Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts to this journal. Please follow the step-by-step submission guidelines and use the provided article template when preparing your manuscript. All submissions will be assessed by a journal manager first and then by an editor to determine whether they meet the submission requirements, aims and scope of this journal. Manuscripts that are selected will be sent for peer review to determine whether they will be accepted or rejected.

Before submitting, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any third-party material included in the submission, such as figures, tables, documents, and datasets. All authors listed in the submission must consent to act as authors. Where appropriate, the research experiment should be approved by an appropriate ethical committee as per the legal requirements of the institution or the country where the research has been performed. Editors may reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards or quality.

Before submission, please ensure that the study design and research outcome are structured and well-articulated. The title should be concise, and the abstract should be stand-alone. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you are satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the details below to prepare your submission.

Manuscript Preparation

  • Language: Manuscripts should be written in the English language (American or British but only one of them).
  • Main Text: The main manuscript should be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).
  • Formatting: The manuscript should be prepared in Letter (8.5 x 11-inch) format and using 1.5 line spacing.
  • Margins: 1-inch at the top and bottom and 1.25-inch on the sides. Page and continuous line numbering throughout the document.
  • Font: A consistent font, either Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, 12 pt.
  • Graphical Abstract: A graphical abstract summarizes the key points of a research article. It’s a visual representation of the research work and helps readers to understand the essence of the study without needing to read the full text. The graphical abstract should be 2.4 inches in height and 4.4 inches in width, with a resolution of 300 dpi.
  • Research Highlights: These are concise summaries of the key findings of the study, emphasizing the most significant results and their potential impact.
  • Abstract: The abstract should be a summary of the content that contains the essential information in the research article. The maximum permitted length is 250 words. Its main purpose is for the convenience of the reader, and it should be intelligible without reference to the article. A recommended recipe for the abstract is to include one or two sentences on each of the following: scope and objectives of the research described, methods used, results obtained, and conclusions.
  • Introduction: The introduction of a research paper typically begins with an overview of the research topic, providing context and explaining its significance. This is followed by a review of existing literature, identifying key findings, ongoing debates, and existing gaps in knowledge that the research aims to address.
  • Materials and Methods: The Materials and Methods section provides detailed information on how the research was conducted and how the results were obtained. This includes descriptions of sample collection, experimental setup, and the methods used for analysis.
  • Results: In this section, the author presents the findings of the study obtained through various experimental procedures, detailing the data collected and the outcomes of the experiments.
  • Discussion: In this section, the author interprets the results and compares them with other studies. It also explores the implications of the findings. Additionally, the author is encouraged to discuss the limitations of the study and suggest directions for future research.
  • Conclusion: This section summarizes the main research findings, provides an interpretation of the study's significance, and highlights the broader implications.
  • Figures: Figures should be of high resolution. Submit figures as appended at the end of the manuscript text or include them appropriately within the text, as per the article template. Use insert pictures from files in MS Word by inserting files in .jpeg, .png, or .tiff formats, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Include a caption. Ensure that the figure is clear, legible, and appropriately sized for publication.
  • Tables: Include tables at the end of the manuscript as editable content or include them appropriately within the text, as per the article template. Include a caption.
  • Units and Measurements: Use SI units throughout the manuscript. Clearly define non-standard units or abbreviations upon first use.
  • Supplementary Materials: Any additional data, supplementary figures, and code should be provided as a separate file or linked to an accessible data repository.
  • Follow the manuscript template and reference style as a guide.

Reference Style

The journal follows a modified Harvard author–date citation style. Authors must ensure that all references cited in the text appear in the reference list and vice versa. Accuracy and completeness of all references are the responsibility of the authors.

In-text Citations

  • Cite references by author surname and year: (Derraik, 2002) or Derraik (2002).
  • Two authors: (Chae and An, 2018).
  • Three or more authors: (Fred-Ahmadu et al., 2020).
  • Multiple citations are separated by semicolons: (Lei et al., 2018; Prata et al., 2019; Bhuyan, 2022).

Reference List

  • Place the reference list at the end of the manuscript under the heading "References."
  • List all references alphabetically by the first author’s surname.
  • Multiple works by the same first author are listed chronologically (earliest first).
  • If multiple works by the same author(s) in the same year, distinguish them with lowercase letters (e.g., 2024a, 2024b).
  • Use italics for journal titles; article titles are not italicized.
  • Use sentence case for article and book chapter titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).
  • Provide DOIs for all online publications when available as complete URLs (https://doi.org/...).
  • Include all authors’ names in the reference list (do not use “et al.” here).
  • Use en dashes (–) for page ranges, commas between author names, and periods after initials. Include a comma after the year before the title.
  • Do not abbreviate journal titles; provide full journal names.
  • For non-English references, provide the original title with an English translation in brackets if available.

For full details, download this document

Data Sharing Statement

Provide a statement on data availability in the manuscript and ensure that data is accessible to the scientific community. This could be done by providing the data as supplemental material and/or via a public repository.

Author Contributions

Authors must be identified based on the specific roles they played in the research and manuscript writing process, ensuring transparency and accountability. The categories include conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, data collection, data analysis, software, visualization, writing (writing—original draft, writing—review), and project supervision. Author's are requested to follow the guidelines of Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT) of NISO.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the content of the submitted manuscripts, ensuring that the submitted work is original and does not infringe on any copyrights. Authors must obtain permission for any third-party content and agree to the journal’s editorial policies.

  • Research Integrity: Ensure originality, accuracy, and adherence to ethical guidelines.
  • Authorship Criteria: Include only those who made a significant contribution and take responsibility for their work.
  • Transparency: Disclose conflicts of interest, and funding sources, and acknowledge contributions appropriately.
  • Submission Ethics: Avoid duplicate submissions, address reviewer feedback, and meet deadlines.
  • Post-Publication: Correct errors, share data upon request, and support reproducibility.
  • Collaboration: Ensure co-author approval and maintain open, respectful communication.

Submission Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • The submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it under consideration in another journal.
  • All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
  • All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled and include citations if relevant.
  • Permission has been obtained to publish third-party photos, datasets, and other material provided with this submission.
  • All authors approve the content of the manuscript and its submission to the journal.
  • Title must be concise and informative.
  • Include the author's name and affiliation. Identify the corresponding author with an asterisk and provide a contact email.
  • Abstract should be of 200–250 words.
  • No more than five keywords.
  • Main text should contain an Introduction, Methodology/Experimental, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.
  • All the submissions, excluding commentary, policy discussions, and news and views, must include an abstract, highlights (3 to 5 bullet points of 85-character lengths), and keywords.

Submission Agreement by the Authors

By submitting your article, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

Copyright, Licensing and Indexing

  • You retain the copyright of your work and grant the journal and its publisher a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work freely.
  • Your article will be published in an open-access format and indexed for discoverability.
  • The work will be published under a Creative Commons License [e.g., CC BY-NC-ND 4.0].

Author Responsibilities

  • You confirm that your work is original and does not infringe on any copyrights.
  • You have obtained permission for third-party content.
  • You agree to follow our Ethical Guidelines.
  • You must agree to follow proper authorship and avoid plagiarism defined in the plagiarism policy (see Editorial Policy).

Editorial Process

  • Your work will undergo peer review.
  • You agree to revise your manuscript, if necessary, based on feedback from editors and reviewers.
  • The journal reserves the right to reject any work that does not meet publication standards.

Indemnity and Termination

  • You agree to indemnify the journal against any claims related to copyright infringement or ethical violations.
  • If ethical or legal issues arise, the journal may withdraw your article from publication.

By submitting your manuscript, you accept these terms and conditions.

Cover Letter

All submissions should include a cover letter that contains:

  • A summary of the research and its significance.
  • A statement of any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Approval of all authors for submission/publication.
  • Suggests at least three potential reviewers or exclude reviewers due to conflicts of interest.
  • A declaration that the manuscript is not under consideration or published elsewhere, regardless of abstracts for conference presentations.

Revised Manuscript

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors should carefully review all reviewer comments and address them directly in the manuscript using track changes. A point-by-point response to each comment must be provided in a cover letter, explaining how the feedback was incorporated into the manuscript or justifying why certain suggestions were not adopted using rebuttal. This ensures clarity and transparency, allowing reviewers and editors to assess the changes made and make informed decisions.

How to Submit a Revised Manuscript

Follow the steps below to upload your revised manuscript to the journal’s submission system:

  • Log in to the journal’s website using your Author account.
  • In your Dashboard, locate the submission that requires revision.
  • Click on the view of the submission to open it.
  • Under the Review tab, scroll to the section labeled Revisions.
  • Click Upload File to submit your revised manuscript and any other required documents (e.g., figures, tables, supplementary files).
  • After uploading, make sure the files are correctly listed, then click Save or Complete to confirm the upload.

Important:

  • Include a Response to Reviewers document, clearly explaining how you addressed each reviewer comment.
  • Ensure the revised manuscript is highlighted or tracked to show changes made.
  • Do not start a new submission; always upload the revision under the same submission record.