The ACORN journal is published quarterly. Original articles pertaining to perioperative nursing are invited. The editor welcomes manuscripts on innovative practices and technology, clinical practice, research, current surgical trends, education, management and other items of clear interest to perioperative nurses. ACORN pays authors $200 for original feature articles once published, and $100 for short articles (such as might appear in clinical corner). ACORN does not pay for conference reports or book reviews.
Requirements for publishing
Articles submitted for publication must not have been published or submitted elsewhere.
• Feature articles: Main feature articles should be between 1,500-3,000 words in length and, where appropriate, may include photographs or tables.
• Conference reports: These should be 1,000 words or less and are published at the discretion of the editor and sub-editors’ group.
• Clinical corner: These, along with all other articles, should be 1,000 words or less.
• Book reviews: books and monographs will be reviewed depending on their interest to subscribers. Books should be sent directly to the editor. No books will be returned.
• News roundup and product news: special interest news and product news are included free of charge.
• Coming events: conference and seminars dates will be included in the events diary. Please direct this information to the editorial assistant, Michelle Berarducci, at editor@acorn.org.au
Preparation of manuscripts
In the first instance, the original copy with a separate, covering letter identifying the author’s name, address, business and home phone numbers, and e-mail details should be sent electronically to the editor. An electronic photograph of the author should be included. All copy should be written using double spacing, with wide margins on both sides of the page, leaving a space between paragraphs.
Manuscripts are to conform to acceptable English usage and spelling. Standard abbreviations should be used consistently throughout the article and all abbreviations should be spelled out in full the first time they appear, with the abbreviation in parenthesis. Generic names of drugs should be used with the trade names in parenthesis, if desired. Weights and measures should be expressed in metric units and temperatures in degrees centigrade.
Illustrations
Computer generated charts, tables and graphs should be incorporated into the body of the manuscript. All electronic photographs must be scanned at 300dpi, CMYK and submitted as .jpeg, tiff or .eps. They should be e-mailed as a separate attachment. A key should be provided for group photographs. Permission to reproduce illustrations must be obtained by the author from the owner of the copyright, usually the publisher.
Administration
Receipts of manuscripts will be acknowledged but not reports, letters, product news or coming events. The editor’s decision to publish or reject is final. The editor has the right to edit the article or amend the style. Authors must sign a release form acknowledging that, once published, copyright of manuscripts is held by ACORN. Authors must also acknowledge sources of funding (if relevant) and declare any conflict of interest.
Peer review
Unless otherwise indicated, submitted manuscripts are subject to independent review by at least two peers. When the manuscript has been reviewed, the first author will be advised by the editor as to whether it has been accepted or rejected for publication or if revision is recommended.
Referencing
References within the text should take the form of a superscript number at the point of reference and then in a numbered list at the conclusion of the text. References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are noted in the text. All references must be cited in the body of the text. Personal communications and unpublished data should be in parentheses. They should not appear in the reference list.
Examples of references
If there are six or less authors, all should be listed. If seven or more, the first three are listed followed by et al.
Format for referencing journal articles
Ward K & Hamlin L (2006). Lead or be led: are we ready to face the challenge? ACORN Journal Vol.19, No.4, p.14-20.
Format for referencing books
Woodhead K & Wicker P (Eds) (2005). A Textbook of Perioperative Care. Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Format for referencing electronic sources, which includes:
• the world wide web
• a local intranet (such as at the University of Technology Sydney)
• material or data sourced from an electronic database
• material on a data disc (or tape)
• pictures and audio material (whether on tape or disc)
• radio and television sources, and
• material sent by SMS or other wireless technology.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2003). National Health Data Dictionary, Version 12. Available: www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/8964 [Accessed December 2006]
Please send all editorials to:
editor@acorn.org.au
Authors’ checklist