File formatting 

Please provide editable source files for your complete submission, which should include figures, tables, and text graphics. It's important to save these files in a format that can be edited, using .doc or .docx for Word documents and .tex for LaTeX files, as PDFs are not acceptable. Additionally, ensure the text is organized in a single-column layout and make use of spell-check and grammar-check features to avoid any mistakes.

Title page

Title page must include specific information:

• Article Title: The title should be clear and concise, avoiding abbreviations and formulas unless they are widely recognized (e.g., DNA).
• Author Names: List the first and last names of all authors in the order they appear in the submission system. Double-check the spelling of each name.
• Affiliations: Below the author names, provide the affiliation addresses where the research was conducted. Use a lowercase superscript letter after each author's name to indicate their  email address for each author.
• Corresponding Author: Clearly specify who will manage correspondence regarding the article throughout the review and publication process, as well as after publication. This person should be responsible for addressing any future inquiries about the research. Ensure that the corresponding author's contact details are current during the submission and publication phases.

Abstract

 A brief and informative abstract that should not exceed 250 words. This abstract must succinctly outline the purpose of your research, key findings, and main conclusions.

Keywords

You are required to provide 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Please try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using "and" or "of").

Tables

Tables should be submitted as editable text rather than images. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Position tables next to the relevant text or on separate pages at the end of your article.
•  Refer to all tables within the manuscript text.
• Number the tables in the order they appear in the text.
•  Include captions for each table.
• Any notes related to the tables should be placed below the table body,  Avoid using vertical rules and shading within the cells of the tables. 

Figures, images and artwork

Figures, images, artwork, diagrams, and other graphical elements must be submitted as separate files along with your manuscript. We recommend reviewing our comprehensive guidelines for artwork and media. Here are some key points:

• Reference all images within the manuscript text.
• Assign numbers to images based on the order in which they appear in your article.
• Each image should be submitted as an individual file, following a logical naming convention (for example, Figure_1, Figure_2, etc.).
• Include captions for all figures, images, and artwork.
• Text graphics can be embedded in the text at the appropriate locations. If you are using LaTeX, you may also embed text graphics directly in the file.

Data statement

To promote transparency, you are encouraged to declare the availability of any data at the time of submission. Making data available may be mandated by your funding organization or institution. If your data cannot be accessed or is inappropriate for posting, you should provide a reason for this (for instance, if your research data contains sensitive or confidential information like patient data) during the submission process.

References

Citation in text 

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list. The citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

Reference formatting 

The reference style used by the journal is author(s) name(s), year of publication, journal title/book title, chapter title/article title, volume number/book chapter and the pagination must be present. The use of DOI is highly encouraged. 

Reference style 

APA  6th edition (American Psychological Association)

In Text: All citations in the text are written in bold and should refer to: 

1. Single author: the author's surname (without initials) and the year of publication Ex: 'as demonstrated by Emam (2010a, 2010b).
2. Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication Ex: (Emam & Saad, 2012).
3. Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al. (italic)' and the year of publication Ex: Emam et al. (2010) have recently shown ....' 

Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed chronologically. 

In List: References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples: 

• journal Article Lastname, F. N. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), page range.
• Example: Smith, J. D. (2019). The effects of music on mood. Journal of Music Psychology, 15(2), 101-115.
• Book Lastname, F. N. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.Example: Doe, J. (2015). Introduction to research methods. ABC Publishing.
• Book Chapter Lastname, F. N. (Year). Title of chapter. In F. N. Lastname (Ed.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Publisher.
• Example: Miller, A. B. (2018). Effective communication strategies. In J. Doe (Ed.), Interpersonal Communication (pp. 45-67). XYZ Press.
• Website/URL Lastname, F. N. (Year). Title of page. Site Name. URL
• Example: Smith, J. (2022). How to cite sources in APA style. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/citing-sources

 

Submitting your manuscript

Submission checklist

Before completing the submission of your manuscript, we advise you to read our submission checklist:

• One author has been designated as the corresponding author and their full contact details (email address, full postal address and phone numbers) have been provided.
• All files have been uploaded, including keywords, figure captions and tables (including a title, description and footnotes) included.
• Spelling and grammar checks have been carried out.
• All references in the article text are cited in the reference list and vice versa.
• Permission has been obtained for the use of any copyrighted material from other sources, including the Web.