Q&A for Papers Submitted to Japanese Journals

1. About Paper Preparation

Q: How are the appendices handled?

A:Appendices, like figures and tables, should be cited in the text to indicate the location of their insertion. If accepted, a link to the appendix will be included as part of the bibliographic information of the paper and will not be included in the PDF of the paper.
Here is an example of a paper with appendices (see the Electronic Appendices section of the URL below).
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jans/43/0/43_43520/_article/-char/ja
Appendices must be submitted in PDF format. Appendices will not be typeset, so the submitted PDFs will be published as is.

Q: Is it acceptable to present part of a paper under submission at another scientific meeting?

A:Based on the idea that "papers submitted to academic journals" and "presentations at academic conferences" are treated differently even though they have the same content, there are no special problems and no procedures are required.
It is also a good idea to include a note in the Appendix of the submitted paper stating that the paper is "to be presented at a conference" and that the paper is "being submitted to the Journal of the Japanese Society of Nursing Science" when presented at a scientific meeting.

Q: How do you indicate where to insert figures and tables in the text?

A:There is no clear rule, but it is common to submit using a Word "text box".

Q: How do you count the number of characters in the text?

A:The Editorial Office counts the number of letters (not including spaces) in a Word file.

Q: May I underline in the text?

A:In the peer review process of this journal, we ask you to underline the revisions in the revised manuscript. Please refrain from underlining in the first draft to avoid confusion with the revisions in the revised manuscript.

2. Submission procedures through the submission system

Q: I have already joined the society, but my account does not appear when I search in the submission system.

A:Membership in the society is not linked to registration in the submission system.
Therefore, please create an account in the submission system when submitting to the journal, even if you are already a member.

Q: I forgot my password and cannot log in to the submission system.

A:Please use the password reset on the login screen of the submission system. If you do not receive a password reset email, please whitelist your domain and try again.
Please log in with the one-time password in the e-mail.
For other technical assistance in operating the online submission and peer review system, please contact us.
KYORINSASA Corporation (Domestic distributor of Thomson Reuters' SCHOLARONE)
(Technical support for the operation of the online submission and peer review system)
Email: s1-support@kyorin.co.jp
Phone: 03-3910-4517
Phone hours: 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00 on weekdays

3. e-form (COI and copyright transfer agreement)

Q: How do I apply for a COI or copyright transfer agreement?

A:The Journal of the Japan Society for the Study of Science and Technology of Science and Technology of Japan (JSSTJ) requires authors to submit papers via the e-form system. Upon receipt of your paper at the editorial office, an e-mail inviting all first authors and co-authors to submit the e-form will be sent to you.

4. Peer review period

Q: Approximately how long does it take for a manuscript to go through peer review and be accepted or rejected?

A:Submitted papers are reviewed and revised several times before publication. Recently, the median time until the decision of acceptance or rejection is about 120 days for regular peer review and 60 days for expedited peer review. However, since this is the median, there are considerable differences among papers.

Q: How long should I wait for the results of the first peer review?

A:Recently, the median time from submission to return of the first peer review result is about 30 days for regular submission and 14 days for expedited review. However, since this is the median, there are considerable differences from paper to paper.

Q: How long does it take to be published after being adopted?

A:Although we cannot give you a definite time frame for publication, papers accepted between January and the end of December will be published sequentially by March of the following year.

5. Peer review results

Q: The notice of acceptance stated that the paper cannot be published but resubmission is recommended. What does this mean?

A:The paper will be rejected as handled. The deadline for submitting a revised manuscript for this journal is one month. If the editorial board determines that a revised manuscript requires a revision period significantly longer than one month, the manuscript will be rejected. However, if the theme and research methods are appropriate, and if the manuscript is appropriately revised, we will provide this notice to encourage resubmission of the revised manuscript. This notice does not guarantee acceptance.

Q: How do I submit an article through the submission system for "Not for publication but recommend resubmission"?

A:Although this is a new paper, please answer "Yes" to the question "Have you ever submitted a paper to the Journal of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science with the content of the paper you are submitting this time (e.g., resubmission after a decision not to publish)" in the system, and enter the paper number of that time.

6. About expedited peer review

Q: How do I apply for expedited peer review?

A:The submission system will ask if you wish to apply for expedited review for all papers.

Q: If I apply for expedited review, can I withdraw my submission if expedited review is not granted?

A:Possible. At the time of submission, you will be asked if you would like to withdraw your submission if expedited peer review is not granted.

Q: If I submit the content of a dissertation that has already been submitted and accepted as a doctoral dissertation for expedited review, when does it become eligible for completion? D. within one year of completion?

A:D., will be eligible for expedited peer review if submitted by the date that is two years after the date of the doctoral degree.

Q: I understand that the expedited peer review notifies the review results within 30 days, but when is the 30 days counted?

A:Submissions submitted for expedited review will be reviewed by the Editorial Board after careful examination of the required documents, and a notification will be sent to the applicant stating that the submission has been accepted as an expedited review paper, starting from the time the submission is received. Submissions will be accepted only after checking the manuscript writing instructions, etc. If your submission is returned, it will be accepted from the time you resubmit it. Please note that while the goal of the expedited review is to notify you of the review results within 30 days, we cannot always guarantee that this will be the case.

7. Membership Confirmation

Q: Can I submit a paper if the first author is in the process of applying for membership?

A:The first author must be a member of the Society. Please note that even if you are still in the process of applying for membership, you can submit your paper through the submission system, but it will be accepted by the Editorial Office and proceed to peer review only after your membership is completed.

8. Co-author Non-membership

Q：What are the cases in which a publication fee is charged (or will be charged)?

A:The first author must be a member. Non-members may submit papers for co-authorship. When your paper is accepted for publication, you must pay the amount of "5,000 yen (tax not included) x the number of non-member co-authors. If you withdraw your paper during the peer review process or if the paper is judged "not acceptable for publication," you are not required to pay the publication fee.

Q: What happens when a co-author who was a non-member at the time of submission subsequently becomes a member?

A:If a co-author who was not a member at the time of submission becomes a member during the review process, payment of the publication fee is not required. The publication fee will be charged upon acceptance of the submitted paper after a careful examination of whether or not the co-author is a member. However, no refunds will be made if a non-member co-author becomes a member after the paper is accepted. If a co-author who was not a member at the time of submission becomes a new member, approval by the Board of Directors is required to become a member. Once the Board of Directors has given its approval and the membership fee has been paid, the new member will become a member. If you would like to know when the Board of Directors' meeting will be held, please inquire at the Society's office.

Q: Can a co-author who was a non-member at the time of submission withdraw his/her co-authorship if his/her application for membership is not approved?

A:It is not possible to do so. If membership is not granted at the time of acceptance of the submitted paper, the publication fee will be charged.

9. Preparation of Revised Drafts

Q: How should I prepare a "Response to Peer Review Comments"?

A:You may either enter your response directly in the response field in "Step 1: Responding to Peer Review Comments" or attach a file to your response. Please omit personal information such as authors' names.

Q:Do I need to attach files of text and figures to the response section?

A:Please do not attach any text or figures in "Step 1: Response to Peer Review Comments. Upload the revised text and figures in "Step 3: Upload Files.

10. After notification of adoption

Q:I received a notice of adoption. What happens next?

A:You will receive an email from the Editorial Office regarding the final manuscript. If you have a non-member co-author, you will also receive an email with information on publication fees.
After submitting the final manuscript data to the printing company, we will send the typeset data to you for proofreading by the author.

11. Others

Q: Where should I put the Grant-in-Aid in the final manuscript?

A:Please indicate in the Acknowledgements section.

Q: What should I do if there is a change in my affiliation after the paper is submitted?

A:If there are any changes, please add them in the final draft of the manuscript after the acceptance in the form of "Current affiliation: XX University" in addition to the affiliation at the time of the research.
Please note that registration with the Society (My Page) and the submission system are separate, so if you change your affiliation, please change both My Page and the submission system.

Q: Is it possible to reprint my article published in an academic journal in a report or other publication?

A:Copyrights to articles published in the Journal are transferred to the Japan Academy of Nursing Science, and permission to reproduce them must be obtained. Please submit a reprint permission request to the Society office. Please also clearly indicate the source of the article when you publish it.

Q: Do you have a peer review system or a backup system for submitted papers and other data?

A:The peer-review system uses ScholarOne Manuscripts, the most widely deployed peer-review system in the world. The servers are installed in an IDC (Internet Data Center) with excellent security, fire prevention, and disaster prevention measures, earthquake-proof facilities, and well-controlled air conditioning, and are operated in a comfortable server environment with a high-speed backbone. Backups of submitted (uploaded) manuscripts and other data, as well as data generated in the process of peer review and editing, are multiplexed and maintained at multiple locations. In addition, the server is backed up in case of server failure.

Q: Is it possible to receive proof of publication?

A:In addition to your name, receipt number, article type, and title, a "Certificate of Publication" can be issued that states, "We hereby certify that we intend to publish your article in the Journal of the Japanese Society of Nursing Science, Volume 1, Issue 1. In addition to your name, receipt number, article type, and title, we can issue a "Certificate of Publication" stating the following
Please contact the Editorial Office.

Q:Can I submit an article published in the Journal of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science to an English journal (secondary publication)?

A:Only papers that receive the Best Paper Award or Encouragement Award and are selected by the Editorial Board of the JSME English Journal may be permitted for secondary publication in the JSME English Journal, "Japan Journal of Nursing Science".