the English grammar check of their manuscript. The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within three or seven days. 
• After copyediting stage, the authors will receive the final proof of the article, which should be checked thoroughly and returned promptly. In this stage, final page proofs are sent to the corresponding author. The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The whole process of submission of the manuscript to the final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed online.
• The article will be published on the journal website as EARLY VIEW article.
• The article will then be included to the upcoming issue.