The following Guide for Authors provides essential information for preparing and submitting manuscripts. Authors must ensure that all submissions comply with the following guidelines. Non-compliant manuscripts may be returned without review.
1. Manuscript Preparation
- Manuscripts must be written in English. Text should be supplied in a format compatible with Microsoft Word for Windows (PC). Charts and tables are considered textual and should also be supplied in a format compatible with Word. All figures (illustrations, diagrams, photographs) should be supplied in jpg, tiff or eps format.
- All manuscripts must be typed in 12pt font and in double space with margins of at least 2.5 cm.
1.1 File Format Requirements
- Authors must submit editable source files for all manuscript components:
- Accepted formats:
- Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
- LaTeX (.tex)
- Not accepted:
- PDF files as source documents.
1. 2 Text Layout and Formatting
- Manuscripts must be prepared in single-column format.
- Remove strikethrough and underlined text, unless scientifically justified.
- Use spell-check and grammar-check tools before submission.
2. Article Structure
2.1. Title Page
- This should contain the article title, a running head not exceeding 50 characters (including spaces), 2–6 keywords and full contact details of the authors. One corresponding author should be identified, whose email address is provided.
2.2. Abstract
- Authors submitting prepared papers should note that an abstract of up to 250 words are required. The abstract should outline the questions investigated, the design, essential findings and main conclusions of the study. It should contain no citations to other published work
2.3 Main Sections
- Divide manuscripts into numbered sections and subsections; use a hierarchical format (e.g., 1., 1.1, 1.1.1).
- Do not number the Abstract section.
- Use clear headings for subsections.
2.4 Glossary
- Authors should include a list of specialized terms and definitions to enhance clarity.
2.5 Footnotes
- Use sparingly and number consecutively.
- Include either within the main text or as a separate section at the end.
2.6 Acknowledgments
- Recognize contributions such as language editing or technical assistance.
- Note: Do not include acknowledgments in the main text, as the journal uses double-anonymized peer review. Include them on the title page only.
2.7 Author Contributions (CRediT Taxonomy)
- Authors must clearly define individual contributions using the CRediT taxonomy:
- Conceptualization
- Data Curation
- Formal Analysis
- Funding Acquisition
- Investigation
- Methodology
- Project Administration
- Resources
- Software
- Supervision
- Validation
- Visualization
- Writing – Original Draft
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Not all roles apply to every manuscript, and some authors may contribute across multiple categories.
2.8 Funding Statement
- Disclose all financial support using this format: "Funding: This research was supported by [Institution] [grant number], [Foundation] [grant number], [Agency] [grant number]".
- If no funding was received: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors".
2.9. Tables and Figures
- Tables and figures should be referred to in text as follows: Figure 1, Figure 2; Table 1, Table 2. The place at which a table or figure is to be inserted in the printed text should be indicated clearly on a manuscript. Each table and/or figure must have a legend that explains its purpose without reference to the text.
2.10 References
• References should be indicated in the text with Arabic numbers in superscript. The full references should be listed numerically in order of appearance, and structure will be according to AMA (American Medical Association) reference style.
2.10.1 Reference List Format
- Follow this style:
- Journal Article: Van der Geer J, Handgraaf T, Lupton RA. The art of writing a scientific article. J Sci Commun. 2020;163:51-59. Doi:10.1016/j.sc.2020.00372
- Book: Strunk W Jr, White EB. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. Longman; 2000.
- Chapter in a Book: Mettam GR, Adams LB. How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In: Jones BS, Smith RZ, eds. Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc; 2023:281-304.
- Dataset: Oguro M, Tanaka Y, Sato K, et al. Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt [dataset]. Mendeley Data. Published 2015. Doi:10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1
- Software: Coon E, Berndt M, Atchley A, et al. Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) v0.88 [software]. Zenodo. Published 2020. Doi:10.5281/zenodo.3727209
- Web Source: Cancer Research UK. Cancer statistics. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/. Accessed March 13, 2023.
- Important:
- All references must include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Manuscripts with any reference missing a DOI will not be considered for review until all missing DOIs are provided. Authors are required to update and correct any references lacking DOI before submission.
2.11. Supplementary Material
- Authors may submit supplementary files (e.g., figures, datasets, videos), requirements:
- Cite each file in the manuscript.
- Submit with descriptive captions.
- Files will be published as received without typesetting.
3. AI Use and Disclosure
3.1 Responsible Use of Generative AI
- Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) may only be used for language clarity, not for content generation.
- Human authors are fully responsible for content accuracy.
- AI tools must not be listed as authors.
3.2. Required Disclosure
- Include this section before references if AI tools were used: "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [TOOL NAME] to [PURPOSE]. The authors reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for its accuracy and integrity".
- If no AI was used, this declaration is not required.
3.3 AI in Peer Review
- The use of generative AI tools by editors and reviewers is strictly prohibited to protect author confidentiality.
4. Manuscript Submission Checklist
- Before submission, confirm the following:
- Author Information
- Corresponding author with full contact details:
- Email
- Postal address
- Phone number
- Files to Upload
- Main manuscript
- Keywords
- Tables (with titles and footnotes)
- Figure captions
- Supplementary files (if any)
- Quality and Compliance
- Spelling and grammar checked
- References cross-checked
- Copyright permissions secured
5.Language Editing Certificate
Authors must provide a certificate confirming that the manuscript has been professionally edited for English language. Submission of this certificate is mandatory. The journal does not provide English language editing services, and manuscripts without this certificate may not be considered for review.
