INSTRUCTION TO AUTHORS

General Guidelines

Manuscript submitted for publication must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • The research topic is aligned with the research theme (for themed issues) or coverage
  • Follow the modified IMRAD structure and APA 7th edition formatting.
  • Authors must be willing to subject their paper to peer review.
  • The paper must be written in English. Any language other than English must have accompanying translation with it.
  • Must have undergone an ethics clearance with proof such as certification or ethics clearance approval sheet.
  • An author declaration form, copyright transfer agreement, and ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Possible Conflicts of Interest must be attached to the submitted manuscript.

 

Adherence to EQUATOR Network Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to use the Standard Reporting Guidelines in preparing the manuscript depending on the study type. These guidelines are freely available at https://www.equator-network.org/.

1.  COREQ (2007) Checklist for Reporting Qualitative Research 

2. PRISMA (2009) Checklist for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

3. STROBE (2007) Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies

 

Ethics Review Approval

In submitting an Original Article, authors are required to submit a scanned copy of the ethics review approval of their research (if applicable).

 

Manuscript Preparation

The manuscript must be submitted using MS word file, pdf files will not be accepted. Also, the following are the basic instructions in preparing the manuscript:

  • Use 12 point Arial font style
  • Double-space the entire manuscript
  • Key all titles in bold and uppercase format.
  • The text should be keyed justified
  • Use indent to indicate a new paragraph.
  • Follow the Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion, and Conclusion (IMRAD) pattern and APA 7th edition formatting

 

Title Page

The title page should be separate from the main text and should have the following information:

  • Manuscript Title
  • Author names and affiliation (first name followed by the last name). A superscript number should be placed after each name and before the respective affiliations of the authors. Affiliations must be listed below the author's names.
  • Corresponding author information. Provide the full postal address and email address of the corresponding author.
  • A short biosketch of all the authors
  • Kindly include the ORCID number of all the authors
  • Brief description of the contribution of all the authors
  • Funding source
  • Acknowledgment

 

Main Document

The submitted manuscript should have a Manuscript Title and should not contain information about the author. It should consist of the following parts: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion Conclusion, Acknowledgement, and References.

 

Abstract

For original articles, the abstract should be no more than 300 words and should have the following parts: Background, Methodology, Result, Discussion, and Conclusion.

 

Keywords

The manuscript must contain three to five keywords that describe the contents of the article. Kindly use the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) or Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL).

 

Introduction: This should contain the background in the area of the study, identifying clearly the research problem, rationale, context, and relevance of the study.

Methods: This should be structured describing the research design and sampling technique, setting and samples, ethical considerations, measurement/instrument, data collection procedure, and data analysis. For qualitative studies, kindly include the discussion on the trustworthiness and rigor of the study.

Results/Findings: This section should be presented in the form of text, tables, and figures. Sub-headings can be used in some sections to clarify the contents of the section.

Discussion: This section should highlight the current findings and the similarities and differences with previous researches. New and important aspects of the study should be emphasized. Further, end the study with limitations but not confined with the external validity of the results.

Conclusions/Insight:  Definite conclusions should be provided and not just repetition of the study findings. Also, identify implications/recommendations for education, practice, or research as appropriate.

 

References

The references should be cited in the text and styled in the reference list based on the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition). Articles will be returned if the required formatting style is not followed.

 

Tables

  1. Tables should be cited accordingly using Arabic numbers with the appropriate caption above it. Legends, the definition of abbreviation, and explanatory notes must appear below the table.
  2. Tables should be single-spaced and in 10-point Arial font style.
  3. Each table that is meant to supplement information should be self-explanatory rather than a duplicate of information in the text.
  4. Tables should be submitted as an editable file rather than images.
  5. The number of tables should be limited to six (6).

 

Figures and Graphs

  1. Figures and graphs should be properly labeled using Arabic numbers with titles and explanations and should be placed as part of the manuscript.
  2. Figure and graph numbers should correspond to the order of its appearance in the text. It is highly recommended to submit files of high image resolution (preferably as jpeg or png files) of 300 dpi.