Guide to Authors
Manuscript Submission Guidelines Download the Guide to Authors
Submission to Jefore Ethiopian Journal of Applied Sciences proceeds totally online and you will be guided through the creation and uploading of your files. Research manuscripts to be submitted to the Journal should be written in English. Manuscripts should include a title page (which includes the paper title, author names and affiliations, page headers with a running head and page number), an abstract with keywords, introduction, methods, results/findings, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgments, references, and appendix (as appropriate).
Jefore Ethiopian Journal of Applied Sciences conducts a double-blind peer review. When uploading your manuscript, you will need to upload two copies of the manuscript designated as Manuscript - with author details and Manuscript - anonymous which does not contain anything that can identify you or your co-authors.
Formatting Requirements
The number of text words in a manuscript should not be more than 10,000 words. This word limit includes all elements of the manuscript (for example, tables, references, illustrations, and captions for tables and figures).
The manuscript should be written in Micro Soft Word, 12-point Times New Roman, single-spaced with margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
The manuscript should contain the page number in the top right-hand corner, the title page being page one. Do not type page numbers manually; use the automatic page-numbering function.
Manuscripts must be organized into logical sections and subsections. Section headings should not be labeled with numbers or letters. Level 1 headings should be centered, bolded, and in title case. Level 2 headings should be flush left, bolded, and in title case. Level 3 headings should be flush left, bolded, in title case, and italicized. Level 4 headings are not recommended. If necessary, they should be indented, bolded, in title case, and ended with a period.
Title Page
The title should be a brief and concise statement of the main topic of the research. The title should also identify the variables and theoretical issues under investigation and the relationship between them. The title should be written in title case, bold, centered, and positioned in the upper half of the title page. The title page should include the name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and e-mail address(es) of all author(s). If the authors are more than one, it should be made clear which affiliation and email address refer to which author by use of numerical superscripts following each author. The corresponding author should be indicated with an asterisk. The corresponding author is the primary contact and the only author able to view or change the manuscript while it is under editorial consideration. However, the role of the corresponding author may be transferred to another co-author.
A short running head containing not more than 50 characters (including spaces) should be included on the title page. Write the running head in the page header, flush left, and all in capital letters. Use the same running head on every page, including the title page. Do not include the label “Running head to identify the running head on any page.
We encourage all authors to add their ORCID (the Open Researcher and Contributor ID) to their manuscripts. If you don’t already have one, you can create one here.
Abstract
The Abstract should give a succinct account of the study or contents in up to 250 words. The Abstract should be self-contained without reference and written in single spacing. Place the abstract on its own page after the title page. It should contain a background statement, objective, key elements of materials and methods, major findings, conclusion and implication in one paragraph. References are not included in this section. Avoid the use of nonstandard abbreviations in the Abstract.
Immediately after the Abstract, list 5 to 7 keywords or phrases that are the most important in explaining the results of the study. Write the label “Keywords” in italics one line below the abstract, indented 0.5 inch, followed by the keywords in lowercase. Capitalize only proper nouns and use commas to separate the keywords. Do not include very general terms, abbreviations (abbreviations firmly established in the field may be listed) and words that are already in the title in the list of keywords. Arrange the keywords alphabetically.
Introduction
The introduction should provide a brief background to the subject, the statement of the problem, and describe the principal objectives of the investigation. The introduction should also succinctly contextualize the work within the existing literature.
Methods and Materials
The Methods section should contain all elements necessary to allow interpretation and replication of the findings. This section should contain sufficient detail and may be divided by subheadings. The recommended structure of this section is: participants, materials, and procedures. The Methods section may begin with the participants, a subsection that reports participant or sample characteristics, sampling procedures, and the sample size. Under materials, the author presents the tools and techniques that were used to measure relevant variables and methods used to assure the quality of the measurements. The Methods section, under procedure, should discuss the data collection methods, research design, data processing and diagnostics, and data analysis strategy. The subheadings (participants, materials, and procedures) are not mandatory; the author may organize the Methods section using subheadings that make sense to the specific study.
Results
The results/findings section should present and describe the results obtained. Results should be presented concisely and in a logical order related to the aims and design of the study along with appropriate statistical reporting, where applicable, and pertinent negative findings. Data should not be repeated unnecessarily in text, tables, and figures. The Results section should be written in the past tense.
Discussion
The Discussion should interpret and describe the significance of the findings in relation to what was already known about the research problem. This section should also explain any new understanding or insights that emerged as a result of the research findings. Citations should preferably consist of current literature and largely from peer-reviewed journals.
Note: The results and discussion sections can be presented together or separately. When the two sections are presented separately, the results in the Result/Finding section should be presented without referring to the literature. The Discussion should not restate the results.
Conclusion
The Conclusion section should precisely wrap up the major ideas and leave the reader with a strong final impression. Therefore, the Conclusion section should restate the problem statement, summarize the main arguments or findings, and discuss the implications.
Acknowledgments
The Acknowledgments section is optional. In this section, the author may acknowledge those individuals who provided help during the research. The author may also acknowledge contributors who do not satisfy authorship.
References
The Journal follows the APA Style of referencing. This guideline may give authors a quick reference to the selected referencing style. For a complete understanding, please refer to the APA Publication Manual of the 7th edition.
In-Text Citations
The Journal uses the author-date citation system to cite references in the text. Avoid both undercitation and overcitation as underciation may lead to plagiarism or self-plagiarism while overcitation is unnecessary and distracting. Both paraphrases and direct quotations require citations. Direct quotations require page numbers, but paraphrases do not usually require page numbers. The citation can be narrative (author’s name as part of the sentence) or parenthetical (author’s name in the parentheses after the sentence).
The following table presents examples of in-text citations.
|
|
|
Narrative citation |
Parenthetical citation |
|
Direct quotation |
One author |
Donald (2023) contended that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
Evidently, “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Donald, 2023, p.19). |
|
Two authors |
According to Donald and Thomas (2023), “The new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
It is proved that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Donald & Thomas, 2023, p. 19). |
|
|
Three or more authors |
Donald et al. (2023) reflected that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
It is noted that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Donald et al., 2023, p.19). |
|
|
Group author with abbreviation, first citation |
The National Institutes of Health (NIH, 2023) reflected that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
Notably, “the new genes emerge from nothing” (The National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2023, p.19). |
|
|
Group author with abbreviation, subsequent citations |
The NIH (2023) reflected that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
Notably, “the new genes emerge from nothing” (NIH, 2023, p.19). |
|
|
Group author without abbreviation |
Stanford University (2023) reflected that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
It is noted that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Stanford University, 2023, .19). |
|
|
Author unknown |
The author of “Know Your Genes” (2023) reflected that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
One article (2023) claimed that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Know Your Genes, p.19). |
|
|
No date |
Donald (n.d.) contended that “the new genes emerge from nothing” (p.19). |
Evidently, “the new genes emerge from nothing” (Donald, n.d., p.19). |
|
|
Paraphrase |
One author |
Harris (2022) argued that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (Harris, 2022). |
|
Two authors |
Harris and Ferguson (2022) argued that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (Harris & Ferguson, 2022). |
|
|
Three or more authors |
Harris et al. (2022) claimed that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (Harris et al., 2022). |
|
|
Group author with abbreviation, first citation |
The American Psychological Association (APA, 2022) explained that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (American Psychological Association [APA], 2022). |
|
|
Group author with abbreviation, subsequent citations |
The APA (2022) explained that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (APA, 2022). |
|
|
Group author without abbreviation |
The University of California (2022) has explained that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (University of California, 2022). |
|
|
Author unknown |
In “Research Skills” (2022), the author suggested that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (Research Skills, 2022). |
|
|
No date |
Harris (n.d.) argued that researchers must develop analytical skills. |
Researchers must develop analytical skills (Harris, n.d.). |
References
The list of all and only references cited in the article should appear in the References section. The list of all references should be alphabetically arranged. Use hanging indents, which means indent the second and subsequent lines of each reference. If there is no author specified, use the organization name as the author. If there is no date, use (n.d.) for "no date".
The following table presents examples of references with the corresponding sources.
|
Sources |
Reference Examples |
|
Journal article |
McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development. Psychological Review, 126(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126 |
|
Magazine article
|
Bergeson, S. (2019, January 4). Really cool neutral plasmas. Science, 363(6422), 33–34. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau7988 Bustillos, M. (2013, March 19). On video games and storytelling: An interview with Tom Bissell. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/on-videogames-and-storytelling-an-interview-with-tom-bissell |
|
Print Magazine Article |
Nicholl, K. (2020, May). A royal spark. Vanity Fair, 62(5), 56–65, 100. |
|
Newspaper article |
Guarino, B. (2017, December 4). How will humanity react to alien life? Psychologists have some predictions. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of- science/wp/2017/12/04/how-will-humanity-react-to-alien-lifepsychologists-have-some-predictions |
|
Print Newspaper Article |
Reynolds, G. (2019, April 9). Different strokes for athletic hearts. The New York Times, D4 |
|
Blog post |
Klymkowsky, M. (2018, September 15). Can we talk scientifically about free will? Sci-Ed. https://blogs.plos.org/scied/2018/09/15/can-we-talkscientifically-about-free-will/ |
|
Authored book
|
Brown, L. S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000092-000 |
|
Authored book with editor credited |
Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer (D. Wright, Ed.). Chelsea Green Publishing. |
|
Edited Book Chapter |
Zeleke, W. A., Hughes, T. L., & Drozda, N. (2020). Home–school collaboration to promote mind-body health. In C. Maykel & M. A. Bray (Eds.), Promoting mind-body health in schools: Interventions for mental health professionals (pp. 11–26). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000157-002 |
|
One volume of a multivolume work |
Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D. T., & Lindzey, G. (2010). Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., Vol. 1). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470561119 |
|
Dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia |
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from https://www.merriamwebster.com/ American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from https://dictionary.apa.org/ |
|
Entry in dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia |
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Internet addiction. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://dictionary.apa.org/internet-addiction |
|
Report by a government agency or other organization |
National Cancer Institute. (2018). Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment (NIH Publication No. 18-2424). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/lifeafter-treatment.pdf |
|
Annual report
|
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2017). Agency financial report: Fiscal year 2017. https://www.sec.gov/files/sec-2017-agency-financialreport.pdf |
|
Code of Ethics |
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx |
|
Unpublished dissertation or thesis |
Harris, L. (2014). Instructional leadership perceptions and practices of elementary school leaders [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Virginia. |
Appendix
The Appendix section includes materials that supplement the paper but that would be distracting and inappropriate in the text of the manuscript. For materials placed in the appendices, all relevant ethical standards should be followed, including copyright attribution, accurate representation of data, and protection of human participants. Some examples of material suitable for an appendix are: lists of stimulus materials; tests, scales, or inventories developed for the study being reported; detailed descriptions of complex equipment; detailed demographic descriptions of subpopulations in the study; and other detailed or complex reporting items.
If the paper has one appendix, label it “Appendix”; if a paper has more than one appendix, label each appendix with a capital letter (e.g., “Appendix A,” “Appendix B”) in the order in which it is mentioned in the text. Each appendix should be mentioned (called out) at least once in the text by its label (e.g., “see Appendix A”). The appendix title should describe its contents. Place the appendix label and title in bold and centered on separate lines at the top of the page on which the appendix begins. Use title case for the appendix label and title.
Cover Letter
When you submit your manuscript to Jefore Ethiopian Journal of Applied Sciences, you need to include a cover letter. The cover letter needs to confirm the originality of the research article, approve that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere, nor is currently under consideration for publication elsewhere, and declare that there is no conflict of interest.