Guidelines for Authors

Urologic Nursing, the official journal of the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates, Inc. (SUNA), is a peer-reviewed journal that welcomes the submission of original manuscripts pertinent to the practice of urologic health care professionals. Unless clearly specified, the views expressed in articles, editorials, and letters published in Urologic Nursing represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the official policies of SUNA.

The journal accepts original articles: case study, clinical practice, continuing education, patient education, systematic review of the literature, quality/performance improvement, and research. Specific templates for many types of manuscripts are available. Query letters are welcomed, but not required. Material must be original and never published before. Material is submitted for review with the understanding that it is not being submitted to any other journal simultaneously. An electronic copy of the manuscript should be submitted to the editorial office.

Urologic Nursing is a refereed journal. All manuscripts submitted undergo review by the editor and blind review by members of the manuscript review panel and/or Editorial Board. Each manuscript is evaluated on its timeliness, importance, accuracy, clarity, and applicability to urologic nursing. Upon acceptance of the manuscript, the author will yield copyright to Urologic Nursing. Manuscripts accepted are subject to copy editing. The author will receive proofs for review prior to publication.

Reporting Guidelines

Urologic Nursing recommends authors incorporate the following reporting guidelines into the development of manuscripts related to randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and quality improvement studies.

  • CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). CONSORT is an evidence-based set of recommendations for reporting randomized controlled trials. The CONSORT website contains a checklist and flow diagram to guide authors in manuscript preparation.
  • PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The PRISMA website [http://www.prisma-statement.org] includes a checklist for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A flow diagram is available for use in reporting the review process and studies included at different steps of the review. 
  • SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence). The SQUIRE guidelines assist in preparing manuscripts on quality improvement projects. The SQUIRE website [https://www.squire-statement.org/] provides a framework for reporting new knowledge about how to improve health care.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be typed and double-spaced. Style should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). As a general rule, manuscripts should be saved as MS Word documents. Use the author-date method of citation within the text, e.g., (Doe, 2016) or “Doe (2016) states...” With multiple authors, the first citation must list all authors, and subsequent citations should list only the last name of the first author and et al. (Doe et al., 2016).

Manuscripts should not exceed 5,000 words at time of submission. Urologic Nursing is a fully digital journal. All hyperlinks will be active. Authors may include color figures and photographs, as well as embedding codes for audio and video content. Acquiring permission to reprint previously published materials is the responsibility of the author.

  • Assembly: Manuscripts should be submitted as one file (i.e., Title Page, Author Information, Abstract, etc.) unless separate files are absolutely necessary.
  • Title Page: Include the manuscript title, authors' names, credentials, and a brief biographic statement. Also include an address for correspondence, email address (required), day and evening phone numbers, and a brief abstract of 40 words or less.
  • Text: Double-space all text, using 1 to 2 inch margins. The manuscript title should be repeated on the first page of the text, but do not include the author's name.
  • Subheadings: Include subheadings in the manuscript where possible. Type all subheadings flush to the left margin.
  • References: References in the text should be cited by author and date, for example (Doe & Brown, 2017), with page numbers cited for direct quotations. The reference list at the end of the manuscript should be double-spaced, include only those references cited in the text, and be arranged alphabetically by author. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools, language models, such as ChatGPT and similar assistive technologies do not satisfy this journal’s current authorship criteria and do not represent legal entities that can be associated with or assigned copyright. Authors shall be exclusively responsible for the verifiability and originality of their work. Additionally, authors are expected to be transparent and disclose their use of AI writing tools, language models, and similar technologies in the Acknowledgment, Methods, and/or other suitable sections of their paper.

References

References, photographs, figures, tables, and all other details of style must conform with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 7th ed., 2020). All references in text should be cited by author and date, for example, (Doe & Brown, 2020). List all references in alphabetical order. Only use references that are actually cited within the text. Authors are encouraged to provide the digital object identifier (DOI) number directly after all references when possible. Cut and paste the html link of the DOI number.

Citing multiple authors: In-text citations with three or more authors should include the first author followed by et al., even in the first citation.

Twenty authors or less: In the References section, list all 20 authors.

Twenty-one or more authors: In the References section, list the first 19 authors, then an ellipsis, then the last author:

Author, A.A., Author, B.B., Author, C.C., Author, D.D., Author, E.E., Author, F.F., Author, G.G., Author, H.H., Author, I.I., Author, J.J., Author, K.K., Author, L.L., Author, M.M., Author, N.N., Author, O.O., Author, P.P., Author, Q.Q., Author, R.R., Author, S.S., … Author, Z.Z. (2024). Title of article. Journal Name, 10(2), 101-110. https://doi.org/doi-number-here

Websites: It is not necessary to include the date a site was accessed, unless the material will change over time.

Periodical:
Lamb, B., Jalil, R., Shah, S., Brown, K., Allchorne, P., Vincent, C., Green, J.S.A., & Sevdalis, N. (2014). Cancer patients’ perspectives on multidisciplinary team working: An exploratory focus group study. Urologic Nursing, 34(2), 83-91, 102. 

Book:
American Psychological Association (APA). (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Author.

Chapter in a Book:
Gray, M. (2009). Management of men with reproductive disorders. In J. Black, & J. Hawks (Eds.), Medical-surgical nursing: Clinical management for positive outcomes (8th ed., pp. 873-911). Elsevier.

Figures & Photographs 

Figures: These include line drawings, diagrams, and graphs. Each figure should be numbered. When using figures adapted from another source, the author must obtain written permission from the original publisher. All figures must be high resolution.

Photographs: Photographs may be digital or hard copy prints. Digital photographs must be of a resolution at least 300 dpi or a minimum of 1280 x 960 pixels. Hard copy prints must be 4" x 5" or larger, of good contrast, and printed on glossy paper. 

General: Tables, figures, and graphics should be limited to a total of four per manuscript.

Authorship 

Urologic Nursing endorses and subscribes to the definition of Authorship by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) which states:

The ICMJE recommends that an author should meet all four of the following criteria:

  • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
  • Final approval of the version to be published.
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Conflict of Interest 

Urologic Nursing requires authors, editorial board members, and reviewers to disclose any conflicts of interest related to their submission and involvement with the journal. 

Urologic Nursing endorses and subscribes to the definition of Conflict of Interest by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (2006), “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals,” which states: 

Public trust in the peer review process and the credibility of published articles depend in part on how well conflict of interest is handled during writing, peer review, and editorial decision making. Conflict of interest exists when an author (or the author’s institution), reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships that inappropriately influence (bias) his or her actions (such relationships are also known as dual commitments, competing interests, or competing loyalties). These relationships vary from those with negligible potential to those with great potential to influence judgment, and not all relationships represent true conflict of interest. The potential for conflict of interest can exist whether or not an individual believes that the relationship affects his or her scientific judgment. Financial relationships (such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony) are the most easily identifiable conflicts of interest and the most likely to undermine the credibility of the journal, the authors, and of science itself. However, conflicts can occur for other reasons, such as personal relationships, academic competition, and intellectual passion. Authors should identify individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for this assistance.

Informed Consent 

Urologic Nursing requires authors to assure patients’ and subjects’ privacy, if applicable, related to their research and manuscript. 

Urologic Nursing endorses and subscribes to the definition of Human and Animal Rights by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (2006), “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals,” which states: 

Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information, including patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published. Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note. When informed consent has been obtained it should be indicated in the published article.

Human and Animal Rights

Urologic Nursing requires authors to disclose Institutional Review Board consent, if applicable, related to their research and manuscript. 

Urologic Nursing endorses and subscribes to the definition of Human and Animal Rights by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (2006), “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals,” which states: 

When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach, and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. When reporting experiments on animals, authors should be asked to indicate whether the institutional and national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.

Submission and Publication

Publication: The primary author will be notified of a publication decision within 12 weeks of the manuscript's receipt. Authors may purchase reprints of their articles at the time of publication at a special discount rate. If contact information (address, email address), or biographical information changes during time of acceptance to publication, please contact the journal office to update your information.

Submission: One electronic copy of the manuscript (MS Word format only) should be submitted to the editorial office. Hard copies are no longer required. Manuscripts should be submitted as one file (i.e., Title Page, Author Information, Abstract, etc.) unless separate files are absolutely necessary. The manuscript can be emailed to the journal editorial coordinator at uronsg@ajj.com.

Manuscripts should be submitted to:

Editor, Urologic Nursing
East Holly Avenue, Box 56
Pitman, NJ 08071-0056
Email: uronsg@ajj.com

See specific Guidelines for Authors below.