Instructions for Authors

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

You are strongly advised to take the time to read the following instructions before submitting a paper to any of the JRBS journals. 

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EDITORIAL PROCESS

This section explains the JRBS’s editorial criteria, and how our editors handle papers from submission through publication.

Publication criteria and ethics

To get published in the JRBS journals, a scientific paper should report original research, be of tremendous scientific importance, or report a finding that interests the readers in the relevant field. The originality means the main results should neither been published before nor be under consideration for publication in other journals. The papers published in the JRBS journals have a wide influence among scholars and ordinary readers.

Before submitting, all authors must also agree to the JRBS’s publication ethics.

Submission method

To reduce delays, the level, length, and format of the paper should conform with the JRBS’s requirements (Formatting guide), at submission and each revision. Papers should be submitted via our Open Journal Systems (OJS). According to the JRBS, the authors must submit their manuscripts online with institutional email addresses. Unless otherwise noted, submissions that arrive via other channels will not be processed. First-time users need to create a user account with their institutional email addresses in order to proceed.

Also, it is optional to submit a cover letter with your paper. The cover letter should highlight the importance of the paper and explain why it is suitable for the journal. Do not repeat what is already present in the abstract and introduction.

Initial evaluation

On submission, the paper is assigned to an editor covering the subject area, who will decide whether to send it for peer review. The criteria are that the work described seems novel and has immediate and far-reaching implications. The editor who has been assigned the paper will seek advice from experts in relevant fields before making the decision. The decision does not reflect the technical validity of the results reported in the paper. Neither does it indicate the importance of the paper to those in the same field.

Peer review

Once the decision has been made to peer review the paper, the editor who has been assigned the paper will select reviewers. If necessary, he/she will seek advice from editors who have lately handled papers in relevant fields. The reviewers must be independent from the authors and their institutions, able to evaluate the technical aspects of the paper, and available to evaluate the paper within the required period. Each paper will be sent to at least two reviewers.

Review decisions

In the light of reviewers’ comments, the editor who has been assigned the paper will send an email to the corresponding author via our OJS, offering one of the following options:

1.      Accept: The paper is accepted for publication without any further changes required from the authors.

2.      Minor revision: The paper is accepted for publication in principle once the authors have made some revisions according to reviewers’ comments. As no further experiment or technical work has been requested, the revised paper will not be sent back to the reviewers, but accepted for publication after the editor who has been assigned the paper has checked that the reviewers’ comments have been implemented and that the revised paper satisfies the format requirements (Formatting guide).

3.      Major revision: The paper will have a good opportunity of being accepted for publication once the authors have made significant revisions according to reviewers’ comments. In this case, further experiment or technical work are necessary to address the reviewers’ concerns. The revised paper will be sent back to one or both reviewers for a second round of review. The authors should also provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments.

4.      Rejection: The paper is rejected because the reviewers have raised considerable technical objections and/or the authors’ claim has not been adequately established.

Copy editing

Once accepted, the paper is copyedited to maximize its clarity and enhance its value. Our subeditors will recheck the grammar, spelling and format of the paper. Special care is given to papers written by non-native speakers, and special attention is paid to summary paragraphs, overall clarity, figures, and titles. The copyedited paper is expected to satisfy the following requirements: the paper is of the proper length, the terminology and notation conform to our standards, and the figures and tables are clear and fit in the space available.

Publication
Upon editorial acceptance and the reception of APC payment, we will publish the paper in the forthcoming issues of the corresponding JRBS journal.

Manuscript transfer


If the editor who has been assigned the paper is unable to offer publication of your manuscript, you can transfer all manuscript materials, the acceptance email and any reviewers’ comments to another JRBS journal without restarting the entire submission process. The new journal must cover the same field or have high relevance with the original journal. You may initiate the transfer process to the new journal or submit elsewhere.

 

FORMATTING GUIDE

This section introduces how to prepare your paper for submission to the JRBS. You are recommended to read this section and our template carefully before submitting anything to the JRBS. You are also recommended to get familiar with the JRBS’s style and content by reading our journals, either in print or online. It is strongly advised that you just replace the “content” of the template without modifying the “form”.

General requirements

Readability

The JRBS publishes multiple top-rated international journals covering a wide range of research fields. Therefore, papers should be written in clear and simple language, making them easily accessible to readers in other disciplines and for whom English is not their first language. For this purpose, technical jargons should be avoided as much as possible, and be clearly explained where their use is unavoidable. As with abbreviations, please spell out the full name upon first mention in the text and then provide the abbreviation. Non-standard abbreviations should be kept to a minimum. The background, methodology and main conclusions of the paper should be clearly explained. Titles and the abstract should be written in language that will be readily intelligible to any expert. Essential but specialized terms should be explained concisely but not didactically. To avoid unnecessary errors, you are strongly advised to use the “spell-check” and “grammar-check” functions of your word processor.

Inclusive language 

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Any paper submitted to the JRBS should make no assumption about the beliefs or commitments of any reader, should not contain anything which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of race, sex, culture or any other characteristic, and should use inclusive language throughout. Authors must ensure that writing is free from bias, for instance by using “he or she”, “his/her” instead of “he” or “his”, and by making use of job titles that are free of stereotyping (e.g. “chairperson” instead of “chairman” and “flight attendant” instead of “stewardess”).

Overall structure

Each paper should be organized in the following sequence: title, author information, abstract, keywords, introduction, methodology, results and discussion, conclusions, acknowledgements, references, nomenclature and appendix (if any). We encourage authors to incorporate these contents in a single file (Microsoft Word), and place tables and figures in a separate file. The preferred length of each paper falls between 6 and 12 pages of the JRBS journals. Each paper should contain at least 20 references.

REQUIREMENTS BY SECTION

Title. The title should be concise and informative. It does not normally contain acronyms, abbreviations, punctuation or formulae. The title should be general enough to convey the theme of the paper to readers outside of the field, and include enough details for indexing purpose.

Author information. The author information contains the name, affiliation and address of each author, plus the email of the corresponding author. The corresponding author should be identified by an asterisk symbol. The JRBS expects the identified author to coordinate the handling of corrections complaints and any other matters arising from the published paper. The author named as corresponding author is not necessarily the senior author, and publication of his or her name does not imply seniority.

Abstract. Each paper has an abstract, separate from the main text, of up to 300 words, which does not have references, and does not contain non-essential abbreviations, acronyms or measurements. The abstract should be a single paragraph and should follow the style of structured abstracts, but without headings: Purpose: Place the question addressed in a broad context and highlight the research purpose; Methodology: Describe briefly the main methods applied in the paper. Results & Conclusions: Summarize the main results of the paper and interpret them in concise words. Do not include results which are not presented and substantiated in the main text or exaggerate the main conclusions. Implications: Explain how the research findings contribute to the question addressed. 

Keywords. Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of six keywords, avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, “and” and “of”), and arrange them in alphabetic order. We recommend that the keywords are specific to the paper, yet reasonably common within the subject discipline. Do not use abbreviations unless they are firmly established in the field. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes. 

Introduction. The introduction should be succinct, with no subheadings. In this section, the study should be briefly placed in a broad context, highlighting its importance. The purpose and significance of the research should be clearly defined, including specific hypotheses being tested. The current state of the research field should be reviewed carefully, with key publications cited. Finally, the main aim, methodology and conclusions of the work should be summed up in a concise thesis statement. The introduction should be written in language that will be comprehensible to readers working outside the topic.

Methodology. The methodology section should be written as concisely as possible but should provide enough details to allow others to replicate and build on published results. New methods should be described in detail while well-established methods can be briefly introduced and properly cited. If the method from a previous paper is used, then this paper must be cited and discussed. Detailed descriptions of the method already published should be avoided; a reference number can be provided to save space, with any new addition or variation stated. If multiple methods are adopted in the work, the methodology section should be subdivided into several subsections, each providing details on a specific method.

Results and discussion. Results and discussion may be divided into subsections or may be combined. If combined, section headings should be used and subheadings may appear. This section should provide a concise and precise description of the results, their interpretation and possible conclusions that can be drawn from the results. The authors are recommended to discuss the results and how they can be interpreted in perspective of previous studies and of the working hypotheses. The findings and their implications should be discussed in the broadest context possible.

Conclusions and Recommendations. This section should clearly explain the main conclusions of the research, highlighting its importance and relevance. The limitations of the work and future research directions may also be mentioned. It must not contain anything not substantiated in the main text. Please do not make another abstract.

Acknowledgements. All acknowledgments (if any) should be included at the very end of the manuscript before the references. Do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. Anyone who contributed to the research or manuscript, but who is not a listed author, should be acknowledged. Do not include thanks to anonymous reviews and editors, inessential words, or effusive comments. All sources of funding of the study should be listed in this standard way: This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant numbers: xxxx, yyyy). It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. 

References and Citation Policy

All references must follow APA style. The reference list must appear at the end of the manuscript in alphabetical order, single-spaced, and in 10-point font size. All in-text citations must appear in the reference list, and all items in the reference list must be cited in the text.

Examples of APA References

Journal Articles

  • One author: Herrington, A. J. (1985). Classrooms as forums for reasoning and writing. College Composition and Communication, 36(4), 404-413.
  • Two authors: Horowitz, L. M., & Post, D. L. (1981). The prototype as a construct in abnormal psychology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90(6), 575-585.
  • Institutional author: Institute on Rehabilitation Issues. (1975). Critical issues in rehabilitating the severely handicapped. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 18(4), 205-213.

Books

  • One author: Castle, E. B. (1970). The teacher. London: Oxford University Press.
  • Two authors: McCandless, B. R., & Evans, E. D. (1973). Children and youth: Psychosocial development. Hinsdale, IL: Dryden Press.
  • Three or more authors: Smith, V., Barr, R., & Burke, D. (1976). Alternatives in education: Freedom to choose. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa, Educational Foundation.
  • Society, association, or institution as author: American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
  • Editor as author: Rich, J. M. (Ed.). (1972). Readings in the philosophy of education (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
  • Chapter in edited book: Medley, D. M. (1983). Teacher effectiveness. In H. E. Mitzel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of educational research (Vol. 4, pp. 1894-1903). New York: The Free Press.

Newspapers and Magazines

  • Newspaper (no author): More jobs waiting for college grads. (1986, June 17). Detroit Free Press, pp. 1A, 3A.
  • Magazine (one author): Powledge, T. M. (1983, July). The importance of being twins. Psychology Today, 19, 20-27.
  • Magazine (no author): CBS invades Cuba, returns with Irakere: Havana jam. (1979, May 3). Down Beat, 10.

Microforms

  • ERIC report: Plantes, M. K. (1979). The effect of work experience on young men’s earnings (Report No. IRP-DP-567-79). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, Institute for Research on Poverty. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED183687).
  • ERIC paper: Whipple, W. S. (1977, January). Changing attitude through behavior modification. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, New Orleans, LA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED146500).

Internet article based on a print source (exact duplicate) with DOI assigned

  • Stultz, J. (2006). Integrating exposure therapy and analytic therapy in trauma treatment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 482-488. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.482

Article in an Internet only journal with no DOI assigned

  • Sillick, T. J., & Schutte, N. S. (2006). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(2), 38-48. Retrieved from http://ojs.lib.swin.edu.au/index.php/ejap/article/view/71/100

Daily newspaper article, electronic version available by search

  • Botha, T. (1999, February 21). The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and me. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Webpage

  • Raymon H. Mulford Library, The University of Toledo Health Science Campus. (2008). Instructions to authors in the health sciences. Retrieved June 17, 2008, from http://mulford.mco.edu/instr/

Annual report

  • Pearson PLC. (2005). Reading allowed: Annual review and summary financial statements 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pearson.com/investor/ar2004/pdfs/summary_report_2004.pdf

 

Citation Policy

Authors must ensure that all external material is properly cited and that necessary permissions are obtained. Excessive self-citation must be avoided, as well as citing materials without having read them. Authors must not show bias by disproportionately citing their own, their colleagues’, or their institutions’ work. Advertising or promotional citations are not permitted. As per COPE guidelines, any verbatim text from another source must be placed within quotation marks and cited appropriately. The same applies to the author’s own previously published material.

Special requirements

Equations.
You are strongly recommended to use MathType to edit equations, and submit equations as editable text and not as images. Microsoft Equation Editor is also acceptable. An equation should not be partly text and partly MathType, or partly MathType and party Microsoft Equation Editor. “Float over text” should not be selected. Avoid redundant spacings or punctuations that may undermine the display of equations. Number consecutively any equations that must be displayed separately from the text, if referred to explicitly in the text. Specific formats of equations are given in our template.

Tables.
Create tables using Microsoft Word embedded functions or export Microsoft Excel tables. Do not create tables by hand using multiple spaces or tabs and containing no cells. Every table must have a descriptive title and if numerical measurements are given, the units should be included in the column heading. Tables have a short, one-line title in bold text. 

At initial submission, tables and figures should be placed in a separate file. The table quality should be good enough to be assessed by reviewers. Before publication, all tables should be inserted into the main text close to their first citation and must be numbered following their number of appearance (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Specific formats of Tables are given in our template.

Figures.

A short, explanatory caption should be placed directly below the figure. Ensure that the caption is on the same page with the figure. The JRBS requires figures in electronic format. Figures should be as small and simple as possible, without sacrificing clarity. Avoid unnecessary complexity, coloring and excessive details. 

Lettering in figures should be in lower-case type, with the first letter capitalized and no full stop. Units should have a single space between the number and the unit, and follow SI nomenclature. Thousands should be separated by commas (1,000). 

At initial submission, figures and tables should be placed in a separate file. The figure quality should be good enough to be assessed by reviewers. Before publication, all figures should be inserted into the main text close to their first citation and must be numbered following their number of appearance (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Specific formats of figures are given in our template.

Measurement units.

Units of measurement should be presented simply and concisely, following the International System of Units (SI). Imperial, US customary and other units should be converted to SI units whenever possible. Units of measure are separated from numbers by a space. Specific formats of measurement units are given in our template.