Authorship Criteria
The list of authors should include only those who meet the following three criteria:
- made a substantial contribution to the concept and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
- drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content; and
- approved the version to be published.
Contributors who do not meet all three criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section.
Copyright & Author Rights
For publication of an article, the authors assign to Interprofessional QI Reports (IQIR) all copyright to the article. However, authors retain substantial rights to their published work, according to the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY NC-ND license used by this journal, provided the author does not alter the format or content of the article, including the copyright notification.
Authors retain the right to:
- store and back up their work on computer(s) and digital media, provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by others;
- post the article on their own personal, non-commercial website;
- post the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial, open-access institutional repository or other non-commercial, open-access publication site affiliated with the author(s)’s place of employment; and
- post the article on the non-commercial website of a course being taught by the author at a university or college employing the author.
This open-access license also allows other researchers to download, copy, share and link to articles but not to change them in any way or use them for any commercial purpose. Researchers must credit and link to the original work on the journal’s website. Those seeking an exception to these permissions or who have questions about use should contact the editors.
Author Responsibilities
Authors drive the advancement of professional, scientific, and academic knowledge. To this end, articles submitted to IQIR should pose and test a significant problem or hypothesis or answer an important question relevant to issues of quality improvement and safety in healthcare.
Authors submitting articles to the journal are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards of scientific communication, thus protecting the trust of readers, the integrity of the scientific record, and the reputation of the journal. Authors are expected to have educated themselves with regard to the publishing standards set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). When in doubt as to appropriate practices, please contact the editors.
Human Subjects & Informed Consent
Articles reporting human studies must state that the relevant ethics committee or institutional review board provided (or waived) approval. Authors should also state whether human participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.
Funding & Declaration of Interest
Authors should acknowledge any public or private funding/support for the reported research or improvement activity. Authors should also disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to the funding agency or to any product or service mentioned in the manuscript. See the ICMJE’s Disclosure Statement form for guidance.
If an article is accepted for publication, authors whose research was made possible by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other partner organization adhering to a similar public access policy must upload the final, peer-reviewed, editor-approved and copy-edited version of the manuscript to PubMed Central, which provides for archival public access to taxpayer-funded research. See PubMed Central’s Research Funder Policies for information on those agencies’ open-access policies.
Research Misconduct & Plagiarism
IQIR is guided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity’s definition of research misconduct: in short, “the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.” IQIR also follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in their plagiarism policies and procedures. Intentional plagiarism, which includes redundancy (re-publication of one’s own work with only minor modifications) is not tolerated. When such plagiarism is detected by peer reviewers or editorial staff, depending on whether before, during, or after the publication process, the article will be rejected or retracted by the journal or must be withdrawn or retracted by the authors.
In the case of minor infractions determined by the editors to be unintentional, submitting authors will be contacted by editorial staff and (at minimum) requested to make necessary corrections and/or add appropriate attributions and references before their work can receive a final review.
The journal’s editors are obligated to act to uncover the truth in cases of suspected or alleged abuses, not only to protect IQIR’s own integrity, but also to pursue the matter on behalf of the scientific and academic community, notifying employers, co-authors, funding agencies, and other publishers affected by the misconduct. For more information on the consequences of deliberate or unintentional research misconduct or plagiarism, see the flowcharts at the COPE website.
Reporting Guidelines
Articles should be based upon key reporting guidelines as defined by the EQUATOR Network. Authors should prepare manuscripts in accordance with the appropriate guidelines for each type of article.
Accepted Article Types
Quality Improvement Reports/Studies
Articles reporting quality and safety initiatives should be limited to 3,500 words. Topics include the development and implementation of quality initiatives and new approaches to education and training that inform quality and safety. Quality improvement papers should include an abstract of no more than 250 words that summarizes the objectives and the key issues and learning points. The main text of quality improvement articles should include the elements outlined in the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE) 2.0 guidelines.
Clinical Trial/Experimental Studies
Submissions should be limited to 3,500 words and should follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines (which include Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections). These articles should include an abstract of no more than 250 words and should include a statistical/data analysis section and statement(s) regarding IRB approval, animal care, and/or patient informed consent.
Qualitative Research
Submissions should follow the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) and should be limited to 3,500 words. These articles should include statements regarding data collection and analysis methods, IRB approval where appropriate, and trustworthiness/limitations of findings as well as an abstract of no more than 250 words.
Observational Studies
The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines should be used when reporting observational research. The STROBE recommendations apply to the three main analytical designs used in this research: cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. Reporting on observational studies should be limited to 3500 words and should include an abstract of no more than 250 words. Both the manuscript and the abstract should include Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
Systematic Reviews
IQIR welcomes systematic reviews reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). These articles should not exceed 4,500 words and should include an abstract of no more than 250 words that provides brief background information, a summary of the literature review, the most relevant findings, and a conclusion based on those results.
Educational Research
Articles reporting on educational interventions should be based on the Guideline for Reporting Evidence-Based Practice Educational Interventions and Teaching (GREET) and should not exceed 3,500 words. An abstract of no more than 250 words should also be included. These articles should measure and report outcomes beyond participants’ reactions and gain in knowledge. Ultimately, new knowledge or learned behaviors should have measurable impact through improved outcomes and/or enhanced health.
Case Studies
IQIR welcomes case studies that focus on issues related to all healthcare fields, interprofessionalism, and quality and safety in healthcare settings. These articles should comprise no more than 2,500 words and 15 references. Authors should write case studies according to the Case Report (CARE) guidelines and should include an abstract of no more than 250 words that summarizes the objectives of the case study presentation and the key issues and learning points. Authors should take extra care to ensure that patients’ anonymity is maintained and should consult the treating hospital/facility to confirm whether permission or informed consent is needed.
Perspectives from the Field
These manuscripts are essays written to illustrate the experiences of trainees, faculty, and practitioners as they affect these individuals’ professional development and scholarship. An abstract is not required for these pieces, which should comprise no more than 1,500 words and 5 references.
Special Reports
Special reports are articles of special interest to IQIR readership. An abstract is not required for these articles, which should be limited to 2,500 words and 10 references. These pieces might include, for example, new or updated guidelines or policies, position statements, or other miscellaneous submissions that do not fit the descriptions of other article types.
Editorials
IQIR publishes editorials at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. Editorials that are commissioned by the Editor-in-Chief will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. Unsolicited editorials that comment on articles published in IQIR or comment on general trends that may be of interest to the journal’s readership will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board to determine their suitability for publication.
Invited Commentaries
Commentaries may address topics of interest related to interprofessionalism, quality improvement research, health policy, education, and current events. Commentaries should be limited to 1,500 words and 10 references.
Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
General Considerations
- Submit article as a word processing file
- Include a structured or unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words
- Submit a separate title page containing this essential information:
- Article title
- Running title or header of no more than 60 characters
- Author names, degrees, and affiliations, including full postal address of each affiliation
- Corresponding author, including email address and full postal address
- Please ensure that figures and tables are embedded in the article, placed next to the relevant text in the manuscript, rather than at the end of the file or in a separate file.
Abstract
Please include a structured or unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words that provides brief background information and/or a statement of the problem, a summary of the methods/intervention, the specific endpoint(s), the most relevant findings, and a conclusion based on those results. The abstract should not include citations for references or figures/tables.
Style & Language
All submissions must be in standard English. Except for common foreign words and phrases, the use of foreign words and phrases should be avoided. Abbreviations and acronyms should be established at the first appearance of the phrase in the main article text (i.e., not in the title or headings) and should be used at least 3 times. Abbreviations and acronyms that do not appear at least 3 times should be spelled out as full phrases.
Fonts
Please use a common font such as Times New Roman or Calibri for your manuscript. Symbols and notations in unusual fonts should be avoided. This will not only enhance the clarity of the manuscript, but it will also help ensure that it is displayed and printed correctly. When proofing your document, pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notations drawn from other than standard fonts.
Tables & Figures
To the extent possible, tables and figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. A corresponding caption should be placed directly below the figure or above the table. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of very small type in tables. All tables and figures must fit within .75″ margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) in both portrait and landscape view.
We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc.; however, this could cause problems when the documents are printed in black and white. For this reason, please avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.
Footnotes
Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced (rather than at the end of the paper). They should be single-spaced, and there should be a footnote separator rule (line). Footnote numbers or symbols in the text must follow, rather than precede, punctuation. Excessively long footnotes may be better included in an appendix.
References
Authors are obligated to provide complete references with all necessary information. Citations in the main article text and tables, figures, appendices, etc. should follow the AMA referencing style outlined in AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11th ed.). Cite references alphabetically. In-text citations should follow the (Author, Year) format. Begin the references on the same page as the last sentence of the main article text if possible (i.e., do not insert a page break before references).
Reference Examples
Journal Articles:
Author name(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year of publication (or “n.d.” if no date);volume number(issue number if available):page numbers. DOI if provided
Frazier L, Sanner J, Cron S, Moeller FG. Using a single screening question for depressive symptoms in patients with acute coronary syndrome. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2014;29(4):347-353.
Books:
Author name(s). Title of Book. Edition number (if not first). Publisher; copyright year.
Ball JW, Bindler RC, Cowen KJ, Shaw MR. Principles of Pediatric Nursing: Caring for Children. 7th ed. Pearson Education; 2016.
Chapters in Edited Books:
Chapter author name(s). Title of chapter. In: Editor name(s), ed(s). Title of Book. Edition number (if not first). Publisher; Year of publication: page numbers
Meininger JC. Observational research design. In: Fitzpatrick J, ed. The Encyclopedia of Nursing Research. 4th ed. Springer Publishing Company; 2015:144-163.
