Author Guidelines

General requirements

Authors are required to adhere to the following general guidelines when preparing their manuscripts for submission:

  • Language Quality: Manuscripts must be written in grammatically correct English (American Style). Authors for whom English is a second language are strongly advised to have their manuscripts reviewed by a proficient English-speaking colleague or engage a professional editing service. This is to ensure the clarity, proper grammar, and accuracy of the manuscript.
  • APA Style for References: All submitted articles must follow the APA (American Psychological Association) style for referencing. This style should be applied to both in-text citations and the list of references at the end of the manuscript. Detailed information on the APA style, including examples for articles, books, and electronic resources, can be found within the comprehensive References Guidelines.
  • Avoidance of Footnotes: Use of footnotes in the main text is discouraged. Instead, incorporate any necessary additional information into the text directly or mention it in the acknowledgments section.
  • Definition of Abbreviations: Any abbreviation used for the first time must be defined in parentheses immediately following its first appearance in the abstract, main text, and in the captions for figures or tables. Once defined, the abbreviation should be used consistently throughout the manuscript.
  • Measurement Units: The International System of Units (SI) is the standard measurement system for all manuscripts. Should other measurement units be initially used, authors are required to convert and provide the equivalent SI units.
  • Ethical Guidelines Compliance: Authors must ensure that their research complies with ethical standards pertaining to research conduct and publication. Studies involving humans or animals must have appropriate ethical approval, which should be stated within the manuscript.
  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors must disclose any potential conflict of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. This includes any financial, personal, or professional relationships that might be perceived as influencing the research.
  • Authorship Criteria: Only individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study should be listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.
  • Figure and Table Presentation: Figures and tables should be included within the manuscript near their first mention and accompanied by descriptive captions. Formulas used in the study, as well as figures and tables, must be clearly presented and adequately explained.
  • Manuscript Submission Format: Manuscripts should be submitted as complete documents in either Microsoft Word or PDF format. Submissions must be made via our online submission system, ensuring a smooth and efficient review process.

 

Formatting Requirements

To ensure consistency and readability across all publications, authors are required to adhere to the following formatting guidelines for their submissions:

General Manuscript Formatting

  • Font: Use Times New Roman throughout the manuscript.
  • Font Size: The text should be in 12-point size.
  • Line Spacing: Set line spacing to 1.5 throughout the document, including references, footnotes, and acknowledgments.
  • Page Size: Letter or A4.
  • Margins: Use 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides of each page.
  • Page Numbers: Number pages consecutively, starting with the title page.
  • Manuscript Length: It depends on the type of article that was mentioned above. The editorial team reserves the right to ask authors to shorten excessively long manuscripts.
  • Date Formatting: use the day-month-year format, e.g., 12 March 2024

Title Page

  • Title: Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
  • Author Details: List all authors with their full names, affiliations, addresses, ORCID IDs, and email addresses. Designate the corresponding author clearly.

Abstract

  • Length: 200 - 250 words.
  • Content: Provide a concise summary of the manuscript, highlighting the problem addressed, methodology, main findings, and conclusions. Do not include references or undefined abbreviations in the abstract.

Keywords

  • Include 4-6 keywords or phrases that describe the main topics of the article.

Text Organization

  • Organize the manuscript into clearly defined sections such as Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, References, and if applicable, Acknowledgments and Declarations.
  • Headings: Use a clear hierarchy of heading levels as specified in your word processor’s style guide.

The guidance for each section to help authors craft a comprehensive and scientifically rigorous article:

  • Introduction
    • Purpose: Clearly state the problem being addressed, its significance, and the unique contribution of your study.
    • Background: Provide a brief review of the relevant literature to situate your research in the context of existing knowledge.
    • Objectives: Outline the specific objectives or hypotheses that guided your research.

  • Materials and Methods
    • Design: Describe the research design, including the type of study (e.g., experimental, observational, computational).
    • Participants/Subjects: If applicable, detail how participants were selected, including any inclusion or exclusion criteria.
    • Data Collection: Explain how data were collected, including tools, instruments, and methodologies used.
    • Analysis: Describe the statistical or computational methods used to analyze the data. Ensure enough detail for replication.
    • Ethical Considerations: Mention any ethical approvals obtained for studies involving humans or animals.

  • Results
    • Presentation: Present your findings in a logical sequence, using text, tables, and figures as appropriate. Highlight significant results.
    • Data Interpretation: Avoid interpreting the results in this section, focus on presenting the data.
    • Statistical Significance: Include statistical analysis results, such as p-values, confidence intervals, and any other measure that supports your findings.

  • Discussion
    • Interpretation: Interpret your results in the context of the objectives stated in the Introduction. Discuss the significance of your findings.
    • Comparison: Compare and contrast your results with those from relevant studies. Highlight any agreements or discrepancies.
    • Implications: Discuss the implications of your findings for your research and beyond. Consider practical applications, theoretical contributions, and limitations.
    • Future Directions: Suggest areas for future research based on your findings and the limitations of your study.

  • Conclusions
    • Summary: Provide a concise summary of the key findings and their relevance.
    • Impact: Emphasize the importance of your research and its contribution to the field of science.

  • References
    • Style: Follow the APA (American Psychological Association) style for in-text citations and the reference list.
    • Ensure completeness and accuracy of references. Each reference mentioned in the reference list must be cited in the text, and vice versa.
    • The inclusion of the most recent and relevant literature is crucial for situating your work within current research trends. 

  • Data Availability Statement
    Authors are required to provide a data availability statement as part of their manuscript submission to the OpenSciPrex preprint server. This statement is crucial for fostering transparency, reproducibility, and trust in research findings. The data availability statement should clearly describe the status of the data supporting the results reported in the manuscript. Please select one of the following options or provide a detailed explanation as appropriate:
    • Publicly Available Data: If the data used in your study are publicly available, please provide the name of the repository and the accession number or a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI, URL).
    • Data Available Upon Reasonable Request: If for legal or ethical reasons the data cannot be made publicly available, you should state that the data will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, specifying any conditions under which access will be granted.
    • Restricted Access to Data: In cases where data cannot be shared publicly or upon request due to privacy or confidentiality concerns, authors must clearly explain these restrictions and how interested researchers can apply for access.
    • No Data Used: If your study did not use any data, or if the article is of a theoretical nature without new empirical data, please state this explicitly.

Authors should ensure that their data availability statement provides enough detail for readers to understand how the data can be accessed and under what conditions, if any. Providing clear and accessible data supports the integrity of the research and allows for the validation of results, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in your field of science.

  • Acknowledgments and Declarations
    • Acknowledgments: Offer thanks to individuals or organizations that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship.
    • Funding Statement: Authors are required to include a funding statement as part of their manuscript submission. This statement should acknowledge all sources of financial support for the project. Please clearly indicate the name of the funding agency or organization, the grant number if applicable, and the role of the funding body in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, writing of the manuscript, and decision to submit the article for publication. If the research did not receive specific funding but was supported by resources provided by your institution or another organization, please state this. If there was no funding associated with the research or manuscript preparation, authors should include the following statement: "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."
    • Conflict of Interest: Declare any potential conflicts of interest related to the study. If there is no conflict of interest, authors should explicitly state, "The authors declare no conflict of interest."
    • Author Contributions: If applicable, briefly describe the contributions of each author to the research and manuscript preparation.

Figures, Tables, and Formulas

Placement: Include figures and tables close to where they are first mentioned in the text to facilitate easy reference by readers. This approach helps integrate visual aids seamlessly into your narrative.
Captions: Each figure and table must have a concise caption placed below the figure and above the table. The caption should explain the significance of the visual aid, making it understandable independently of the text. Include any necessary legends or explanations of symbols and abbreviations used within the figure or table.

  • Figures:
    To ensure clarity and consistency in the presentation of figures within manuscripts submitted to the OpenSciPrex preprint server, authors are asked to adhere to the following detailed requirements:
    • Quality and Format
      • Resolution: Figures should be of high resolution, ideally at least 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line art. This ensures that figures are clear and legible, even after printing.
      • File Format: Preferred formats include JPEG, PNG, or TIFF for images and photographs. Vector graphics (e.g., diagrams and illustrations) should be submitted in PDF or EPS format to preserve quality.
    • Labeling and Annotation
      • Labels: Figure labels should be clear and legible, using the same font throughout all figures. The font size should be readable, generally not less than 8 points, and consistent with the text of the manuscript.
      • Annotations: If a figure contains symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters, ensure these are clearly identifiable and explained in the figure legend.
      • Axes and Units: For graphs, clearly label axes and include units of measurement. The axis labels and units should be of a size that is readable and consistent with other figure annotations.
    • Legends and Captions
      • Placement: Legends and captions should be placed below the figure, not within the figure itself.
      • Content: Provide a concise caption that explains the figure, ensuring that the figure can be understood independently of the main text. Include any relevant details or explanations of symbols and abbreviations used in the figure.
      • Reference in Text: Ensure that each figure is referred to in the text and in the correct order. For example, the first mention of a figure in the text should correspond to Figure 1, the second mention to Figure 2, and so on.
    • Color and Contrast
      • Use of Color: While color figures are encouraged to enhance the clarity and appeal of images, authors should ensure that color distinctions are meaningful and enhance the understanding of the figure. Consider readers who may be color blind and ensure that figures are interpretable in black and white (grayscale) as well.
      • Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between the figure elements and background to facilitate clear printing and viewing.
    • Submission and File Naming
      • Separate Files: Submit each figure as a separate file.
      • File Naming: Name each file clearly to correspond with its figure number in the manuscript (e.g., "Figure1.jpg", "Figure2.tif").

  • Formulas:
    • Presentation: Display formulas clearly within the text, ensuring they are easily readable and distinct from the surrounding text. Use a consistent format for mathematical expressions and symbols throughout your manuscript.
    • Numbering: Number equations consecutively if there is more than one. Place the number in parentheses at the right margin of the text. Refer to these equations in the text by their number (e.g., "as shown in Equation (1)").
    • Symbols and Notation: Clearly define each symbol used in your equations at their first occurrence in the manuscript. If your paper includes a large number of symbols, consider including a nomenclature section before the introduction or at the end of the manuscript.
    • Software and Tools: For complex equations, consider using mathematical typesetting software such as LaTeX to ensure accuracy and professional presentation. Submit these equations as part of your manuscript in an editable format, if possible.

References

    • APA Style: Use the American Psychological Association (APA) style for formatting all references. Ensure accuracy and completeness, providing all necessary information for readers to locate the sources.
    • In-text Citations: Cite references within the text according to APA guidelines, using the author-date method.
    • Reference List: List all references cited in the text at the end of the manuscript in alphabetical order. Include the author(s), year of publication, title of the source, and publication details. The inclusion of the most recent and relevant literature is crucial for situating your work within current research trends.

  • Articles in Periodicals
    • Basic Format:
      Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. URL (if online)
    • Example:
      Smith, J. A., & Doe, J. B. (2020). Innovations in artificial intelligence: A review of recent advancements. Journal of AI Research, 15(2), 123-135.

  • Books
    • Basic Format:
      Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.
    • Example:
      Johnson, L. E. (2019). Understanding machine learning: From theory to algorithms. Cambridge University Press.

  • Electronic Resources
    • Basic Format:
      Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Site Name. URL
    • Example:
      Miller, R. (2018). The impact of AI on society. AI News. https://www.ainews.com/the-impact-of-ai-on-society

  • In-text Citation Rules
    • One Author: Use the author's last name and the year of publication. For direct quotations, include the page number as well. Example: (Smith, 2020) or "Smith (2020) states that..."
    • Two Authors: Use both authors' last names, connected by an ampersand (&) when outside of parentheses, and "and" within the narrative. Example: (Smith & Doe, 2020) or "Smith and Doe (2020) argue..."
    • Three or More Authors: List the first author's last name followed by "et al." and the year of publication. Example: (Johnson et al., 2019)
    • Direct Quotations: Include the author, year, and page number. Example: (Smith, 2020, p. 123)
    • No Author: Use the title of the work and the year. For titles of articles, chapters, and web pages, use double quotation marks. For books, reports, and other standalone works, italicize the title. Example: (Understanding Machine Learning, 2019)

Remember, the purpose of citations is to allow readers to locate the sources you used. Ensuring accuracy in your citations is crucial for maintaining the integrity of your research.
For more detailed information and examples on APA style, including how to format your papers, reference different types of sources, and handle citations in specific situations, visit the comprehensive guide at Mendeley's APA Citation Guide.

Supplementary Materials

If additional files or datasets support the manuscript, refer to them in the text and submit as separate files. Clearly label each supplementary file.