Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

General Formatting

• Manuscripts should be written in clear, concise English.
• Use a standard word processor file format (e.g., Microsoft Word, LaTeX).
• Use double spacing and a 12-point sans-serif font, such as Arial.
• Number all pages consecutively, including references and figure legends.
• Include line numbers to facilitate the review process.

Title and Author Information

• Provide a concise title with only the first word capitalized and in Roman text.
• List all authors’ full names and affiliations. The corresponding author should be clearly indicated with contact details, including email.

Abstract

• Include an abstract of 150-250 words summarizing the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Avoid using citations in the abstract.

Keywords

• Provide 4-6 keywords that accurately reflect the content of your manuscript.

Main Text Structure

• Introduction: Contextualize the study, state objectives, and include a review of relevant literature.
• Methods: Provide sufficient detail for replication, including ethical considerations if applicable.
• Results: Present findings clearly, using figures and tables where necessary.
• Discussion: Interpret results in the context of previous studies, limitations, and implications.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main findings and suggest future research directions.

Referencing Style

• Use Roman text for article and dataset titles, capitalizing only the first word and ending with a period.
• Italicize book titles and capitalize all significant words.
• Italicize journal and data repository names, abbreviating them with full stops.
• Use bold for volume numbers, followed by a comma.
• Provide full page ranges (or article numbers) where applicable.

Examples:

• Printed Journals: Schott, D. H., Collins, R. N. & Bretscher, A. Secretory vesicle transport velocity in living cells depends on the myosin V lever arm length. J. Cell Biol. 156, 35-39 (2002).
• Online Only: Bellin, D. L. et al. Electrochemical camera chip for simultaneous imaging of multiple metabolites in biofilms. Nat. Commun. 7, 10535; 10.1038/ncomms10535 (2016).
• Books: Smith, J. Syntax of referencing in How to reference books (ed. Smith, S.) 180-181 (Macmillan, 2013).
• Online Material: Babichev, S. A., Ries, J. & Lvovsky, A. I. Quantum scissors: teleportation of single-mode optical states by means of a nonlocal single photon. Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0208066 (2002).

Figures and Tables

Figures

• Provide figures as separate files during submission.
• Use vector formats (e.g., EPS, AI) for line art; TIFF or PNG for images.
• Label multi-part figures with bold, lowercase letters (e.g., a, b, c).
• Use sans-serif fonts (e.g., Helvetica) for figure lettering.

Figure Legends

• Begin with a brief title and provide descriptions for each panel.
• Keep legends concise (maximum 350 words).

Tables

• Submit tables in an editable format (Word or LaTeX).
• Include descriptive titles and legends.
• Describe statistical analyses, including error measures and ranges.

Ethics Declarations

Approval for Human and Animal Experiments

• Identify the institutional/licensing committee that approved the research.
• Confirm adherence to relevant guidelines and regulations.
• For human research, state that informed consent was obtained.

Consent to Publish

• Ensure study participant anonymity.
• Include a statement confirming consent to publish identifiable data if applicable.

Acknowledgements

• Keep acknowledgements brief.
• Include funding sources, grant numbers, and contributors (e.g., proofreaders, editors).

Competing Interests

• Include a statement for each author regarding potential competing interests.
• Examples:
  • The authors declare no competing interests.
  • Dr. X has received funding from A and owns stock in B. Dr. Y and Dr. Z declare no conflicts.

Data Availability

• Include a Data Availability Statement at the end of the main text.
• Example: “The data supporting this study are available at [repository name] (DOI: [link]).”

Supplementary Information

• Submit supplementary materials alongside the manuscript.
• Number supplementary tables and figures separately (e.g., Supplementary Table S1).
• Refer to supplementary items in the main text as “Supplementary Fig. S1.”
• File size should not exceed 50 MB.

Submission Process

• Submit manuscripts online via [Journal’s Submission Portal].
• Include:
  • Manuscript file
  • Cover letter
  • Supplementary information (if applicable)

Review and Revision

• Authors will be notified of the editor’s decision within a timeframe.
• Revised manuscripts must address all reviewer comments in a detailed response letter.

Contact

• For questions, contact the editorial office at EDITOR@IJSSTA.COM.