Original Articles

Original articles report original research that contributes to knowledge relevant to nursing and healthcare. Eligible submissions include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, including clinical, observational, interventional, and methodological research. Studies may use newly collected data or present original analyses of existing datasets, provided that they offer a substantive contribution and clearly acknowledge related publications.

Manuscripts must not have been published as a full journal article, accepted for publication, or be under consideration by another journal. Previous dissemination as a preprint or conference abstract must be disclosed at submission and must comply with the journal’s policies on prior publication and self-archiving.

Manuscript length and structure

The main text must contain 3,000–5,000 words, excluding the title page, abstract, acknowledgments, declarations, references, tables, figure legends, and supplementary materials.

Manuscripts should be organized into Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Author names, affiliations, and corresponding author details must be provided on a separate title page in accordance with the journal’s submission requirements.

Abstract

A structured abstract of no more than 250 words is required, using the headings Background, Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.

Reporting guidelines

Authors must follow the reporting guideline appropriate to their study design and submit the applicable completed checklist. Relevant guidelines include:

  • CONSORT 2025 and applicable extensions for randomized trials.

  • STROBE and applicable extensions for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies.

  • SRQR for qualitative research, or COREQ for qualitative studies using interviews or focus groups.

For other study designs, authors should select an appropriate guideline through the EQUATOR Network. A participant flow diagram must be included when required by the applicable reporting guideline.

References

References must be accurate, relevant, and sufficient to support the study’s rationale, methods, and interpretation. Authors should prioritize original research and authoritative sources, incorporating recent evidence and relevant foundational publications.

Clinical guidelines, official reports, and relevant local research may also be cited. Sources should be selected for their contribution to the manuscript rather than their indexing status alone. There is no fixed minimum number of references.

Tables, figures, and supplementary materials

A maximum of five tables and figures combined is permitted in the main article, including any participant flow diagram. Each table or figure must contribute information necessary to understand the study.

Additional supporting materials may be submitted as supplementary files and must accompany the manuscript for peer review.

Ethics and declarations

All submissions must comply with the journal’s publication ethics and submission requirements, including applicable statements on ethical approval or exemption, informed consent or an approved waiver, trial registration, author contributions, funding, conflicts of interest, data availability, and the use or non-use of artificial intelligence tools.