Sidewise dispersion relations and the structure of the nucleon vertex

We reexamine sidewise dispersion relations as a method to relate the nucleon off-shell form factor to observable quantities, namely, the meson-nucleon scattering phase shifts. It is shown how for meson-nucleon scattering a redefinition of the intermediate fields leaves the scattering amplitude invariant, but changes the behavior of the off-shell form factor as expressed through dispersion relations, thus, showing representation dependence. We also employ a coupled-channel, unitary model to test the validity of approximations concerning the influence of inelastic channels in the sidewise dispersion relation method.