Manuscript requirements

• File format: Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx). PDF files are not accepted as source files.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt for the body text.
• Line spacing: Single (1.0), set via paragraph settings.
• Paragraph spacing: No extra space before or after paragraphs (set to 0).
• Page layout: Single-column, justified alignment.
• Length: Articles must be between 8 and 15 pages, including all figures, tables, and references.

Structure: All manuscripts must strictly follow the IMRAD format, with bold, numbered section headings in 14 pt:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methods
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion

Abstract and keywords

• Abstract: 250–300 words, written as a single self-contained paragraph summarizing the research aim, methods, results, and conclusions. A structured form (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions) is encouraged; the headings may be omitted provided the overall sense is preserved. The heading “Abstract” is set in 12 pt, bold, italic.
• Keywords: 4–6 relevant terms that reflect the main topics of the manuscript, listed right after the abstract and separated by commas (12 pt).

Title page elements

The title page must include, in the following order:

• Thematic section (bold, 14 pt) — select one of the journal’s five thematic areas.
• Type of paper (Research article, Review, etc.) — 12 pt.
• DOI link — 12 pt.
• Article title (bold, 16 pt, centered).
• For each author: full name (bold, 14 pt, centered); academic status/degree (12 pt); e-mail (12 pt); ORCID ID (12 pt).
• Affiliation — institution, city, country (bold, italic, 14 pt, centered).
• Corresponding author designation.
• “How to cite” entry (12 pt).
• Dates of submission (Received), revision (Revised), and acceptance (Accepted).
• Creative Commons License declaration (CC BY 4.0).

Figures and tables

Figures:

• Must be submitted as separate image files (.JPG, .PNG, .TIFF).
• Recommended resolution: line art 1000 dpi; photos 300 dpi; mixed 500 dpi.
• Each figure must be cited in the text (e.g., as shown in Figure 1), numbered, and captioned below the figure (12 pt). A “Source:” note, where applicable, is given in 10 pt.

Tables:

• Must be editable Word tables, not images.
• Font: 11 pt inside the table; 12 pt for the caption above (e.g., Table 1. Title).
• Numbered consecutively; avoid vertical lines and unnecessary shading.
• A “Source:” note should appear in 10 pt below the table.

Equations and formulas: numbered consecutively, with all variables defined.

Citations and references

• In-text citations must be shown using square brackets [1], [2–3], etc., in the order of appearance.
• References must follow APA style, in Times New Roman 10 pt. The manuscript must include at least 15–20 relevant and up-to-date references. The “References” heading is set in 14 pt, bold.

Examples:

• Journal article: Bouoiyour, J., Selmi, R., & Wohar, M.E. (2019). Safe Havens in the Face of Presidential Election Uncertainty. Applied Economics, 51(57), 6076–6088. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2019.1645289
• Book chapter: Arrow, K.J. (1999). Information and the Organization of Industry. In G. Chichilnisky (Ed.), Markets, information, and uncertainty (pp. 16–25). Cambridge University Press.
• Conference proceedings: Hu, Q. (2022). Towards a virtual business ecosystem in the Metaverse Era. ISMAR-Adjunct (pp. 27–29). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMAR-Adjunct57072.2022.00016
• Use reference managers (Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero) and remove field codes before submission.

Declarations (end of the manuscript)

After the Conclusion and before the References, the following sections must be included (12 pt):

• Author Contributions — using the CRediT taxonomy; required for papers with more than one author.
• Conflicts of Interest.
•  
• Acknowledgements (if applicable).
• Data Availability Statement.
• Appendices (Appendix A, B) — optional.

Resources and templates

You can download the official Word template, citation samples, and other required documents from the Resources section of the journal website.

Final checks

Before submission, ensure the following:

• Single (1.0) line spacing is set, with no extra space before/after paragraphs.
• Correct font sizes: title 16 pt; section headings, author names and affiliations 14 pt; body 12 pt; tables 11 pt; sources and references 10 pt.
• Thematic section, type of paper, DOI, and the “How to cite” entry are included on the title page.
• In-text citations are numbered [n] in order of appearance.
• APA reference style with DOIs or permanent links; at least 15–20 references.
• Figures and tables are properly labeled and cited; tables are editable Word tables.
• IMRAD structure is strictly followed.
• Required declarations (Author Contributions, Conflicts of Interest, Funding, Data Availability Statement) are included.

Manuscript length is 8–15 pages.