Practical guidance for academic authors
Clear author-focused guidance for manuscript preparation, submission readiness, and publication communication.
Learning topics in this section
Each topic is written for practical use, with emphasis on transparency, responsible authorship, accurate attribution, publication ethics, and open access publishing standards.
Guidance is prepared to support ethical publishing practice: clear journal information, transparent fees where applicable, responsible peer review, proper citation, licensing awareness, data integrity, and accountable AI use.
This author pathway helps researchers prepare a manuscript that is complete, ethical, readable, and aligned with journal expectations before submission. It is designed for first-time authors as well as experienced researchers who want a structured pre-submission review.
What to focus on
- Start with journal fit before formatting. Confirm the manuscript topic, article type, audience, methods, and ethical declarations match the journal scope.
- Prepare the title page, abstract, keywords, main text, figures, tables, references, acknowledgements, funding statement, conflict declaration, and data availability statement as separate review items.
- Use clear academic language and evidence-based claims. Avoid promotional wording, unsupported conclusions, copied text, duplicate submission, and inappropriate citation practices.
- Before submission, ask every listed author to review the final files, approve author order, confirm contribution, and agree to publication responsibilities.
Readiness checklist
- Journal scope confirmed
- Article type selected
- Ethics/consent statement included where required
- Figures and tables cited in order
- References complete and accurate
- Cover letter prepared
- All authors approved the submission
First-Time Author Guide
Helps new authors understand manuscript expectations, journal instructions, ethical responsibilities, and communication during submission.
Manuscript Preparation
Covers formatting, section order, figures, tables, references, author details, declarations, and files needed for submission.
Writing Tips
Focuses on clarity, logical flow, concise language, evidence-based claims, avoiding plagiarism, and writing for international readers.
Abstract Writing
Explains how to summarize purpose, methods, key results, and conclusions accurately without overstating findings.
Keywords Selection
Guidance for choosing discoverable keywords that match the study topic, indexing terms, reader search behavior, and journal scope.
Title Writing
Explains how to create clear, specific, searchable titles that reflect the research question and study design.
Cover Letter Writing
Covers the purpose of a cover letter, fit with journal scope, originality statement, ethical declarations, and concise editor communication.
Submission Checklist
A final pre-submission review for formatting, files, ethical statements, author approval, references, figures, and declarations.