Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing
Information for Authors

The mission of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON) is twofold: (a) to provide practical information necessary to care for patients and their families across the cancer continuum and (b) to develop the publication skills of oncology nurses.

Articles are to be clear, concise, comprehensive, and well referenced. A manuscript submitted to CJON must only be under consideration to this journal; the material must be original and not previously published. All submitted articles are subject to a double-blind peer review. Articles will be judged on quality of the work and suitability for the CJON audience.

Authorship/Contributors

Proper credit must be given so that it is transparent to readers who has been involved in the manuscript development.¹ Some will receive that credit by being acknowledged as an author, whereas others will receive credit in an acknowledgment.

CJON endorses the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for authorship credit based on (a) substantial contributions to conception, design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data or manuscript; (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (c) final approval of the version to be published. To be listed, authors should meet conditions a, b, and c.

Authors must have had full access to relevant data and control of the manuscript’s content. The order of authorship on the byline should be a joint decision of the coauthors. The authors should be prepared to explain the order in which authors are listed. Authorship of large group efforts or multicenter trials is attributed to a group. All members of the group who are named as authors should fully meet the above criteria for authorship. ICMJE guidelines will be followed in acknowledging large group authorship.

Each author should have participated sufficiently in manuscript preparation to take public responsibility for portions or the entirety of the manuscript. All authors must submit an Author Understanding Form declaring the extent of contribution to the manuscript. The primary or corresponding author will take full responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article, and may be asked to publish that information.

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an acknowledgment. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include those who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, or general support.

Financial Disclosure

To be transparent to readers, any source of potential bias or conflict of interest should be identified.² According to ICMEJ, authors are responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships (including consultancies and speakers bureaus or fees) that might bias their work. To prevent ambiguity, authors must state explicitly whether potential conflicts do or do not exist.

Authors need to disclose whether they had writing assistance and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. This information will be included on the first page of the published article. Any other financial and material support should also be acknowledged. Each author must disclose any financial interest in products mentioned in the manuscript or in companies that manufacture the products as well as any compensation received for producing the manuscript.

A manuscript that originated as a thesis or dissertation prepared by an author on an educational scholarship must cite the name of the scholarship. In general, this disclosure will not preclude publication in CJON, providing that the manuscript meets the appropriate standards for acceptance. This information will be shared with CJON reviewers and readers when appropriate.

Manuscript Preparation

Papers must be prepared using standard manuscript format according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (5th ed., 2001). (Visit www.apastyle.org for assistance.) Length should be no more than 15–20 pages, exclusive of tables, figures, insets, and references.

Manuscripts must be computer generated and double spaced on 8.5" x 11" page size, with at least one-inch margins on all sides. Most common file types are acceptable. Upload the entire document to the system following the instructions provided on Manuscript Central. Assistance is available by contacting ONS Editorial Assistant Alexis Yakemovic 412-859-6259 or pubCJON@ons.org. Assistance also is available online from Manuscript Central, which will respond to electronic requests for assistance within 24 hours.

Use headings and subheadings as appropriate using APA guidelines. Include tables and figures when appropriate and cite all tables and figures in the text. Explain all abbreviations and acronyms on the first mention. If specific drugs or products are included, use generic names when possible. If you must use a trade name, use the register (^®) or trademark (™) symbol on first reference in the text and state the manufacturer’s name in parentheses.

Title page: Titles should be brief, specific, and descriptive. The full names of all of the article’s authors, as well as their degrees, titles, affiliations, and financial disclosures, if applicable, should be included.

Abstract: An abstract is required for all manuscripts. All abstracts must be double spaced and include no more than 200 words summarizing the article and highlighting the implications for clinical practice.

At a Glance: Provide three concise statements highlighting key points or the “take home” message of the article.

Art: Art should be included to create interest and augment learning.

• Tables: Number tables consecutively. Each should be typed on a separate page at the end of the text.
• Figures: Figures should be professionally drawn or computer generated and included on separate pages at the end of the manuscript.
• Photographs: Authors are encouraged to submit photos that are relevant to their articles for possible use. High-resolution (300 dpi) black-and-white or color photographs can be submitted electronically in most common file formats. If the electronic files are not of sufficient quality for publication, an ONS staff member will contact you to determine whether the photographs should be submitted in another format (e.g., hard copies).

References: The reference list (not a bibliography) must be typed and double spaced and follow APA format (in text and reference list). Electronic reference formats recommended by APA can be found at www.apastyle.org/elecref.html. All references must be cited at least once in the text. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all reference citations and are expected to have read and verified all of the listed references.

Permissions

The author is responsible for obtaining written permission from the author(s) and publisher for the use of any material (e.g., text, tables, figures, forms, photographs) previously published or printed and to bear the cost, if any, of using the material. When the manuscript is uploaded, original letters granting this permission must be mailed to Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 125 Enterprise Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1214 or faxed to 412-859-6163.

Click here for a sample request for permission letter. Many rightsholders have their own permission process. Please contact the individual rightsholder or visit their Web site for more information.

If you are requesting permission from Jones and Bartlett Publishing, the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses (APON), or Castle Connolly Graduate Medical Publishing and Professional Publishing Group, click here for a sample letter.

If the manuscript reports the results of an investigational study involving human subjects, the text must include a statement indicating institutional review board approval and informed consent when appropriate. Legal and ethical considerations require patients’ anonymity; avoid the use of identifying information. Authors must obtain and forward signed statements of informed consent to publish in print and online patient descriptions or case studies, photographs, and pedigrees from all individuals or parents or legal guardians of minors who can be identified in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees. Such individuals should be shown the manuscript before its submission. A sample permission form is available by clicking here. The author is responsible for obtaining permission to include institutions’ or colleagues’ names.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted using CJON’s online submission process via Manuscript Central at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cjon. Full instructions for the process are on the site, and assistance is available from ONS Editorial Assistant Alexis Yakemovic at 412-859-6259 or pubCJON@ons.org. Receipt of all manuscripts submitted online will be acknowledged.

Online submission requires that the primary or corresponding author represents all of the authors in answering questions about authorship and financial disclosure at the time of the initial submission. In addition, each author must complete and sign an Author Understanding Form transferring copyright of the article to the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), disclosing any financial interest in the manuscript, and, if appropriate, giving permission for ONS to provide an e-mail address for contact.

The form also transfers ownership of the material to ONS. In the event that the manuscript is rejected or withdrawn from consideration by the author, copyright reverts to the author. In addition, because continuing nursing education credit is available for all CJON articles, every author and coauthor must complete and submit a biographical sketch form for placement in ONS education provider files as required by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The corresponding author must gather the forms from each coauthor and mail the complete set within five days of manuscript submission to

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing
125 Enterprise Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1214
or via fax to 412-859-6163.

To download a copy of the Author Understanding form, click here.
To download a copy of the Biographical Sketch form, click here.

Review Process

CJON provides a double-blind peer-review process to ensure fairness and minimize bias for submitted articles. The initial review process takes six to eight weeks. Reviewers’ comments will be shared with authors. Accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial revision for clarity, punctuation, grammar, syntax, and conformity to journal style. When necessary, substantive revisions will be done by the author based on feedback from the editor and peer reviewers. The author will have an opportunity to review the final manuscript before publication.

Additional Opportunities

Many opportunities to publish in CJON are available. Authors may want to write a column or submit a letter to the editor.

Columns: CJON has a variety of columns appearing in each issue that authors may wish to consider: Oncology Nursing 101 (a brief summary of oncology nursing basics), Primary Care Issues (nursing management of primary care disorders in patients with cancer), Supportive Care (symptom management and palliative care issues), Evidence-Based Practice (information to help nurses integrate research-based findings into practice), Safety (information on safety issues affecting patients with cancer and those caring for them), Myths and Legends (information to support or refute common practices and beliefs related to cancer and cancer care), Diagnostic Reasoning (step-by-step decision making regarding complicated diagnostic issues), and Professional Issues (nonclinical issues relevant to oncology nurses). Length should be no more than 1,000–1,500 words, exclusive of tables, figures, insets, and references. Specific column guidelines and author assistance are available on request. If interested, contact the Associate Editor directly. Columns are not peer reviewed in the same manner as articles.

Letters to the Editor: Written letters are encouraged and will be published at the discretion of the editor on a space-available basis. Letters must be signed; however, on request, names can be withheld on publication. All letters are subject to editing to enhance clarity and accommodate space requirements.

Readers are encouraged to inform the editor of any errors discovered in CJON content. Letters that question, criticize, or respond to a previously published article will be sent to the author of that article for a reply. This type of professional exchange is encouraged. Letters that question, criticize, or respond to an ONS policy, product, or activity should be directed to ONS Connect and automatically will be sent to the ONS Board of Directors or to the appropriate ONS director for a reply. For more information, please contact the editor.

Policy Regarding Complimentary Copies

Corresponding authors receive one complimentary copy of the issue in which their article appears for each of the authors. If the authors are ONS members, they also will receive a copy in the mail as part of their regular membership benefits. Authors interested in ordering professional reprints of their article should visit www.ons.org/publications/permissions/index.shtml. Those interested in permission to photocopy their own article should send an e-mail to pubpermissions@ons.org. Those who would like to purchase additional copies of the full journal should contact Customer Service at customer.service@ons.org or call 866-257-4ONS (toll-free).

¹ International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. (2007). Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: Writing and editing for biomedical publication. Retrieved December 4, 2007, from http://www.icmje.org

² Graf, C., Wagner, E., Bowman, A., Fiack, S., Scott-Lichter, D., & Robinson, A. (2007). Best practice guidelines on publication ethics: A publisher’s perspective. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 61 (Suppl. 152), 1–26.