Instructions for Authors

Before you submit

Before you submit, please ensure that your manuscript:

  1. falls within the journal’s Aims and Scope;
  2. is original and is not under consideration elsewhere;
  3. has been approved by all co-authors;
  4. complies with the Publication Ethics policy;
  5. is submitted exclusively through ScholarOne Manuscripts. Submissions sent by email or through third-party agents are not processed.

Article types and lengths

Type Length (words, excl. refs) Abstract Keywords
Original research 6,000 to 10,000 up to 250 4 to 6
Theoretical or conceptual 5,000 to 8,000 up to 250 4 to 6
Systematic review (PRISMA 2020) 7,000 to 12,000 up to 250, structured 4 to 6
Book review 1,500 to 2,500 not required 3 to 5
Editorial (by invitation) 1,000 to 2,000 not required 3 to 5

Disclaimer 

The limits listed above are tentative guidelines representing the standard norm. We value depth and academic rigour over rigid constraints; if your manuscript requires additional space to be fully and clearly explained, please prioritise the quality and completeness of your work rather than cutting essential content to meet these numbers.

Manuscript structure

Title (no more than 20 words); authors with affiliations, ORCID iD (required for the corresponding author) and email; structured abstract with Background or Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions; keywords; JEL classification where relevant; Introduction; Literature Review; Methodology; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; Declarations (see below); References (APA 7th edition).

Formatting

Microsoft Word (.docx). A4, portrait, 2.5 cm margins. Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, justified, single column. Title in 16 pt bold. Author names in 12 pt bold. Section headings in 14 pt bold (level 1) and 12 pt bold (level 2). Figures supplied at 300 dpi, as separate files, at acceptance.

Citation style

References follow APA 7th edition guidelines. Include DOIs as https://doi.org/… whenever they exist. If you use an AI tool to draft a reference list, check every entry against the original source before submission.

Required statements (to be included before References)

Every original research article must include:

  • Funding. Funder name, country and grant number, or “This research received no external funding.”
  • Declaration of Interests. Disclose any financial, personal or institutional relationship that could influence the work, or state explicitly that none exists.
  • Ethics approval and informed consent. Name the approving body and the reference number, or explain why ethics approval was not required. Describe the consent procedures, including parental consent and child assent where applicable.
  • Data availability statement. Specify where the data behind the article can be accessed (repository name and DOI), or explain why the data cannot be shared.
  • Use of artificial intelligence. Disclose any use of AI tools used and how they were used. AI tools may help with language editing and limited brainstorming, provided such use is disclosed. AI tools may not be listed as authors and may not be used to generate or fabricate data, results, citations or analyses. Authors remain fully responsible for the manuscript.
  • CRediT author contributions. Specify each author’s contribution using the 14 CRediT roles. Mandatory from Issue No. 14 / 2026.
  • Acknowledgements. Recognise non-author contributions, such as research assistants, language editors or anonymous reviewers.

Originality and conference-derived papers

Papers previously presented at a conference may only be considered if it contains at least 30% new content, and the prior version is disclosed at submission. Preprints posted on recognised servers, such as SSRN or EdArXiv, are accepted. Authors should cite and link the preprint in the submission.

Manuscripts based on papers previously published in conference proceedings will be considered only if they contain at least 30% new content. Authors must disclose the prior conference publication at the time of submission.

After acceptance

Copyediting by the WEIK Press editorial team. Author proof approval. Preparation of the JATS XML companion file and PDF (JATS XML mandatory from Issue No. 14 / 2026). Crossref DOI registration. Preparation of the graphical abstract by the editorial team, followed by author review. Deposit of article metadata with Crossref. Metadata are then made available for indexing and discovery through services such as DOAJ, CEEOL, RePEc, ERIH PLUS, Google Scholar, and Coherent Digital.

Article withdrawal

Authors may withdraw a manuscript before final acceptance by submitting a request through ScholarOne., Once an article has been published, withdrawal is no longer possible. Only corrections, expressions of concern and retractions apply, under the procedure on /about#ethics.

Downloads

  • Manuscript template (.docx)
  • Author declarations form (.docx)
  • APA 7th edition style guide
  • Submission checklist

Download full Instructions for Authors & Article Template.