Online Continuing Education

Thank you for your interest in contributing course curriculum to OnlineCE.

The accompanying Guidelines for Prospective Authors provide you with specifics regarding the content of manuscripts and the submission process.

Accepted continuing education health curriculum will be published in two forms. They will be available to complete online, and available on the website in PDF form for printing and mail-in. You may access the OnlineCE website (www.OnlineCE.net) to review course curriculum that has already been published.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your professional experience and possible topics. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Denise Kerwin
Program Director
Online CE Program / CE Health

St. Petersburg College Online CE
Background and Guidelines for Prospective Authors

Dennis Werner, Editor
Online CE / CE Health
Caruth Health Education Center
St. Petersburg College
PO Box 13489
St. Petersburg, FL 33733

Phone: (727) 341-4468
FAX: (727) 341-3494
E-mail: VsignsCE@spcollege.edu
Website: www.OnlineCE.net

OnlineCE
St. Petersburg College provides continuing education for healthcare professionals via print and website alternatives. Course curriculum, earning one or more contact hours, may be accessed via the Internet:

www.OnlineCE.net

Objective
The objective of St. Petersburg College (SPC) OnlineCE is to provide continuing education that enhances the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals. User-friendly curricula is offered via the Internet at SPC's website: www.OnlineCE.net. The course work is also available at the website in PDF form to print for mail-in.

Audience
Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Respiratory Therapists, ALF Administrators, and other allied health professionals.

Frequency of Publication
OnlineCE.net: Continually

Copyright
OnlineCE print and OnlineCE.net curricula are copyrighted by St. Petersburg College. Authors submitting curriculum for publication will be requested to sign a copyright agreement that ascribes specifically agreed upon rights and responsibilities regarding copyright concerns to St. Petersburg College and the author. To obtain a copy of the agreement, please contact the Editor (address above).

Designating a Contact Author
If there is more than one writer, one author should be designated as the contact author in the cover letter. Place an asterisk before the one author with whom the Editor should correspond (please provide us with an e-mail address).

Please include the following items of the contact author:

Mailing address
Telephone number
Fax number
E-mail address

Please note that manuscripts must be submitted electronically, and that e-mail is the preferred mode of communication between the author and OnlineCE.
SPC OnlineCE is not responsible for a manuscript lost in the mail.

Manuscript Guidelines
Research Depth
Course curriculum manuscripts present the results of careful research, often involving an analysis of two or more health activities or concepts, or they present substantive thoughts about an individual health activity, concept, program, or opportunity.

Text Lengths
The course portion of the manuscript (including charts, graphs, etc.) must be between 25,000 and 28,000 characters (with spaces) for each contact hour a student earns. The bibliography and test questions should be no longer than 6,000 characters (with spaces).

Graphics
Graphics--tables, graphs, figures--are a good source of information. They also provide visual appeal to curriculum. We encourage you to submit graphics for consideration. (See fuller description below under Manuscript Content.)

Course Topic Approval
When writing specifically for publication on OnlineCE.net, some authors prefer to get their topics pre-approved. This approach is recommended to prospective authors. Should you wish to do this, please submit your resume and course outline to the Editor, who will submit both to the Editorial Board for review. The board will recommend any changes and/or approve the topic for course submission. We will critique an outline, a one-page concept paper, or an initial draft of a prospective manuscript.

Manuscript Review Process
Please note that manuscripts being reviewed for possible publication on OnlineCE.net may not be submitted to other publications.

Final manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor via e-mail in a PC, IBM-compatible format. You should use Microsoft Word 4.1 or better and Times New Roman font, size 12. Please number all pages. Receipt of all manuscripts is acknowledged.

After review by the Editor, a manuscript is sent to members of the Editorial Board for review, suggestions and evaluation. Upon receipt of the reviewer's comments, the Program Director makes a decision about publication. This process may take up to six weeks.

The author will be notified by the Editor with thanks, regardless of the acceptance status of the manuscript. No manuscripts will be returned to the author.

Editorial Assistance
The Editor will assist prospective authors with course preparation. Once accepted for publication, the author will be asked to continue to address any points or concerns cited by the Editorial Board throughout the editorial process. We may edit the document for clarity and readability, or to revise the document to fit the program guidelines.

Manuscript Content
Outline
Writers must submit course objectives and an outline of the course in a document separate from the manuscript. The outline should contain at least three main points, with at least two sub-points for each main point. As stated above, it is recommended that authors submit course objectives and an outline for pre-approval of a relevant topic. Approval of a submitted course is a separate issue.

Abstract
Abstracts are mandatory for all course curricula. An abstract is a three-to-five sentence summary description of the essence of the course curriculum. It should describe the content of the piece and explain the material's relevance to the healthcare practitioner.

Objectives
Clear, numbered objectives are to be included with each course submission. All questions for the course must illustrate these objectives.

Introduction
An introduction should be included with each course submission, leading into the main body of the course. It should clearly restate the main objectives of the course.

Headings
Primary and secondary headings are required for all submissions and should be used whenever appropriate to improve readability. Headings should be similar in grammatical structure and in tone.

Graphics/Tables/Charts
We encourage inclusion of graphics (such as graphs, charts or tables) with course submissions. Graphics may be submitted, either placed within a manuscript or separately, with clear identification of the intended placement. Please include all graphics, charts and tables in a Jpeg or Gif format only. Author must hold copyright for all material submitted.

Scenarios
Case scenarios included in the body of the course can be used to dynamically illustrate the points you are trying to relate to the reader. Please include scenarios if they are germane to the subject matter, and also include test questions that are illustrative of what is to be discovered in the scenario. (These questions will not be part of the test itself, but will follow the scenario in the text.) If not placed in the body of the course submission, the author should note the placement of the scenario within the manuscript.

Web Sources and Weblinks
Weblinks are recommended for patient education or materials relevant to the course content. Feel free to insert or supply any weblinks relevant to the course; as resources, or to elucidate, demonstrate, or clarify the text.

The following resources may be of help to you as you research and write your course curriculum:

http://www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline http://www.OnlineCE.net/static/resource/resource.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (an excellent source for proofing, editing and revising)

Summary / Concluding Comments
A summary and/or concluding comments section should be included with each course submission.

Bibliography / References
A bibliography must be submitted with each manuscript. References may not be more than four years old, unless it is a seminal piece, though the majority should be of recent origin. Include the bibliography at the end of the manuscript, using the format of the Fifth Edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html) for bibliography and for tables, graphs and figures.

The bibliography should be numbered and arranged in alphabetical order by author. For articles, the article title should be listed in quotation marks and the title of the publication in which it appears listed in italics or underlined. For books, the title should be listed in italics or underlined, and the city and state as well as the name of the publisher should be included. Citations within course curriculum should contain, in parentheses, the corresponding number to the source in the bibliography.

When electronic references are used, include the date that the reference was accessed and the URL.

Additional Guidelines for References / Citations
When a writer submits work that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate and specific references. If verbatim phrases or statements are included, the writer must enclose the citation in quotation marks. The following are examples that should be acknowledged for indebtedness to others:

Whenever one quotes another person's actual words.
Whenever one uses another person's idea, opinion or theory, even if it is completely paraphrased in one's own words.
Whenever one draws upon facts, statistics or other illustrative materials--unless the information is common knowledge.

What is Common Knowledge? It is what most or many people in a particular field know. For instance, most people in general, as well as people within the field of history, know that Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. Most can even name the three ships in his fleet. However, if one discusses the exact dimensions of the ships, that is NOT common knowledge--the source of that information should be cited.

Note too, that if one quotes other authors, whether they are quoting areas of common knowledge or not, the writer must place quotation marks around the material cited.

Originality of Work
Writers should develop a thesis and outline. Although writers are encouraged to use supporting references, the narrative of the work submitted should be chiefly in the writers' own words and reflect the writers' understanding and experience. The writer should avoid using a compilation of quotations as the basis of the narrative.

By placing his/her name on work submitted, the writer certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgements.

Permissions
The author is responsible for obtaining permission to use any copyrighted material (e.g., images, graphs, or charts) that is not referenced as noted above.

Testing Guidelines
Here are general guidelines for preparing test questions:

Submit at least 20 multiple choice questions for each one hour of content, and 10 additional questions for each hour beyond one hour.
Each question must have four answers, unless it is a "true or false" question.
Avoid more then two "true or false" questions per course.
Avoid "all of the above" answers to questions.
Make certain that one answer is clearly the only correct answer.
Make the incorrect answers clearly incorrect, but in such a way that the answers cause the test-taker to think.
Avoid drafting questions that, through the wording, give the answers to previous questions or questions later in the test.
Avoid sequencing questions as the answers appear in the manuscript - mix them up.
Submit an answer key.
All questions much match the objectives put forth for the course. For submission, make a key at the end of the question list of which questions match which course objectives, or place the pertinent objective number after each question.

Biographic Sketch A 50-115 word (three-to-five sentence) description of the author's background must be included with any submission.

Payment
Payment for a one-hour course is $333.35. Multiples of this amount apply for each additional hour of course submission. Example: the payment for a three-hour course is $1,000. Should the manuscript need substantial editing, the payment will be adjusted accordingly.

When possible, please submit courses in one-hour modules. If it is necessary for the course to be longer in length, and if appropriate, please submit the second hour as "Part Two," etc. Each module needs to stand alone with separate outlines, abstracts, objectives and test questions.

Please submit your full name, address and Social Security number so that we may process your payment.

Sending the Manuscript
Do not use registered or certified mail. Submit manuscripts by e-mail to:

VsignsCE@spcollege.edu

If you do not have access to an e-mail account, address all correspondence to:

OnlineCE Editor
Online CE / CE Health
Caruth Health Education Center
St. Petersburg College
PO Box 13489
St. Petersburg, FL 33733