Manuscript Submission Information for Authors

The Journal of Transcultural Nursing is the official journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society. It is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal that aims to advance the field of cross cultural nursing and healthcare. Its mission is to contribute new knowledge about the relationship between social and cultural factors related to healthcare, with a focus on improving care for persons of all cultures. Research reports, analysis and discussion articles, systematic reviews of the literature, theoretical articles, clinical applications, and analytical case studies are desired.

Style and Format. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5^th or 6^th editions (http://www.apastyle.org). Manuscripts, including abstracts and references, should be double-spaced, using 12 font type, left justified margins, and one inch margins on all sides. If the manuscript is submitted on-line, no identifying information about the author(s) should be on the body of the paper, abstract, or figures. (If the manuscript is sent by surface mail, then a title page should include author(s) name(s) and complete contact information). A short heading and page number should be typed on the top right hand corner of each page. Manuscripts should not exceed 15 pages, excluding title page, abstract, references, tables and figures. Limit “Reference List” to no more than 5 double-spaced pages. Limit the combined number of tables and/or figures to no more than four. Each table, figure, graph etc. should have its relative placement noted within the text. Tables should be typed one to a page with any notes/legends typed on the same page. Tables should be numbered, titled, typed, double-spaced, tab delineated, and without use of vertical lines. Figures should be submitted digitally. Label each figure with its number and legend. Graphs or figures should NOT use gray-scaling or shading, but rather use hatch markings to demonstrate differences. Each figure, graph or drawing should be on a single page with its number, title and legend or caption typed on the same page. All tables, figures, graphs and drawings should follow the reference list, not placed within the text.

Departments. Submission of manuscripts to one the following departments are encouraged:

THEORY: Manuscripts concerning theory design, construction, development, utilization, application and critique will be presented in this department. Theories related to transcultural nursing, relationships between culture and health care, including ethnopharmacology or ethnonutrition, anthropological or cross cultural patterning of health care beliefs and practices, inter and intra cultural communication, or transcultural ethics are of interest. In addition, manuscripts discussing organizational, technological, political or economic theories that influence health care delivery to specific cultural groups are encouraged. Articles discussing the application of nursing theories to transcultural nursing are also suitable for submission.

RESEARCH: Research studies that expand the body of knowledge of transcultural nursing and health care as a human science will be included in this department. Studies will be considered that utilize such qualitative methodologies as: ethnography, ethnonursing, grounded theory, phenomenology, oral/life histories, critical theory, focus group methods, hermeneutics, participant observation, case study analysis, pattern recognition, or other innovative methods that relate the dynamics of culture to health care. Additionally, studies that utilize a variety of quantitative methodologies to investigate transcultural nursing and health care phenomena are also welcomed. Discussion and/or analytical articles on such topics as instrument development, or themes related to the conduction of research on these phenomena are likewise encouraged. Publication of research studies requires that the letter of approval from a Human Subjects Committee (IRB), or an equivalent Research Committee in some countries, be provided at the time of manuscript submission. Processing of the manuscript will not begin until the IRB approval letter is received. (This requirement may be waived dependent upon the country where the research was conducted).

EDUCATION: Manuscripts included in this department aim to promote the understanding of the sociocultural context of the nursing educational structure, processes and outcomes. Topics may focus on the organizational culture of schools, teacher/student /client relationships, teaching methods, learning and cognitive styles, curricular designs, evaluation strategies and academic outcomes. Additionally, content focusing on extra-curricular strategies such as recruitment, advisement, peer support, financial aid and mentoring are invited. Topics relevant to teacher training and development are also solicited. Subject content may pertain to any aspect of the educational experience in the undergraduate or graduate levels, or in any setting, including clinical practice, which emphasizes the linkage between culture and education.

CLINICAL PRACTICE. The focus of this department is to explicate the sociocultural context and universal and variant patterns influencing the delivery of nursing and health care. Examples of topics suitable for this department include culturally defined health beliefs and values, folk and professional models of health care delivery, practitioner/client interactions, family and community roles, or health care outcomes. Specific content areas may include cultural variations in symptom management, birth or death rituals, use of home remedies, dietary considerations, cultural assessment tools, cultural conflict resolution, use of interpreters in the clinical setting, organizational culture of health care settings, ethical-legal conflicts, or other practice-related subjects. Case studies must include the following: statement and significance of the problem, a brief review of the literature, presentation of the case study, discussion and analysis of the case study within the cultural context, conclusions, recommendations for practice and references.

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT: This department will highlight themes and examples of international collaborative practice, education, research and consultation. This department will serve as an international forum for nurses and other health care disciplines to share expertise, knowledge, opinions and experience with nurses and health care professionals throughout the world.

INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES: Methods of accessing information concerning transcultural nursing or health care will be the major emphasis of this department. Articles regarding library searches, web page listings, internet resources, computer software packages and topics on informatics related to the journal’s subject matter are encouraged. In addition, book reviews, critiques of videotapes or educational materials, annotated bibliographies and similar brief reports are welcomed.

Abstracts. All manuscripts, except Letters to the Editor or Commentaries, should be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 200 words. Abstract headings for research articles are: Purpose (include background and significance); Design, Method (include number of participants, sample population, setting, methods/procedures, measures/instruments, and intervention, if applicable), Findings or Results, Discussion and Conclusions, and Implications for Practice.

Title page. A title page should accompany all manuscripts but submitted as a separate file. Include the following: title of manuscript, names of all authors in the order to be listed, complete credentials (only the highest academic degree plus professional licensure), position titles, affiliations, and complete contact information (address, phone, fax, email). Indicate the corresponding author with an asterisk (*). Author names should appear only on title page, not on any other page headings. The title page must be submitted as a separate electronic file, not on the same file as the manuscript.

Permissions. Written permission from the copyright holder must be submitted for any of the following: all figures or tables taken from another author’s work; quotations of 300 words or more from any academic journal or book, or for use of quotations of ANY length from newspapers, magazines, poems, songs or movies. The author is responsible for all fees incurred. Permissions must be included at the time of submission and must give permission to Sage Publications, Inc. to reproduce the material.

Cover letter. A cover letter, stating that the material has not been published elsewhere and that it is not under consideration at any other journal, must accompany all manuscripts.

REVIEW AND ACTION. Letters of inquiry are not required. Authors are notified when the manuscripts are received. Manuscripts are examined by the editorial staff and peer reviewed by at least two reviewers drawn from our editorial board and panel of peer reviewers. Authors are sent the comments from the reviewers but the manuscripts are not returned to the authors. The journal reserves the right to edit all manuscripts to its style and space requirements.

Submission. All manuscripts should be submitted electronically to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tcn. Authors will be asked to set up an online account in the SAGETRACK system, powered by ScholarOne.

For any difficulty with on-line submission, please contact Marjory Spraycar, Editorial Manager at m.spraycar@verizon.net. Telephone: (410) 321-5031 (M-F: 9AM-5PM EST).

On-line submission is preferred. The following will be requested during on-line submission: 1) Names, credentials, positions and complete contact information on all authors, and acknowledgements, if appropriate; 2) Cover letter; 3) Abstract of ≤ 200 words; 4) Key Words; and 5) Complete text of article with the following components attached on one file in the following order: a) Main body of article; b) References, and c) Tables and/or Figures attached after the references. Before uploading manuscript, please remember to remove the title page, acknowledgements, and any headings with author identifying information.

The editorial office will continue to accept submissions by mail only under pre-arranged, special circumstances. Mailed copies should include one printed copy of all materials, plus one diskette with the same components as listed above. In addition, all supplemental materials, including letters of permission and letters from Human Subjects committees, as applicable, should be included. Electronic files should use Microsoft Word for Windows format.

If you or your funder wish your article to be freely available online to nonsubscribers immediately upon publication (gold open access), you can opt for it to be included in SAGE Choice, subject to payment of a publication fee. The manuscript submission and peer review procedure is unchanged. On acceptance of your article, you will be asked to let SAGE know directly if you are choosing SAGE Choice. To check journal eligibility and the publication fee, please visit SAGE Choice. For more information on open access options and compliance at SAGE, including self author archiving deposits (green open access) visit SAGE Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.

For assistance with on-line submissions, contact:

Marjory Spraycar
Editorial Manager
Tel: (410) 321-5031 (Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern standard/daylight time-USA)
FAX: (410) 321-1456
email: m.spraycar@verizon.net


Editorial office: If sending via postal mail, send to:

Marilyn “Marty” Douglas, PhD, RN, FAAN Marjory Spraycar
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Transcultural Nursing Editorial Manager,
Tel: (877) 843-0508 (toll free: US/Canada) Journal of Transcultural Nursing
Fax: (650) 843-0588 605 Worchester Road
email: martydoug@comcast.net Towson, MD 21286-7834