Purpose: The For Authors or Submission Guidelines page instructs authors on how to prepare and submit manuscripts, fulfilling indexing requirements by providing clear instructions and transparency.
Content and Elements: This page typically includes:
- Submission Process: Describe how to submit (online system or email), required cover letter, and what details to include (e.g. identifying conflicts of interest, covering letter). Emphasize that submission is by Online Submission Form or email to submit@…. Remind authors that manuscripts must not be under consideration elsewhere.
- Article Types and Format: Specify manuscript structure and format. Outline the sections of a typical article (e.g. Title page with full author details and ORCID IDs; Structured Abstract; Keywords; Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; References). Blind Review Note: Instruct that author names and affiliations appear only on the title page, not in the main document, to preserve anonymity. Provide style details: acceptable file formats (e.g. Word .docx, PDF), fonts, margins, line spacing, page numbering. Include how to submit figures and tables (format, resolution, captions).
- Authorship and Contributions: Require all authors to meet ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution, drafting/revising, and approval of the final version. State that gift or ghost authorship is not allowed. Authors should provide author contributions if possible.
- Ethics Approvals: If research involves human or animal subjects, require IRB or ethics committee approval and mention of protocol numbers. If relevant, require clinical trial registration.
- Conflicts of Interest: Instruct authors to declare all funding sources and potential conflicts of interest in a dedicated section of the manuscript. Provide the standard statement “The authors declare no conflict of interest” if none exist.
- Plagiarism Check: State that all submissions will be screened using plagiarism detection software; substantial overlap will lead to rejection.
- Data and Supplementary Material: Encourage or require data availability statements. Indicate how to submit supplementary files or data sets (e.g. via an online portal or to a data repository).
- Preprints and AI Use: Clarify that preprints on recognized servers are allowed, but not formal prior publication. Require authors to disclose any use of AI or generative tools in writing or analysis, per best practices.
- Submission Checklist (Example): Provide a bullet-checklist covering key points: compliance with scope, manuscript anonymization, format, required statements (ethics, contributions, COI), ORCID for each author, suggested reviewers (if any), etc.
Recommended Wording Excerpts:
- “Manuscript Structure: All papers must include a Title Page (title, full author names, affiliations, ORCID IDs) and a blinded manuscript file (no author names). The main text should begin with an Abstract (structured into Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions) followed by 4–8 Keywords. Use clear section headings (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References).”
- “Formatting: Submit a Microsoft Word file (.docx) formatted in 12pt Times New Roman (or 11pt Arial), double-spaced, 1-inch margins, with continuous page numbers. Tables and figures should be cited in the text. Provide figures in high-resolution (≥300 DPI) in JPEG/PNG/TIFF format.”
- “Manuscript Checklist: (i) Paper fits the journal’s scope. (ii) Manuscript is anonymized. (iii) All authors meet ICMJE criteria. (iv) Ethics approval statement included if human/animal work. (v) Conflicts of interest declared. (vi) Funding sources disclosed. (vii) Plagiarism check completed.”
Examples and Templates: Provide a downloadable template or link. For instance, a title page template listing required elements, and an example cover letter stating: “Dear Editor, we submit our manuscript entitled ‘…’ for consideration in CJCAI. We confirm this work is original and not under review elsewhere. All authors have approved the manuscript… [mention ethics approval, conflicts, contributions].”
Scopus/WoS Compliance: We ensure all required policies (scope, peer review, ethics) are visible and the author guidelines are easily accessible. The site lists word counts and reference style (preferred citation formats). By detailing publication ethics and submission rules, we demonstrate editorial rigor as expected by indexers.