Instructions for Authors

Please submit manuscripts and related documents via Editorial Manager.

Submission of a manuscript implies:

  • That the work described has not been published before;

  • That it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else; and

  • That its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute where the work has been carried out.

The publisher will not be held legally responsible should there be any claims for compensation.

Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.

Review and decisions will be communicated to the corresponding author. Once accepted, the article will go through copyediting and typesetting. Authors will receive page proofs to review before final publication.

Manuscript Document

The manuscript should be submitted as a Word document and must include a title page, the body of the manuscript, references, and any tables and figures. Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or extended text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s).

Title Page

Please make sure your title page contains the following information:

  • Title

  • Author information (name, affiliation, institution, city, state, country, and ORCID (if applicable) for all authors and an email for the corresponding author)

  • Abstract (up to 250 words)

  • 1-5 Keywords

  • Any statements or acknowledgements needed (funding, etc.).

Text

  • Manuscripts should be submitted in Word (.docx format).

  • Use a normal, plain font (e.g., 12-point Times Roman) and double spacing for text.

  • Use italics for emphasis.

  • Define abbreviations on the first mention and use them consistently thereafter.

  • Limit jargon that is discipline specific.

  • Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages.

  • Do not use field functions.

  • Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.

  • Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables.

  • Use the equation editor or MathType for equations.

  • Citations should be made in author-date format (Author 1974, p. 69). A reference list of all works cited should be placed at the end of the article.

  • Footnotes (numbered) can be used to give additional information, which may include the citation of a reference included in the reference list. They should not consist solely of a reference citation, and they should never include the bibliographic details of a reference. They should also not contain any figures or tables.

Reference List

The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text or in footnotes.

Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work.

Please alphabetize according to the following rules:

  1. For one author, by name of author, then chronologically

  2. For two authors, by name of author, then name of coauthor, then chronologically

  3. For more than two authors, by name of first author, then chronologically.

Tables

  1. All tables are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.

  2. Tables should always be cited in the text in consecutive numerical order.

  3. For each table, please supply a title/caption) explaining the components of the table and source information if applicable (in the form of a reference).

Figures

  • All figures are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.

  • Figures should always be cited in the text in consecutive numerical order.

  • For each figure, please supply a title/caption explaining the components of the figure and source information if applicable (in the form of a reference).

  • Figures must be black and white (no color and limit shading).

Supplementary Information

Any necessary supplementary information should be submitted in Word (.docx format) or if a spreadsheet, in Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file.