4. In-Text Citations and References (APA style)

A. In-Text Citations

• Citations must include the author(s) and year.

  • Parenthetical: The finding was supported by previous research (Smith & Jones, 2020).

  • Narrative: Smith and Jones (2020) found a significant correlation...

• For direct quotes, you must include the page number (Smith, 2020, p. 45).

• Handling multiple authors changes based on the number of authors (e.g., three or more authors are cited as Smith et al., 2022 from the first instance).

B. References List

5. Research Ethics and Integrity Guidelines

All researchers submitting work must adhere to the highest ethical standards in every stage of research, writing, and submission. Failure to comply with these guidelines constitutes professional misconduct.

1) Research Integrity and Originality

A. Data Integrity and Management

• Accuracy: All reported data must be genuine, accurate, and free from fabrication (making up data) or falsification (manipulating or changing data).

• Retention: Researchers must retain original data and research records for a defined period (typically 3–5 years after publication) to allow for replication or verification if requested.

• Transparency: Any data collected, code used for analysis, or research materials must be made available for review upon reasonable request.

B. Plagiarism and Misconduct

• Definition: Plagiarism—the presentation of another person's language, ideas, or intellectual property as one's own—is strictly forbidden. This includes self-plagiarism (reusing substantial portions of one's own published work without proper citation).

• Attribution: All sources, whether direct quotes, paraphrased material, or ideas, must be fully and accurately cited according to the required style (e.g., APA, MLA).

• Originality: The work submitted must be substantially new and original. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is strictly prohibited.

2) Authorship and Contributions

A. Criteria for Authorship

Authorship must be based only on significant intellectual contribution to the research. All authors must satisfy all of the following criteria:

1. Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.

2. Drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content.

3. Provided final approval of the version to be published.

4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

B. Order and Conflicts

• Order: The order of authorship should be a joint decision of the co-authors based on the relative contributions to the research.

• Acknowledgement: Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship (e.g., technical help, general support) must be named in an Acknowledgement section.

3) Human Participants and Ethical Review

A. Ethics Approval

• If the research involves human participants (e.g., surveys, interviews, social media data, biological material), authors must confirm that the study was reviewed and approved (or granted exemption) by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.

• The research must conform to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki or comparable international ethical standards.

• The name of the approving committee and the approval number must be stated in the manuscript.

B. Informed Consent

• Consent to Participate: Freely-given, informed consent to participate in the study must be obtained from all participants (or their legal guardian/parent).

• Consent to Publish: If the manuscript includes identifying information, images, or detailed case descriptions of an individual, written consent to publish must be obtained from the individual or their legal representative.

• Anonymity: All efforts must be made to protect the privacy and confidentiality of participants. Identifying details should only be published if essential for scholarly purposes and with explicit written consent.

4) Conflict of Interest and Funding

A. Conflict of Interest (COI)

• Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as potentially influencing the research findings. This includes relationships with companies or organizations whose products or services are discussed in the manuscript.

• If no conflicts exist, a statement such as "The authors declare no conflicts of interest" must be included.

B. Funding Disclosure

• All sources of financial support for the research must be explicitly stated in the manuscript, typically in a dedicated Funding or Acknowledgements section. This includes grant numbers and the name of the funding organization.

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