Abstract: These guidelines aim to establish a complete standard system for the entire process—from writing and submission to publication—of academic manuscripts for this journal, ensuring the scholarly quality, formal standardization, and dissemination efficiency of its publications. The guidelines specify the core structure and detailed requirements for manuscripts, stipulating that research articles should in principle not exceed 4000 words in total. They must include a structured abstract, a clear description of research methods, objective presentation of results, in-depth discussion, and a concise conclusion. References must follow the author-date system, with a minimum of 10 citations. Figures and tables require high-resolution source files, and typesetting formats must be strictly unified. The guidelines also emphasize the three core principles of academic integrity, scientific rigor, and reader-oriented dissemination, and detail relevant policies such as the submission process, ethics checks, and publication fees. Adherence to these guidelines is a prerequisite for a manuscript to enter the review process.
Keywords: Writing Standards; Publication Guidelines; Academic Integrity; Manuscript Structure
Purpose of the Guidelines：To establish a systematic, standardized, and internationally-aligned academic publishing framework that safeguards the scholarly value and dissemination efficacy of works published in this journal, these guidelines have been formulated. They aim to:
· Establish Quality Standards: Set clear benchmarks for the academic quality of manuscripts, research methodologies, data presentation, and argumentative logic.
· Unify Technical Formats: Provide exhaustive standards for writing, typesetting, figure/table creation, and reference citation to ensure formal consistency of publications.
· Clarify Rights, Responsibilities, and Processes: Define the rights, responsibilities, and ethical obligations of all parties involved (authors, reviewers, editors), thereby optimizing the efficiency of the publication workflow.
· Facilitate Academic Exchange: Through standardized presentation, reduce the cost of reading and evaluation, and promote interdisciplinary, cross-regional academic dialogue and knowledge translation.
Scope of Application：These guidelines apply to all academic manuscripts submitted to this journal, comprehensively covering the entire lifecycle from initial writing, formal submission, peer review, revision and polishing, to final online publication and formal inclusion. Authors are responsible for ensuring their manuscript fully complies with all requirements of these guidelines prior to submission. Manuscripts failing to meet requirements may not enter the review process or may be returned for modification.
The publishing practice of this journal is built upon the following three non-negotiable core principles, which form the fundamental basis for all decisions regarding submission, review, and editing:
1.2.1 Principle of Academic Integrity as Paramount
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of scholarly endeavor. This journal adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards its violation, demanding:
· Originality and Novelty: Submissions must present original research findings and must not have been published previously in any form or medium.
· Prohibition of Academic Misconduct: Strictly prohibit all forms of plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, etc.
· Prohibition of Redundant Publication: Strictly prohibit submitting or publishing essentially the same research findings in fragmented parts ("salami-slicing"), or resubmitting a published study with minor modifications ("redundant publication"). Extended versions of conference papers must be explicitly declared upon submission, with a clear statement of substantial new content.
· Transparent Authorship: All individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors, and all authors must be aware of and agree to the final version for submission. "Gift authorship" or "ghost authorship" is strictly prohibited.
1.2.2 Principle of Rigorous Scientific Methodology
The reliability of research stems from the rigor of its methods. This journal requires:
· Appropriate Research Design: The research question, hypothesis, design, and methods should be well-matched and appropriate to effectively address the posed scientific question.
· Transparent and Reproducible Process: Descriptions of research methods, experimental procedures, materials, and data analysis processes (including software, code, and parameter settings) must be sufficiently detailed to enable competent peers to evaluate and reproduce the research.
· Robust Data and Restrained Conclusions: Data analysis methods should be appropriate and correctly applied. Conclusions must be strictly based on the presented data and evidence, avoiding overinterpretation or exaggeration. Limitations of the study should be discussed objectively.
· Ethical Compliance: Research involving human participants, animal experimentation, or sensitive data must provide approval documents from the relevant ethics review committee and proof of informed consent.
1.2.3 Principle of Reader-Oriented Dissemination
The essence of academic publishing is the effective dissemination of knowledge. This journal emphasizes:
· Logical Clarity and Structural Integrity: Manuscripts should follow the recognized narrative logic of the discipline (e.g., IMRaD structure), with coherent thinking and compelling arguments.
· Precise Language and Concise Expression: Use accurate, standardized academic language to avoid ambiguity. While ensuring scientific rigor, strive for concise text and intuitive graphics to convey core information most effectively.
· Service to Peer Review: The organization and presentation of the manuscript should facilitate efficient and accurate assessment of its scientific merit, novelty, and reliability by peer reviewers.
· Facilitation of Knowledge Discovery: By providing structured abstracts, accurate keywords, standardized references, and clear data presentation, maximize the discoverability, accessibility, and citation potential of articles, thereby fostering knowledge accumulation and innovation within the scholarly community.
The above principles collectively form the bedrock of this journal's academic quality and are the fundamental starting point for the editorial office's handling of all manuscripts. Authors should consistently use these three principles for self-scrutiny during manuscript preparation.
These guidelines apply to all submissions, including but not limited to:
· Research Articles: Original research, methodological developments, case studies.
· Reviews: Systematic reviews, scoping reviews.
· Perspectives/Commentaries: Opinion pieces, research letters.
· Extended Conference Papers.
No. | Component | Notes | Mandatory |
1 | Abstract & Keywords | English | Yes |
2 | Main Text | Body of the manuscript | Yes |
3 | Acknowledgments | If applicable | Optional |
4 | References | Formatted per guidelines | Yes |
5 | Figures, Tables & Appendices | Can be embedded or grouped | Yes (if any) |
6 | Author Contributions Statement | Use journal template | Yes |
7 | Competing Interests Statement | Use journal template | Yes |
8 | Data Availability Statement | Describes data access | Yes |
Must contain the following elements in this order:
A. Article Title
· Language: English.
· Length: English title ≤ 15 words.
· Requirements: Precisely reflect the core finding or theme. Avoid non-standard abbreviations. Consider including key variables or methods.
B. Author List
· Format: Full name (Chinese characters / Pinyin), listed in order of contribution.
· Designation: Corresponding author marked with a superscript asterisk (*).
· Information Required Per Author:
1. Affiliation: Full name in English and Chinese (hierarchical: University → School/Faculty → Department/Institute → City → Postal Code → Country).
2. Email: Institutional email preferred.
3. ORCID iD: Strongly recommended. Format: https://orcid.org/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
C. Corresponding Author Footnote
· Placed at the bottom of the title page.
· Format: * Corresponding author: [Name], [Email Address].
D. Funding Information
· Format: [Funding Body]: Project Name (Grant Number).
· Example: National Natural Science Foundation of China: Research on Digital Twin Technology for Sustainable Manufacturing (92345678).
A. Abstract
· Structure: Structured abstract with four mandatory sections:
Objective: Clearly state the core research problem.
Methods: Briefly describe research design, data sources, key methods, or analytical framework.
Results: Objectively present the most significant findings (may include key data, e.g., effect sizes, significance levels).
Conclusion: Main inferences drawn from the results and their implications.
· Length: 250-300 words for the English abstract. Must be concise, self-contained, and should not contain citations, figures, or non-standard abbreviations.
B. Keywords
· Quantity: 3-5.
· Order: By importance or logical sequence.
· Format: English, placed below the respective abstract.
· Total Word Count: The full manuscript for a Research Article (including all text, figures, tables, references, and appendices) must not exceed 4000 words.
· Recommended Structure (adjustable based on article type):
This chapter provides detailed structural guidance, writing essentials, and formatting specifications for research articles (particularly empirical studies). Please note that for theoretical, review, or methodological articles, the structure may be adapted accordingly.
Section | Core Content & Writing Tips |
1. Introduction | Background: Current state and significance of the field. |
2. Materials & Methods | Key to Reproducibility: Description must be sufficiently detailed for replication. |
3. Results | Objective Presentation: Avoid interpretation; state facts. |
4. Discussion | Interpretation: Explain what the results mean. |
5. Conclusion | Summary: 1-3 sentences distilling the most core findings. |
· Notes on Structural Adaptation for Theoretical/Review Articles
For articles primarily focused on theoretical construction, model derivation, or comprehensive synthesis, the body structure may depart from the "Materials & Methods – Results" paradigm and adopt a more flexible argumentative framework, such as:
· Chapter 1: Introduction and Problem Formulation
· Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations and Core Concept Analysis
· Chapter 3: Critical Review and Synthesis of Existing Theoretical Models
· Chapter 4: Construction and Elaboration of a New Theoretical Framework/Model
· Chapter 5: Justification of the New Framework, Application Examples, or Dialogue with Empirical Evidence
· Chapter 6: Theoretical Contributions, Limitations, and Future Research Directions
· The core of such articles lies in logical rigor, depth of argumentation, and demonstration of critical thinking. The length of each chapter can be flexibly allocated according to the needs of the discourse.
· Heading Hierarchy System (Maximum Three Levels)
Level 1 Heading: 1. XXXXXXXX. Used for: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, etc.
Level 2 Heading: 1.1 XXXXXX. Used for: Major subsections within a main chapter.
Level 3 Heading: 1.1.1 XXXXX. Used for: Further subdivision under a Level 2 heading. Use sparingly to maintain a clean layout.
· Quantity Control: Conciseness is encouraged. Total number of figures and tables combined is recommended not to exceed 6 (including sub-figures).
· Quality Standards:
o Images: .tiff or .eps format, resolution ≥ 600 dpi, color mode: CMYK (for print) or RGB (for web).
o Graphs/Charts: Provide editable vector source files (e.g., .ai, .svg).
o Tables: Use three-line tables (no vertical lines, no diagonal lines), with aligned data.
· Captions & Legends:
o Figure captions are placed below the figure. Table titles are placed above the table.
o Provide comprehensive legends/notes explaining symbols, statistical test results (e.g., p-values, effect sizes), error bar meanings, etc.
o All figures and tables must have bilingual (English and Chinese) titles.
· Quantity Requirement: A minimum of 15 references is required. Authors are encouraged to cite seminal works and recent advances in the field.
· Format Standard: Use the Author-Date (Vancouver) system. See Chapter 3 for details.
· Quality Requirements:
o Prioritize recent (last 5 years) high-quality journal articles.
o Cite primary sources (original research) where possible.
o Cite datasets, software, preprints, and other new forms of scholarly output appropriately.
· File Format: Submit the main manuscript in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. LaTeX users will be required to format according to the journal template upon acceptance.
· Page Setup:
o Paper Size: A4 (210 × 297 mm)
o Margins: Top 3.5 cm (for review annotations), Bottom 2.5 cm, Left/Right 2.5 cm
o Header/Footer: 1.5 cm
· Font & Size:
o Main English Text: Times New Roman, 12 pt
o Level 1 Heading: Times New Roman, 14 pt, Bold, Flush Left
o Level 2 Heading: Times New Roman, 13 pt, Bold, Flush Left
o Level 3 Heading: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Italic.
· Paragraph Format:
o Alignment: Justified
o Line Spacing: Fixed at 20 pt
o Indentation: First line indent by 2 characters
o Spacing Before/After Paragraph: 0.5 lines
· Number Writing:
o Use a full stop as the decimal point ..
o For numbers ≥10,000, use a comma as the thousands separator (e.g., 12,345.67).
o For numerical ranges, use an en dash – (e.g., 10–15 mg/L).
· Unit Standards:
o Use the International System of Units (SI) and its derived units exclusively.
o For compound units, use a center dot or negative exponents (e.g., N·m or kg·m⁻²·s⁻¹).
o Include a single space between the number and the unit (e.g., 25 ℃, 100 mL).
· Equation Editing:
o Use a professional equation editor (e.g., MathType).
o Important equations should be placed on separate lines, centered, and numbered consecutively by chapter, e.g., (1).
o Refer to them in-text as "Equation (1)".
This journal adopts the Author-Date System (also known as the Harvard System) for in-text citations and end-of-text reference listing.
The basic format for in-text citations is to place the author's surname and publication year within parentheses at the position in the text where the source is referenced. If citing a specific point or data, it is recommended to include the page number before the author and year, formatted as “(Author, Year: p. xx)”. Specific examples are as follows:
· Single author: (Smith, 2023)
· Two authors: (Wilson & Chen, 2022)
· Three or more authors: For the first citation, list all authors (e.g., Zhang, Li, Wang et al., 2021). Subsequent citations may use the format “First author et al.” (e.g., Zhang et al., 2021).
· Multiple publications by the same author in the same year: Add lowercase letters after the publication year to distinguish them (e.g., (Johnson, 2020a), (Johnson, 2020b)).
· Multiple sources: Arrange in alphabetical order by author surname or chronological order by publication year, separated by semicolons (e.g., (Davis, 2019; Miller, 2021; Roberts, 2023)).
The end-of-text reference list must start on a new page with the heading “References”. All entries should be arranged in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname (for Chinese authors, arrange by Pinyin). Each entry must include complete information: author(s), year, title, source details, and DOI (if available). Standard format examples for common publication types are as follows:
Journal Article:
Author Surname, Author Initials. (Year). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), FirstPage-LastPage. DOI
Example:
Smith, J. A., & Chen, L. (2023). Deep learning approaches for material discovery. Advanced Engineering Materials, *25*(4), 2201234. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202201234
Book:
Author Surname, Author Initials. (Year). Book Title (Edition). Publisher.
Example:
Wang, Y. (2021). Sustainable urban infrastructure systems (2nd ed.). Springer.
Chapter in an Edited Book:
Chapter Author Surname, Author Initials. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor Initials. Editor Surname (Ed.), Book Title (pp. FirstPage-LastPage). Publisher.
Example:
Li, H. (2022). Policy innovations in digital economy. In M. Johnson & K. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of economic policy in the information age (pp. 145-167). Elsevier.
Conference Proceeding:
Author Surname, Author Initials. (Year of Conference). Paper title. In Proceedings Title (pp. FirstPage-LastPage). Publisher.
Example:
Zhang, Q., et al. (2022). A novel biosensor for early cancer detection. In Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Biomedical Engineering (pp. 123-128). IEEE.
Thesis/Dissertation:
Author Surname, Author Initials. (Year). Thesis Title [PhD/Master's thesis]. Awarding Institution Name.
Example:
Kim, S. (2023). Neural correlates of decision-making under uncertainty [Doctoral dissertation]. Stanford University.
Online Resource:
Author/Organization. (Year, Month Day). Resource Title. Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Example:
World Health Organization. (2023, November 15). *Global health estimates 2023: Disease burden by cause, age, sex, by country and by region, 2000-2021*. WHO. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates
1. Main Manuscript File (.docx): Complete document with all elements.
2. High-Resolution Figure & Table Source Files (.zip): Separate high-quality source files for all figures and charts.
3. Cover Letter (.pdf): States manuscript's novelty, confirms it is not under consideration elsewhere, suggests/opposes reviewers (optional).
4. Declaration & Supporting Documents (.pdf):
o Completed Author Contributions & Competing Interests Declaration Form (template downloadable from website).
o Research Ethics Committee Approval Document (if applicable).
o Proof of Patient Informed Consent (if applicable).
o Funding Grant Award Document (if any).
Tick each item before submission:
· 【Content & Structure】
o Full manuscript word count ≤ 4000 words.
o English and Chinese title, abstract, and keywords are complete and accurate.
o Introduction clearly states the research problem and objective.
o Methods section is sufficiently detailed to ensure reproducibility.
o Results are presented objectively; discussion engages deeply with the literature.
o Conclusion is concise, summarizing core findings and significance.
· 【Formatting & Standards】
o Minimum of 15 references; formatting is correct, with perfect correspondence between list and in-text citations.
o All figures and tables have bilingual captions, are correctly numbered, and images are clear.
o Numbers, units, equations, and abbreviations are used correctly.
· 【Academic Ethics】
o Self-checked with a reputable plagiarism detection tool; overall similarity index (excluding references) < 15%.
o All authors have reviewed the final version and agree with its submission and the author order.
o Confirmed the manuscript is not currently submitted to any other journal.
o All necessary ethics and copyright declaration documents are prepared.
· 【Language Quality】
o Manuscript has been thoroughly proofread for spelling and grammar errors.
o For non-native English submissions, professional language editing certificate is recommended.
· Upon acceptance, authors must sign a Copyright Transfer and Publishing Agreement.
· The journal publishes under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
· Authors retain the right to deposit preprints, accepted manuscripts, and the published PDF in their personal website or institutional repository.
· Standard Article Processing Charge (APC): 1,200 US Dollars. Covers peer review, professional editing, typesetting, online publication, permanent archiving, and promotion.
· Extra Page Charge: For manuscripts exceeding 6 pages, a charge of 200 US Dollars per extra page (or part thereof) applies starting from page 7.
· Fee Waivers: Full or partial waivers are available for corresponding authors from UN-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs) or those providing documentary proof of financial hardship. Applications must be submitted during manuscript submission.