Author Policies and Guidelines
Who May Contribute
- Any nurse (retired or working) or student* may submit as a group of authors or individually.
- Membership in Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma) is not required.
- Interprofessional collaborations are encouraged. The nurse must be the submitting author on behalf of the group. The nurse does not need to be the lead author.
- The submitter must hold copyright to the material being submitted, or they must receive express written permission from the copyright holder allowing them to submit the material to the repository.
- In the case of joint works where all parties involved intend for the work to be joined as an inseparable unit, one co-author, as joint-owner of the entire work, may choose to submit the item to the repository without permission of the other co-authors. It is suggested that all co-authors agree to the submission.
- Groups† may also participate in the repository.
*Any nurse with a degree (BSN and above - or equivalent), or who is currently pursuing a degree (BSN and above - or equivalent) accredited by a recognized accrediting body such as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or their equivalent for those submitters outside of the U.S. or the jurisdiction of the two aforementioned agencies.
†Please see the repository's group participation policies for more information:
https://www.sigmarepository.org/groupparticipation/
What May Be Submitted
This repository accepts previously unpublished materials of the following nature.
Broad Categories:
- Research - includes primary (i.e., quantitative or qualitative) and secondary (i.e., statistical analysis)
- Educational materials, includes faculty created learning objects, peer-to-peer, nurse-to-patient, nurse-to-community, and continuing education/professional development materials
- Evidence-based practice materials
- Translational research materials
- Quality improvement projects
Formats:
- Text-based documents
- Videos
- Audio
Items:
The list below is not exhaustive. If you don't see an item listed, but want to include it as a submission, please email us: repository@sigmanursing.org.
- Conference presentations (slides and/or papers)
- Posters
- DNP capstone projects
- Dissertations
- Theses or other final graduate papers
- Undergraduate work of significance
- Reports (committee, technical, grant related, outcomes, etc.)
- Quality improvement tools
- Tools, instruments, and measurements
- Faculty-created learning objects
- Educational (patient, public, peer, or student - brochures, guides, and materials)
- Datasets
Unacceptable Materials:
- General opinion pieces/editorials/commentaries (i.e., those works suited for magazines or blogs)
- Business archives
- Advertising materials
- Political materials
- Ephemera
- Items that need frequent revisions
- Previously published materials - the repository works directly with publishers and journals as copyright holders in these instances
- Manuscripts that will be published in traditional journals
- Materials that do not align with Sigma's mission and vision
Processing Time
It may take up to 90 days after approval for an item to be posted in the repository. Submitting authors will receive a system-generated email upon posting.
Peer-review and Evaluation
Materials submitted to this repository are not currently peer-reviewed prior to posting, but may undergo an evaluation.
Some materials such as theses and dissertations are accepted based on the reputation of the university that conferred the degree.
See below section on transparency for further details.
Transparency
This repository is dedicated to transparency. Examine each item record for details on its review type and acquisition method. Click here for a list of acquisition and review types.
Copyright
Authors retain copyright to the materials posted in this repository. To learn more please visit this information page: https://www.sigmarepository.org/copyright/.
Previous and Simultaneous Publishing
Many authors are concerned that open dissemination may interfere with traditional publication pursuits. Normally, publishers do not consider dissemination of the item types listed below to be prior publication. Posters, slides, and brochures offer brief insight and do not disclose the heart of the matter. Longer more detailed pieces like theses and dissertations require refining and extracting information so that the published manuscript becomes a new work.
- Posters
- PowerPoint slides
- Theses
- Dissertations
- Reports
- Brochures
- Educational materials
If you are submitting any material from the above list, and still believe you need an embargo or need to ask a question about embargoes, complete this form: httpps://sigmanursing.formstack.com/forms/sigma_repository_embargo_request
Confidential Information
If your research and/or data is of a sensitive nature and divulges trade secrets or other confidential information that should not be openly available to the public, remove all such information prior to submitting the material. Submissions will not be scrubbed or otherwise edited prior to availability on the Internet. It is the submitting author's responsibility to remove all such information from the material prior to submission.
Editing and Proofing
This repository does not offer copyediting services; this includes proofreading. Please make sure that your submission is ready for public dissemination at the time of submission.
Formatting
- All items must use Calibri, Helvetica or Arial fonts in 12 point. Headings may be in larger fonts.
- Spacing may be single or double, so long as the material is legible in an online format.
- The use of "all caps" is not acceptable.
- The submission must include a title page, when appropriate.
- All descriptive information entered in the submission form and the attached file(s) must be written in English. A secondary copy of the material may be submitted in the author's original language. The repository does not provide translation services.
- There is no preferred citation style. Choose one and use it consistently throughout the material.
- All files uploaded during the repository submission process, whenever applicable, must be converted to Adobe PDF format.
- The submitted item must be stand-alone material and contribute to nursing research, education, and clinical discourse (i.e., contain sufficient information without the author being present to speak about details). This is particularly important for posters and presentation slides.
- Materials must be error free and ready for public dissemination.
- Materials must be scrubbed of all information of a sensitive, confidential, or proprietary nature. This includes signatures on dissertations or theses committee signature pages.
Withdrawal and Retention of Items
Submitting authors do not have authorization to remove items from the repository once they have been posted. The goal of this repository is to disseminate nursing research and evidence-based practice materials on a global basis and preserve them indefinitely. The repository will allow contributors to submit a subsequent submission with revisions/amendments, but will not remove the original item unless there is a significant flaw in the original submission.
In certain circumstances (such as copyright infringement, plagiarism, falsification of data, or similar circumstance) the staff of the Sigma Repository will remove full-text documents/materials from public view.
An author who has knowingly submitted items under the above circumstances, will be barred from making further contributions to the repository. Further, all submissions of said author may be removed from the repository to preserve its reputation.
This repository reserves the right to reject and or remove items that do not adhere to the standards and principles of Sigma.
Submissions as Part of Participating Groups
Your school/college of nursing, workplace, consortia, or organization (referred to collectively as "group") has agreed to participate in the Sigma Repository by showcasing your work in an applicable collection. There is no association between your group and the Sigma Repository beyond the mutual desire to increase the visibility of nursing research and evidence-based practice thereby strengthening the voice of the nursing profession.
Your group may choose to place document and formatting requirements on your submission in addition to those stipulated by this repository. The repository staff has no knowledge of these additional requirements and cannot advise you on compliance issues regarding any external policies. Please contact your group's repository liaison for assistance with those requirements.