Author guidelines

Before you submit

• Check the scope. Read the aim and scope of the journal you are submitting to. Work outside a journal's scope is returned without review.
• The work must be original. It must not be published elsewhere, and must not be under consideration at another journal at the same time.
• All authors must agree. Everyone listed must have contributed to the work and approved the submission.
• Get permissions first. If you reuse figures, tables or long quotations from another source, obtain written permission before submitting.

Manuscript structure

Please organise your manuscript in this order:

1. Title — specific and descriptive; avoid abbreviations.
2. Author details — full names, affiliations, and the corresponding author's email. Supply these on a separate title page so the main file stays anonymous for review.
3. Abstract — 150–250 words, a single paragraph, no references or abbreviations. State the problem, method, main result and conclusion.
4. Keywords — 4 to 6, separated by commas. These are what readers search for.
5. Introduction — the problem, why it matters, and what your work adds.
6. Materials and methods — enough detail for another researcher to repeat the work.
7. Results — findings only, supported by figures and tables.
8. Discussion and conclusion — what the results mean, their limitations, and what follows.
9. Acknowledgements — funding sources and any assistance received.
10. References — see below.

Formatting

Figures and tables

• Number them in the order they appear (Figure 1, Table 1) and refer to each one in the text.
• Give every figure and table a short caption that makes sense on its own.
• Supply figures at a minimum of 300 dpi. Check that any text inside a figure is readable at print size.

References

Use [state your required style — e.g. APA 7th edition] consistently throughout. Every reference in the list must be cited in the text, and every in-text citation must appear in the list. Include a DOI where one exists.

How to submit

1. Register as an author if you have not already.
2. Prepare two files: the anonymous manuscript, and a separate title page with author details.
3. Submit through [state your submission route — online system link, or the submission email address].
4. You will receive an acknowledgement with a manuscript reference number.

What happens next

Your manuscript is screened by the editor, checked for similarity, and if suitable sent to reviewers. See the peer review process for the full sequence and expected timings.

Submission checklist

• Manuscript is within scope of the chosen journal
• Abstract is 150–250 words; 4–6 keywords supplied
• Author details are on a separate title page only
• Figures and tables are numbered, captioned and cited in the text
• References follow the required style and are complete
• Permissions obtained for any reused material
• All named authors have approved the submission