Preparing Your Paper

Authors should prepare manuscripts in accordance with the guidelines below. Submissions that do not meet these requirements may be returned for revision prior to peer review.

Manuscripts should be organized in the following order:

  • Title page
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Main text (Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results, and Discussion)
  • Acknowledgements
  • Declaration of Interest statement
  • References
  • Appendices (if applicable)

Length: Articles should not exceed 6,500 words, inclusive of refernces.

Abstract and keywords: A structured abstract of up to 250 words is required. Where appropriate, authors should use subheadings such as Background, Methods/Materials, Results, and Conclusions. Authors must provide 2–5 keywords.

Format: The journal accepts submissions only in word file format. Suplymetary files in any other format submitted separately should be of sufficient quality for peer review.

All submissions must include an abstract, author affiliations (in a separate file), figures, tables, funding information (if applicable), and references. An editable version of the manuscript must be provided at the revision stage.

Referencing Style: All manuscripts must follow the APA 7th edition referencing style. In-text citations and reference lists must be accurate and consistent, with all cited works included in the reference list. The inclusion of DOIs is recommended where available.

Manuscript Files and Peer Review: To facilitate double-blind peer review, authors must submit two separate files:

File 1: Anonymous Manuscript

This file must not contain any identifying information and should include the title, abstract, keywords, main text, tables, figures, references, and appendices (if applicable). Authors must remove names, affiliations, acknowledgements, funding details, and any identifying file metadata.

File 2: Title Page and Author Details

This file should include the manuscript title, author names and affiliations, corresponding author contact details, ORCID iDs (where available), acknowledgements, funding information, and a Declaration of Interest statement.

Language: Manuscripts should be written in clear academic English. Either British or American English may be used, provided usage is consistent throughout the manuscript.