OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open access peer-reviewed journal
Preparing Manuscript
Format Requirements
The required information concerning Title and Authorship is as follows:
* Title of paper
* Author and co-author(s)
* Full institutional mailing addresses
* E-mail addresses of all authors involved
Manuscript Format and Style
Please ensure all images, tables and figures are directly embedded into the manuscript. Ensure that all full-text articles submitted contain only original (previously unpublished) research whether they are theoretical or experimental. Please submit the original file in an editable format such as the .doc, .docx file types. For further details on the criteria for paper, submission see Paper submission criteria below.
- A maximum of 400 words abstract is a required component of the manuscript, must be self-contained and free of citations.
- Add approximately four keywords or phrases in alphabetical order. Separate each word or phrase by a comma.
- Include a clear and concise introduction without subheadings.
- Include all and any acknowledgments at the very end of the manuscript but before the references. Acknowledgements may include supporting grants, presentations and etc.
- Follow APA format for referencing and ensure to cite them all within the document or these references will be automatically removed. Number them in chronological order and use each reference’s respective number enclosed in square brackets to cite within the text. The completeness and accuracy of each reference is the sole responsibility of the authors. Citation example: (“as discussed by Williams [4]”; “as discussed elsewhere [4, 12]”).
- As with above, all embedded figures must be cited in the manuscript in consecutive order. Figures are subject to resizing for ensuring clarity and consistency. The labels of the figures are also subject to resizing to be of minimum 9pt.
- Cite Tables consecutively in the text and provide a descriptive title for each table. If numerical measurements are given, including the units in the column heading. Do not use vertical rules.
- Cite tables and images in ascending numeric order upon the first appearance. Insert each table and image immediately following the paragraph in which it is first cited within the article.
- Add a title page with the manuscript that includes the title of the paper, author’s name (s) and affiliations
No specific section organization between these beginning and ending sections are necessary, an organization is up to the Author’s discretion and can be done in various forms. The most common forms are as follows:
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions (optional)
Journal has no specific requirements for the order of these sections and in some cases, it may be appropriate to combine sections. You may keep abbreviations to a minimum and ensure to define each one upon first use in the text. Do not use non-standard abbreviations unless they appear at least three times in the text.
Proofs and Reprints
Upon receipt of corrected proofs, they must be returned to the publisher within seven (7) days. The publisher does everything possible to ensure timely publication. In this regard, it is requested that authors place value in the importance of following the writing guidelines outlined, so the manuscripts and figures adhere to the style of the journal publication standards prior to submission. Additionally, usage of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.
Manuscript Organization
Manuscript File Requirements
Authors may submit their manuscript files in Word (as .doc or .docx).
Guidelines for Standard Sections
Title
A full title must be included with the submission of each manuscript.
Authors and Affiliations
Use the following order to list all authors:
• First names (or initials, if used),
• Middle names (or initials, if used), and
• Last names (surname, family name)
An associated department, university, or organizational affiliation and its location (city, state/province, and country) must be listed per author. In the case of a submission made by a consortium, all author names and their affiliations should be indicated at the article’s end.
Once the manuscript has been initially submitted, this information cannot be changed. As such, please ensure its accuracy prior to submission.
The following criteria outline the basis of qualification for authorship:
- Conception and design of the work, data collection, or analysis and interpretation of data
- Drafting or revising the article critically for important intellectual content
- Approval of the final version to be published
- Accountable for all aspects of the work
This criterion should be used to determine who can qualify for authorship and all individuals listed as authors must fit this criterion. To qualify as an author, the individual must have participated in the work enough to take public responsibility for the corresponding portions of the content. Anyone who does not qualify for authorship but contributed to the work must be listed in the acknowledgements.
If it is a large centre or group that has conducted the work, they should include the group name as well as an author list of those who fit the authorship criteria. Anyone listed as an author must approve the final manuscript prior to submission. To account for this, Journal will contact all authors via e-mail at the point of submission.
One of the authors should be appropriated as the corresponding author. His or her e-mail address or other contact information should thus be included. Upon acceptance of the article, this information will be published with it.
Abstract
The abstract should
• Describe the main aim(s) of the study
• Explain how the study was carried out, without methodological detail
• Summarize the most important results and determine their significance
• Be 300 words or less
Abstracts should not include
• Citations
• Abbreviations, if possible
An abstract is the equivalent of a summary of your study and should, therefore, outline the purpose of the study, the primary results, and the main conclusions. It provides readers with a concise overview of the contents of the paper. It is also a good tool for writers to affirm they have a clear grasp of their paper’s arguments.
It should include
(a) The aims, methods and result of the paper
(b) The materials and methods described in the paper should adequately support the arguments
(c) The language used should adequately inform the reader
(d) Sufficient length to adequately satisfy its aims
Introduction
The introduction should
- Provide background that permits readers outside of the field of the topic(s) in question to understand the aims of the study as well as its significance
- Outline the problem addressed along with its importance
- Briefly review the key literature
- Highlight any relevant controversies or opposing views in the field
- Conclude with a brief statement of the overall aim of the work and comment on whether or not that aim was achieved
Materials and Methods
A detail in this section is essential so as to allow other qualified investigators to use the described materials and methods to replicate the study. If these methods and materials are already well established be sure to source them for consultation of further details, however, the bulk of the information necessary to understand the topics should be provided within the article. If the protocols used are newer or not as well-established, submission of the protocol in detail is encouraged as supporting information.
Results, Discussion, and Conclusions
These sections may be organized all separately or various combinations of groups can be made. Some of such combinations can be as follows:
- mixed Results/Discussion section (commonly labelled “Results and Discussion”)
- mixed Discussion/Conclusions section (commonly labeled “Discussion”)
These sections
- Maybe further divided into subsections, each with a concise subheading, as necessary
- Have no word limit
- Require language that is clear and concise
These sections should collectively describe the results, interpretation of results, and the subsequent conclusions drawn. A relationship must be made between the results and the hypothesis and authors must provide clear explanations of the implications of their findings. This includes the implications that arise through the comparison of the new results to those of related but previously established studies. It also includes determining the study’s implications on the potential focus of future research. Avoid overstating conclusions
Acknowledgments
Those who do not qualify for authorship but have contributed to the work can be listed in the acknowledgments at the end of the manuscript. Their contributions should be listed along with their name(s). Prior to their inclusion in the acknowledgments, ensure that the individuals named. Sources from which funding was received may also be named in the acknowledgments, or anywhere in the manuscript. This information should be provided during the manuscript submission process.
References
Journal follows the APA reference guide but also accepts other referencing methods such as MLA style.
Figures and Tables
All figures and tables must be included in the manuscript.
Qualitative Research
Some research questions such as those involving people’s perspectives, experiences and interpretation are better studied by methods not involving numerical values or statistics. Such a method that can be used is qualitative research which does not use quantitative methods. The analysis methods are systematic, reproducible and explicit. Interviews, audio/video recordings, text documents and free-form answers to surveys are examples of data sources that can be used qualitatively.
Please submit your work by e-mail: oida@ontariointernational.org
If you need any clarification regarding this please contact us
Managing Editor
OIDA IJSD Journal
Ontario International Development Agency
2581 River Mist Road
Ottawa,
Ontario, K2J 6G1,
Canada.
email: oida@ontariointernational.org
Tel: + 1 613 612 7615