Submissions

Author Guidelines

Submission Templates

Authors must use the appropriate JASC template to format their manuscript. Please download the template for your article type before preparing your submission:

• Link to Original Peer-Reviewed Article Template
• Link to Innovations in Praxis Template

Using the template ensures your manuscript meets JASC's structural and formatting requirements. Submissions that do not follow the template may be returned.

Authors must submit two separate files:

File 1 — Title Page (not anonymized)

This file must include:

• Manuscript title
• All author names with affiliations (department, institution, city, country)
• Institutional email addresses
• ORCID IDs
• Author biographies
• Funding Statement
• Conflict of Interest Statement
• Ethics Statement
• Generative AI Statement (if applicable)
• Acknowledgements (if applicable)
• CRediT author contributions statement (recommended)

File 2 — Manuscript (anonymized for double-anonymous review, or identified if a different review protocol is chosen)

This file must include:

• Abstract (150–250 words)
• Keywords (4–8, lowercased except proper nouns, comma-separated)
• Full manuscript text
• References
• Figure captions

Do not include author names, affiliations, or any identifying metadata in this file unless you have opted out of double-anonymous review.

Submissions with missing elements will be returned immediately and authors will be invited to resubmit within one week. This structural check is separate from the editorial screening and does not delay it.

Required Statements

All manuscripts must include the following statements in the Title Page file.

Funding Statement: Disclose any grants or financial support received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of the article. If no funding was received, state: “The authors received no financial support for this work.”

Conflict of Interest Statement: Disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work. If none exist, state: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this manuscript.”

Ethics Statement: All manuscripts require an explicit statement of ethical stance to ensure relational, contextual, and, when relevant, institutional accountability. For empirical research involving human participants, evidence of ethics clearance from a reputable institution must be provided at the time of submission.

Generative AI Statement (if applicable): If AI tools were used during any stage of research or writing, authors must specify the tool, its purpose, and confirm that all content has been verified by the human authors. If no AI tools were used, this heading may be omitted. Example: “The authors used [Tool Name] for [state specific purpose, e.g., language editing]. The authors confirm that all content has been verified by the human authors and that no claims are based solely on AI output.”

Review Protocol

JASC operates a full-spectrum review policy. Authors choose their preferred protocol at submission:

1. Double-anonymous review (default): Neither author(s) nor reviewer(s) identities are disclosed.
2. Single-anonymous review: Author(s) identity is disclosed to reviewers, but reviewers remain anonymous.
3. Open review: The identities of both author(s) and reviewer(s) are disclosed.

Default protocol: If you do not indicate a preference, your submission will proceed under the double-anonymous protocol. If you wish to choose a different protocol, please state this clearly in the “Comments to the Editor” field during submission.

The decision tree works as follows: authors decide first whether to disclose their identity. If they choose not to, review proceeds as double-anonymous. If authors disclose, reviewers are asked whether they also wish to disclose. If a reviewer chooses to remain anonymous, review proceeds as single-anonymous. If the reviewer also discloses, the review proceeds as open.

Preparing Your Text

• Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice format.
• Word limits (excluding references): Original Articles: 6,000–8,000 words; Innovations in Praxis: 5,000 words.
• Ensure your text has been fully proofread by a proficient speaker of the language. Manuscripts with obvious grammatical errors will be returned and will not proceed to review.
• Use a standard font (e.g., 12-point Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial).
• Use no more than three levels of headings, following APA 7th edition heading guidelines.
• Use only italics for emphasis.
• Define abbreviations at first mention and use them consistently thereafter.
• Footnotes may be used for additional information but should not contain citations already in the reference list, nor figures or tables. Number footnotes consecutively. Always use footnotes rather than endnotes.
• Use automatic page numbering.
• Do not use field functions or hyperlinks.
• Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.
• Do not insert page breaks or section breaks. Use continuous formatting throughout.
• Epigraphs: If you wish to open your manuscript or a section with an epigraph (a short quotation), place it after the section heading, italicized, right-aligned, with attribution on the line below. Ensure proper citation in the reference list.

Using Tables

• Use the table function (not tabs or spaces) to create tables.
• Number all tables using Arabic numerals and cite them in the text in consecutive order.
• Each table must include a caption (title) explaining its components.
• Identify any previously published material by citing the original source at the end of the table caption.

Including Figures and Artwork

• All figures must be submitted as a ZIP file, separate from the manuscript.
• Required resolution: minimum 300 dpi.
• Accepted formats: TIFF, EPS, or high-resolution JPEG/PNG. Do not embed figures in Word or PowerPoint files.
• Name files using the lead author’s surname and figure number (e.g., Jones_Fig1.tiff).
• Each figure must include a title and caption (max 50 words) within the manuscript text, not embedded in the image file.
• Include a placeholder in the running text (e.g., “[insert Figure 1]”).
• As the print edition is black and white, ensure all color figures remain legible when converted to grayscale. Use distinct patterns or symbols in addition to color to differentiate data points.
• If text appears on a figure, ensure it is large enough to be readable at print size.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reuse any previously published figures.

Citation Style and Reference List

References should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition).

• Include only works cited in the text. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list.
• Alphabetize by the last name of the first author. Order multi-author publications of the same first author alphabetically with respect to second, third, etc. author. Publications of exactly the same author(s) must be ordered chronologically.
• Include a DOI for each reference where available, formatted as: https://doi.org/xxxxxxxx
• All book, article, and chapter titles must be in sentence case.
• APA 7th edition no longer requires the city and place of publication for books. Indicate only the publisher name.
• Use en dashes (–) for page ranges (e.g., pp. 23–35). Use em dashes (—) to separate clauses in running text.

Common reference formats:

• Journal article: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Article title. Journal Name, no.(issue no.), page range. DOI or URL
• Book: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Book title (edition). Publisher.
 
• Chapter in book: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Chapter title. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Book title (pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.
• Website: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year, Month date). Title of work/page or section. Site Name/Source. URL
• Conference paper: Contributor, A. A., Contributor, B. B., & Contributor, C. C. (date). Title of contribution [Type of contribution]. Conference name, location. DOI or URL
• Blog: Author, A. A. (year, month date). Title of Blog. Blog title. URL 
• Video (e.g. Youtube): Author, A. A. (year, month date). Title of the video [Video]. YouTube. URL 
• Newspaper article: Author, A. A. (year, month date). Title of the newspaper article. Title of the newspaper. URL 
• Dissertation or thesis: Author, A. A. (year). Title of the dissertation [type of thesis, University]. Repository where thesis is published. URL.

During the upload process, you will be asked to enter all references in a separate field. Each reference must be on a separate line.

Preparing for Double-Anonymous Review

This requirement is only necessary when the double-anonymous review protocol is chosen or no preference is indicated.

• Make sure that your text file does not include any of the authors’ names. Authors’ names will be added separately in the process of uploading your files.
• In case of self-citation make sure you have deleted the names from the text, footnotes, and references. Instead of the name and title replace them with “Author” and year.
• Make sure to remove all personal information from the file properties by taking the following steps:

Microsoft Word for Windows:

• Go to File
• Select Info
• Click on Check for Issues
• Click on Inspect Document
• In the Document Inspector dialog box, select the check boxes to choose the type of hidden content that you want inspected
• Click Remove All
• Click Close
• Save the document

Microsoft Word for MacOS:

• Go to Tools
• Click Protect Document
• Select “Remove personal information for this file on save”
• Click OK and save the file

Uploading Your Submission

1. Create a user profile at https://jabsc.org/index.php/jabsc/user/register. Please enter only the email addresses you want to see appear in the published version of your paper. Please list your affiliations. You have the opportunity to enter a personal description, which will appear on the website thread of your article. Please include, if applicable, your ORCID number. Any published article with ORCID will automatically be added to your ORCID account.
2. Go to Submissions and click “Make a new submission.”
3. You will be asked to read and individually acknowledge that you’ve completed all the requirements by ticking the respective boxes.
4. You then have the option to leave notes and/or comments for the editor, including your preferred review protocol if different from double-anonymous.
5. You must agree to the collection and storage of your data according to the JASC privacy and consent policy.
6. You will then be able to upload your files. First upload the Title Page file, then the Manuscript file. Any images or artwork must be uploaded individually. You also have the opportunity to upload any other relevant research materials.
7. Next you can review details and change the names of the files to ensure your name is not included (for double-anonymous submissions).
8. Enter metadata. Please note that this information will appear on the JASC website page for your article if/when it is published:

• • Article title and subtitle
  • Abstract
  • 4–8 keywords
  • All authors in sequence of authorship (first author, second author, etc.)
  • An indication of any supporting agencies
  • Declarations of potential conflicts of interest
  • Reference list (please make sure that each entry is in a new line)

9. Once you click “Finish Submission” the article will be sent to the editorial team. You will receive an automated response when your article is being sent to review.

Original Contribution

All submissions to JASC must be original work, not under consideration elsewhere and not previously published in whole or in part. JASC uses iThenticate via CrossRef Similarity Check to screen all submissions for originality. Similarity checks are run at two points: (1) upon submission receipt, before the manuscript is sent for review, and (2) after peer review, before final acceptance.

Authorship Criteria

All those listed as authors should have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and/or intellectual content. In addition, everyone named as author will have had a role in drafting the work or reviewing it critically and will have reviewed the final version ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and completeness of the article. In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work done, an author should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work and have confidence in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors.

JASC encourages authors to describe individual contributions using the CRediT (Contributor Role Taxonomy) framework. If used, include a CRediT author statement in the Title Page file, listing each author’s contributions according to the 14 standard roles. For details, see https://credit.niso.org/.