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Author Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation

IJFCN follows the APA, 7th Edition for style and formatting. It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that all articles conform to this style guide prior to final submission. See the following guide below for examples. The Editorial Board reserves the right to hold publication of articles if the style guidelines are not followed.

Submit manuscripts in .doc or .docx format and in English. If accepted, a copy of the revised manuscript in another language may be published as an addendum along with the English version; however, page numbers will not be assigned to this addendum.

All portions of the manuscript must have line numbers and be double-spaced. Also, please include the following in order:

Current Research

  1. Title Page
    • Title – appropriately and concisely describes the overall study. Consider a title that will make electronic retrieval of the article both sensitive and specific.
    • Authors’ names and current institutional affiliations
    • Name of the department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed
    • Disclaimers, if any
    • Corresponding author information – name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address
    • Source(s) of support in terms of grants, equipment, etc.
    • Running head that is no more than 40 characters including letters and spaced
  2. Conflict of Interest Notification Page
    • Inappropriate influences from financial or personal relationships constitute a conflict of interest. Authors desiring to submit a manuscript for review must disclose all relationships that are potential conflicts of interest. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/TopSCHOLAR.pdf
  3. Abstract and Key Words
    • An abstract is provided that accurately reflects the content of the study. The context of the study presents a statement of the purpose of the study, basic procedures, main findings, and principal conclusions. The abstract should be limited to 250 words. In a separate line, include 3 – 10 key words or short phrases found in the title or abstract to assist indexers in cross-indexing the article.
  4. Introduction
    • This section explains the context or background for the study. While a review of literature is not appropriate here, enough detail is provided for readers to understand the reason for conducting the experimentation. Include a statement of purpose or statement of hypothesis.
  5. Methods
    • This section details the protocol used to collect study data. At a minimum, the Methods section should include the following subheadings:
      • Participants – provide a description of inclusion and exclusion criteria used with participants. Indicate that study participants received informed consent. Experiments involving the use of human participants must follow procedures in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration.
      • Protocol – include the methodology, equipment or apparatus (provide manufacturer name and address in parentheses), and procedures in adequate detail to allow other investigators to replicate the results.
      • Statistical Analysis – describe statistical methods in enough detail to allow a knowledgeable reader with access the original data to verify the reported results. Include the computer software used, and the alpha-level used for the determination of significance.
  6. Results

    7. The results are reported in a logical sequence, giving the main findings first. The use of descriptive text, tables, and figures are unique and do not repeat information. Tables and figures are restricted to those needed to explain the argument of the paper. Graphs are used as an alternative to tables with many entries.

  7. Discussion

    8. This section emphasizes new and important aspects generated from the study. Do not simply repeat information previously given in the Introduction and/or the Results sections. It may be helpful to begin the Discussion with a summary of the main findings of the study, and then suggest potential mechanisms or explanations, compare and/or contrast the results with previous research, and provide the implications of the findings for future research. Be careful not to make unqualified statements that are not adequately supported by the study data.

  8. References

    9. Provide readers with primary references to original research cited in the paper. In-text citations follow APA 7th edition formatting style. List citations on the reference page alphabetically.

  9. Tables and Figures

    10. Include tables and figures in appropriate places within the body of the text (do not list each separately at the end of the manuscript). Cite each table and figure in the text. Number tables consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Provide a brief but descriptive title at the top of each table, and explanatory footnotes at the bottom for all nonstandard abbreviations. Figures should be included in a common electronic format (JPEG or GIF, for example). Number figures consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Provide a descriptive figure caption at the bottom of each figure. Since the primary form of the Journal exists in an on-line format, it is highly recommended to incorporate color into tables and graphs, and color photographs.

Review Articles or Evidence Based Practice

Review articles do not require Methods and Results sections. Include appropriate subheadings within the manuscript text. Follow all other formatting as described in "Current Research". In addition, a summary table of articles reviewed is included within the manuscript. Please follow the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines for evidence based practice submissions.

Other Articles and Columns

Moments of Reflection, Faith in Action, Practice Matters, and other articles that suggest innovations, important outcomes, and insight for FCNs and the practice do not require Methods and Results sections. Include appropriate subheadings within the manuscript text. Follow all other formatting as described in "Current Research". Color photographs are highly encouraged.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Authors must guarantee that submitted manuscripts have not been published elsewhere, are not currently under review elsewhere, and have been submitted with the full knowledge of their institutional home.

All manuscripts are reviewed for originality using the latest, most up to date of Turnitin software, prior to being assigned for peer-review.

Any manuscript not meeting originality requirements will be rejected without peer-review. All manuscripts will be reviewed based on intellectual content without regard for age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, or political philosophy of the authors.

All manuscripts submitted for peer-review are kept strictly confidential by editors and reviewers. At no time will editors or reviewers utilize submitted materials without the written consent of the authors.