Manuscript Preparation

Authors are responsible for preparing manuscripts in accordance with the journal's formatting and style requirements before submission. Careful adherence to these guidelines facilitates editorial assessment, peer review, copyediting, and publication.

Contents

General Requirements

Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).

Research articles should normally contain between 3,000 and 5,000 words, excluding references, tables, figures, and appendices, unless otherwise specified for a particular article type.

Use a standard, readable font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt), double-line spacing, and margins of at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides. Pages should be numbered consecutively.

Authors should avoid unnecessary formatting, multiple font styles, manual spacing, and embedded text boxes.

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Cover Page

Upload the Cover Page as a separate file to preserve the integrity of the double-blind peer-review process.

The Cover Page should include:

  • full manuscript title;
  • full name of each author;
  • institutional affiliation(s);
  • ORCID iD for each author;
  • corresponding author's email address;
  • postal address of the corresponding author;
  • funding information, where applicable;
  • acknowledgements, where applicable.

Do not include author-identifying information in the anonymous manuscript.

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Anonymous Manuscript

The manuscript submitted for peer review must not contain information that could identify the authors.

Please remove:

  • author names;
  • institutional affiliations;
  • acknowledgements;
  • self-identifying statements;
  • metadata or document properties revealing author identity.

Self-citations should be written in the third person where possible.

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Title

The title should accurately reflect the content of the manuscript while remaining concise, informative, and specific.

Avoid unnecessary abbreviations, unexplained acronyms, formulae, and overly general wording.

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Abstract

Research articles must include a structured abstract of no more than 250 words organised under the following headings:

  • Background
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

The abstract should summarise the study without citations, tables, figures, or undefined abbreviations.

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Keywords

Provide 3–7 keywords immediately after the abstract.

Keywords should accurately represent the main themes of the manuscript and assist indexing and discoverability.

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Main Text

Unless disciplinary conventions require otherwise, research articles should normally include the following sections:

  • Introduction
  • Literature Review
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • References

Alternative structures may be appropriate for theoretical articles, review articles, or commentary papers.

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Headings

Use headings to organise the manuscript into clear and logical sections. Headings should accurately reflect the content of each section and follow a consistent hierarchy throughout the manuscript.

CJSS follows the heading structure recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), Seventh Edition. Apply heading levels consistently and avoid excessive subdivision of the text.

Detailed guidance on APA heading levels is available on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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Citations

All sources used in the manuscript must be cited accurately using the author-date citation system prescribed by APA Style (7th edition).

Authors should ensure that:

  • every source cited in the text appears in the reference list;
  • every reference listed has been cited in the manuscript;
  • direct quotations include page numbers where applicable;
  • paraphrased material is appropriately attributed to its original source.

Detailed citation rules and examples are available on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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References

CJSS follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), Seventh Edition for all references.

The reference list should:

  • appear at the end of the manuscript;
  • include only works cited in the text;
  • be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author;
  • include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) whenever available;
  • provide active URLs for online resources where appropriate.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references before submission.

Comprehensive formatting guidance and examples are provided on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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Tables

Tables should present information clearly and concisely without duplicating material already discussed in the text.

  • Number tables consecutively using Arabic numerals.
  • Provide a concise, descriptive title above each table.
  • Refer to every table in the text.
  • Create tables using Microsoft Word's table function rather than inserting them as images.
  • Include explanatory notes beneath the table where necessary.

Table formatting should comply with APA Style (7th edition). Detailed guidance is available on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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Figures and Illustrations

Figures include graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, photographs, illustrations, and other visual material.

  • Number figures consecutively using Arabic numerals.
  • Provide a concise descriptive caption below each figure.
  • Cite every figure in the text in numerical order.
  • Ensure that figures are of sufficient quality for publication.
  • Obtain permission for any copyrighted material reproduced from other sources.

Figure formatting should follow APA Style (7th edition). Further guidance is available on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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Abbreviations, Numbers and Units

Define abbreviations when they first appear in the manuscript and use them consistently thereafter.

  • Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
  • Use internationally recognised units of measurement (SI units where applicable).
  • Present numbers, dates, percentages, statistical symbols, and mathematical expressions in accordance with APA Style.
  • Report statistical results using accepted APA notation.

Detailed guidance is available on the APA 7 Citation Guide page.

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Footnotes

Use footnotes sparingly and only when essential to clarify the text. They should not be used for citations or lengthy discussions that belong in the main text.

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Supplementary Material

Authors are encouraged to submit supplementary files that enhance the transparency and reproducibility of their research, such as datasets, questionnaires, appendices, multimedia files, software code, or additional figures and tables.

Supplementary materials should be clearly labelled and cited in the manuscript. Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit research data in a recognised public repository and provide a Data Availability Statement.

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English Language

Manuscripts should be written in clear, professional American English. 

Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscript reviewed by a proficient English speaker before submission. Manuscripts requiring substantial language revision may be returned prior to peer review.

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For further guidance, please consult:

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