Editorial Guidelines

1. Publication of Scientific Articles

NSC Nursing is an international peer-reviewed, diamond open access journal dedicated to advancing knowledge in nursing science, clinical nursing practice, nursing education, healthcare management, and related health disciplines. The journal publishes original contributions in English and welcomes manuscripts from researchers, clinicians, educators, and healthcare professionals worldwide.

NSC Nursing does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial processing, publication, or article access.

The journal is committed to the highest standards of scientific integrity, transparency, ethical publishing, and editorial independence. Manuscripts submitted to NSC Nursing must comply with internationally recognised standards for research conduct, reporting, and publication ethics.

NSC Nursing follows the recommendations and best practices of:

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
• EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment followed by external peer review by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Final decisions regarding publication are made by the Editor-in-Chief based on scientific merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, originality, and relevance to the aims and scope of the journal.

Only manuscripts that successfully complete the editorial and peer review process and receive final approval by the Editor-in-Chief are accepted for publication.

2. Ethical and Legal Considerations

Authors submitting manuscripts to NSC Nursing must comply with the journal’s Publishing Ethics and Policies, which are based on the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Detailed information regarding publication ethics, editorial responsibilities, reviewer responsibilities, authorship, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, corrections, and retractions is available in the journal’s dedicated Ethics and Policies section.

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work, must not be under consideration by another journal, and must comply with all applicable ethical, legal, and professional standards governing the conduct and reporting of research. Authors are responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the submitted work, as well as for the disclosure of any financial support or potential conflicts of interest.

The corresponding author must confirm, on behalf of all authors, that the manuscript complies with the journal’s ethical requirements and that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version of the manuscript.

The corresponding author must sign the NSC Nursing cover letter on behalf of all authors and submit it together with the manuscript in PDF format.

2.1 Clinical Trial Registration

Prospective clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry before the enrolment of the first participant.

Acceptable registries include, but are not limited to:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• ISRCTN Registry
• European Union Clinical Trials Register (EU-CTR)
• Any primary registry recognised by the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP)

The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.

2.2 Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools and Technologies

NSC Nursing supports the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies in research and scientific writing.

Any use of AI-assisted technologies during the preparation of a manuscript must be fully disclosed by the authors.

Authors must:

1. identify the AI tool(s) used;
2. provide the name and version of the software or platform, where available;
3. describe how the tool was used;
4. specify which sections of the manuscript, data, figures, tables, supplementary materials, or other content were generated, modified, edited, or assisted by AI technologies;
5. verify the accuracy and reliability of all AI-generated outputs before submission.

This information must be reported:

• within the Materials and Methods section for research articles; or
• within the Acknowledgements section when a Materials and Methods section is not applicable.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, or accountability of the work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content, including text, data analyses, tables, figures, references, and supplementary materials that have been generated, edited, translated, or otherwise assisted by AI technologies.

The use of AI tools must not compromise scientific integrity, research ethics, patient confidentiality, copyright compliance, or transparency in reporting.

Failure to disclose the use of AI tools may be considered a breach of the journal’s publication ethics policies.

2.3 Patient Consent and Permission to Publish

Research involving human participants must comply with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and with all applicable national and institutional regulations governing human subjects research.

Where required, studies must receive approval from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or equivalent ethics authority before the study is conducted. Authors must report in the manuscript:

• the name of the approving ethics committee or review board;
• the approval or protocol number;
• the date of approval, where available;
• the informed consent procedures used.

An example statement for the Materials and Methods section is:

If formal ethical approval was not required, authors should clearly state the reason within the manuscript and, where applicable, reference the relevant institutional or national regulations.

If there is any possibility that an individual may be identified through clinical information, photographs, videos, case descriptions, or other materials, authors must obtain specific written consent for publication from the participant or their legal representative. The journal may request a copy of the signed consent form before publication.

Authors must ensure that all personal information is anonymised and that participant privacy and confidentiality are protected at all stages of research reporting and publication.

2.4 Plagiarism Policy

NSC Nursing is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and scientific originality. Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are entirely original and that any work, ideas, data, images, or text derived from other sources are properly cited and referenced.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• the use of published or unpublished material without appropriate attribution;
• substantial copying or paraphrasing of another author’s work;
• self-plagiarism or redundant publication;
• duplication of data, images, figures, or other intellectual content without proper acknowledgement;
• submission of manuscripts that substantially overlap with previously published work.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using similarity-detection software as part of the editorial assessment process. Similarity reports are evaluated by the Editorial Team and are interpreted in the context of the manuscript type, methodology, and sources involved.

Cases of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, image manipulation, or other forms of publication misconduct are assessed according to the journal’s Publishing Ethics and Policies and internationally recognised publication ethics standards.

Where misconduct is confirmed, NSC Nursing may take one or more of the following actions:

• rejection of the manuscript;
• request for revision or clarification;
• publication of a correction;
• publication of an expression of concern;
• retraction of a published article;
• notification of relevant institutions where appropriate.

Authors are encouraged to review their manuscripts carefully before submission to ensure compliance with the journal’s standards for originality and ethical publication.

3. Peer Review Process

NSC Nursing operates a single-blind peer review system, in which reviewers know the identity of the authors, while authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their suitability for the journal’s aims and scope, compliance with the Instructions for Authors, adherence to ethical standards, and overall scientific quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned to the authors without external peer review.

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial screening are assigned to an Associate Editor and sent for evaluation by at least two independent external reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject area.

Associate Editors oversee the peer review process and are responsible for:

• identifying and inviting appropriate reviewers;
• evaluating reviewer reports;
• assessing revised submissions;
• making recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief regarding editorial decisions.

Associate Editors do not normally act as reviewers for manuscripts under their supervision except in exceptional circumstances where specific expertise is required.

Reviewers are selected on the basis of:

• subject-matter expertise;
• scientific and academic qualifications;
• publication record;
• absence of conflicts of interest relevant to the manuscript.

Where appropriate, manuscripts involving advanced statistical analyses may undergo additional review by a biostatistical reviewer.

The final publication decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief after consideration of the reviewers’ reports and the recommendations of the Associate Editor.

Possible editorial decisions include:

• Accept;
• Minor Revision;
• Major Revision;
• Reject.

Authors submitting revised manuscripts should provide a detailed point-by-point response to all reviewer comments and clearly indicate all modifications made to the manuscript.

To ensure editorial independence and avoid conflicts of interest, manuscripts submitted by members of the Editorial Board, Associate Editors, or the Editor-in-Chief are managed through an independent editorial process. Individuals with a conflict of interest are excluded from editorial decision-making regarding the manuscript.

All participants in the peer review process, including editors and reviewers, are expected to maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and associated materials.

3.1 Appeals

Authors who believe that an editorial decision was based on a misunderstanding of the scientific content of the manuscript may submit a reasoned appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals must provide a detailed explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and will be evaluated independently. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal of the original decision.

4. Guidelines for Writing Scientific Studies

NSC Nursing encourages authors to prepare manuscripts in accordance with internationally recognised reporting guidelines to improve the transparency, completeness, reproducibility, and quality of scientific reporting.

Authors should follow the reporting guideline that best matches the study design and are strongly encouraged to submit the relevant reporting checklist as supplementary material during manuscript submission.

The journal recommends the use of the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of Health Research) Network resources, which provide comprehensive guidance for the reporting of health research studies.

The following reporting guidelines are recommended:

Where available, authors should use the most recent version of the applicable guideline and any relevant extensions.

Failure to adhere to appropriate reporting standards may result in requests for revision before peer review or during the review process. Manuscripts that do not provide sufficient methodological transparency may be returned to the authors for further revision.

Authors are encouraged to ensure that:

• study objectives and hypotheses are clearly stated;
• methods are described in sufficient detail to allow replication;
• statistical methods are adequately reported;
• results are presented accurately and transparently;
• conclusions are supported by the study findings;
• limitations are openly discussed.

The use of recognised reporting standards allows reviewers and readers to better assess the quality, validity, and applicability of the research and contributes to the advancement of evidence-based nursing practice.

5. Types of Articles

NSC Nursing publishes the following categories of manuscripts.

5.1 Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles report the results of quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, experimental, observational, educational, organisational, or methodological studies relevant to nursing and healthcare practice.

Manuscripts should follow the structure:

1. Title Page
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Introduction
5. Aim or Objective
6. Materials and Methods
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. Conclusion
10. Limitations
11. Statements
12. References

Requirements:

• Structured abstract (maximum 350 words);
• Up to 5 keywords;
• Maximum 60 references;
• Tables and figures as necessary to support the results.

Authors should follow the appropriate reporting guideline (e.g., CONSORT, STROBE, COREQ, SRQR, SQUIRE, ARRIVE).

5.2 Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses should address clinically or scientifically relevant questions and follow internationally accepted methodological standards.

Requirements:

• Structured abstract;
• PRISMA reporting guideline;
• PRISMA checklist submitted as supplementary material;
• Comprehensive search strategy;
• Explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Authors are encouraged to register review protocols in PROSPERO or equivalent registries whenever appropriate.

5.3 Scoping Reviews

Scoping Reviews should provide a comprehensive mapping of the available evidence on a specific topic.

Requirements:

• Structured abstract;
• PRISMA-ScR reporting guideline;
• Clearly defined objectives and eligibility criteria;
• Transparent search methodology.

5.4 Review Articles

Narrative Reviews provide an updated overview of a specific topic relevant to nursing science, education, management, or clinical practice.

Requirements:

• Unstructured or structured abstract;
• Comprehensive and balanced review of the literature;
• Critical discussion of current evidence.

Review Articles may be submitted directly or invited by the Editorial Board.

5.5 Brief Reports

Brief Reports describe preliminary findings, pilot studies, innovative projects, educational interventions, or methodological developments.

Requirements:

• Concise manuscript format;
• Structured abstract;
• Limited number of tables and figures;
• Focus on a single research question or innovation.

5.6 Case Reports

Case Reports describe unique, unusual, or educationally valuable clinical situations relevant to nursing practice.

Requirements:

• CARE reporting guideline;
• Informed consent obtained when applicable;
• Clear educational or clinical relevance.

5.7 Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor provide constructive comments on articles previously published in NSC Nursing or discuss issues of scientific or professional interest.

Requirements:

• Concise format;
• No abstract;
• Limited references;
• Editorial review prior to publication.

5.8 Editorials

Editorials are published at the invitation of the Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board and address topics of relevance to nursing research, clinical practice, healthcare policy, or scientific publishing.

6. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts submitted to NSC Nursing must comply with the journal’s scientific, ethical, and formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not conform to these instructions may be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before entering the peer review process.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use the official NSC Nursing manuscript template available on the journal website.

6.1 Language

NSC Nursing publishes articles exclusively in English. Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are written in clear, accurate, and grammatically correct English.

6.2 General Formatting

Manuscripts must:

• be prepared using Times New Roman, 12-point font;
• use double line spacing throughout the entire document;
• have fully justified text alignment;
• include a blank line between paragraphs;
• be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).

6.3 Headings

Main section headings must be written in BOLD UPPERCASE LETTERS.

Examples:

• ABSTRACT
• INTRODUCTION
• MATERIALS AND METHODS
• RESULTS
• DISCUSSION
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES

Subheadings should be written in Bold Title Case, with the first letter capitalised.

Examples:

• Statistical Analysis
• Data Collection
• Ethical Considerations

6.4 Title Page

The title page must contain:

• the full title of the manuscript;
• the full name of each author;
• academic qualifications and institutional affiliations;
• the name and contact details of the corresponding author.

6.4.1 Formatting Requirements

• the manuscript title must be centred and in bold type;
• the list of authors must be centred below the title;
• institutional affiliations must be reported using superscript Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) and listed below the authors’ names according to the following format: Department/Unit, University/Hospital/Institution, City, Country
• the corresponding author must be clearly identified on the title page and provide the following information:
  • Full name
  • Institutional affiliation(s)
  • Postal address
  • E-mail address
  • ORCID iD

6.5 ORCID iD

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide an ORCID iD. The corresponding author must provide a valid ORCID iD at the time of manuscript submission.

6.6 Tables

Tables must:

• be prepared using Times New Roman, 10-point font;
• be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.);
• be cited in numerical order within the text;
• be inserted in the manuscript close to their first citation;
• not be submitted as images. Tables should be created using the table function of Microsoft Word and must not contain screenshots or embedded images;
• be editable and created using the table function of the word-processing software.

Table titles should follow the format:

where:

• the table number is presented in bold;
• the table title is presented in italics;
• any abbreviations used in the table must be explained in a footnote;
• footnotes should be identified using superscript letters (a, b, c, etc.).

6.7 Figures

Accepted file formats include JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and high-quality PDF. Figures must:

• be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, etc.);
• be cited in numerical order within the text;
• be inserted in the manuscript close to their first citation;
• include a clear and informative legend;
• have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

6.8 ABSTRACT

The abstract must:

• be written in English;
• not exceed 350 words;
• not contain references, citations, tables, figures, or supplementary material;
• use abbreviations only when strictly necessary;
• accurately summarise the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the study.

The abstract should be structured using the following bold headings, followed by a colon:

1. Introduction
2. Objective/Purpose
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Conclusions

The abstract should provide sufficient information to allow readers to understand the rationale, methodology, principal findings, and implications of the study without referring to the full text.

6.9 Keywords

Keywords must be provided immediately after the abstract.

Authors should provide a maximum of five keywords that accurately reflect the content of the manuscript and facilitate the indexing and retrieval of the article.

Keywords should:

• be relevant to the main topics of the manuscript;
• avoid duplication of terms already included in the title whenever possible;
• use internationally recognised terminology;
• be separated by commas.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to select keywords from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

6.10 Body Text

Original research manuscripts should normally be organised using the following sections:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. AIM OR OBJECTIVE
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
4. RESULTS
5. DISCUSSION
6. CONCLUSION
7. LIMITATIONS
8. STATEMENTS
9. REFERENCES

6.10.1 INTRODUCTION

The Introduction should provide the scientific and clinical background of the study, summarise the most relevant literature, identify gaps in current knowledge, and explain the rationale for conducting the research.

6.10.2 Aim or objective

This section should clearly state the primary aim, objective, research question, or hypothesis of the study.

6.10.3 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow the study to be understood and, where applicable, replicated by other researchers.

Where relevant, authors should report:

• study design;
• study setting;
• study period;
• participant recruitment methods;
• inclusion and exclusion criteria;
• sample characteristics;
• data collection procedures;
• instruments or questionnaires used;
• ethical approval and informed consent procedures;
• statistical analysis methods.

6.10.4 RESULTS

Results should be presented clearly and logically, without interpretation. Data reported in the text should not unnecessarily duplicate information presented in tables or figures.

6.10.5 DISCUSSION

The Discussion should interpret the study findings in relation to existing literature, explain their implications for nursing practice, education, management, or research, and highlight the strengths and limitations of the study.

6.10.6 CONCLUSION

The Conclusion should summarise the principal findings of the study and their relevance to nursing science and practice. Conclusions should be supported by the results presented in the manuscript.

6.10.7 Limitations

Authors should explicitly discuss the limitations of the study and their potential impact on the interpretation and generalisability of the findings.

6.11 STATEMENTS

The Statements section must be placed before the REFERENCES section and should include, where applicable:

• Ethics Approval;
• Informed Consent;
• Conflicts of Interest;
• Funding;
• Author Contributions;
• Acknowledgements;
• Data Availability Statement.

6.11.1 Ethics Approval

For studies requiring ethical approval, authors must report the name of the approving Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB), the approval or protocol number, and the approval date, where available.

If ethical approval was not required, authors should report:

Authors should also clearly state the reason why ethical approval was not required.

6.11.2 Informed Consent

Authors must indicate whether informed consent was obtained from participants. If informed consent was not required, an appropriate justification should be provided.

6.11.3 Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the conduct, results, or interpretation of the study.

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors should state: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

6.11.4 Funding

All sources of financial support for the study must be reported. If the study received no external funding, authors should state: “This research received no external funding.”

6.12 REFERENCES

References must be prepared according to the Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text.

Only references cited in the manuscript should be included in the reference list.

References must:

• follow the Vancouver Style;
• be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they first appear in the text;
• be cited in the text using Arabic numerals in square brackets;
• be accurate, complete, and verified by the authors before submission;
• include the DOI, when available.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all references and citations.

The journal recommends a maximum of 60 references. Exceptions may be considered for Systematic Reviews, Scoping Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and other article types where a larger number of references is justified.

6.12.1 In-Text Citations

References should be cited using Arabic numerals enclosed in square brackets.

Examples:

Multiple references should be listed in ascending numerical order.

6.12.2 Reference List

The reference list must appear under the heading REFERENCES and should be numbered consecutively according to the order of citation in the text.

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog whenever applicable.

List up to six authors. If there are more than six authors, list the first six followed by et al.

Whenever available, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be included at the end of the reference.

6.12.3 Examples of References

Journal Article

Book

Book Chapter

Web Resource

Unpublished Material

Personal communications, unpublished observations, and manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted for publication should not be included in the reference list. Such information may be cited in the text when appropriate.

6.12.4 Reference Management Software

Authors may use reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley) but are responsible for ensuring that all citations and references conform to the journal’s Vancouver style requirements.

7. Terms and Conditions for Submitting Articles

Articles must be submitted through the journal’s official submission form available on the website.

8. Publication of Accepted Articles

Accepted manuscripts are published online after completion of the editorial and production process and final approval by the Editor-in-Chief.

9. Translation Service

NSC Nursing offers optional English-language translation support for accepted manuscripts submitted by Italian authors who request this service.

Translation support is provided only after the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

This service is intended to support the dissemination of nursing research through wider international accessibility.