Submission Suggestions

To help us check your manuscript faster, please try to do the following.

Format

  1. Font size: 12 point for text (headings and titles may be larger).
  2. Line spacing: 1.5-2.0.
  3. Left and right margins: 2.5-3.0 cm. Top and bottom margins: 2.5 cm or more.

Paragraph Points (Optional)

If you have already written your manuscript, then disregard the following suggestions. But if you have not yet finished, please consider these suggestions; they will help you write better and help us edit your manuscript faster. Thank you!

  1. Number your paragraphs, starting with the introduction and ending with the conclusion or appendix. Use any style you like (e.g., "1' The study ..." or "1-The study ..."), and if the numbers add to your word count, we will automatically subtract the number of paragraphs from your word count. See the sample manuscript here. Table and figure captions need no numbers.
  2. Make a "paragraph points" file giving your intended point or purpose of each paragraph. The point or purpose should be just one statement, preferrably brief. Number them to correspond to the numbering in 4) above. (For the above sample manuscript, the paragraph points are here.) When you submit your manuscript files, also send your paragraph points file.

Think of the paragraph points file as a post-outline for the manuscript. Making a similar outline before you start will help you organize your ideas. These ideas are easily viewed in an outline, making it much easier for you to better connect the ideas by adding or removing things and moving things around. (More suggestions about outline-making are at the writing tips page.)

In the paragraph points sample, notice how each point often comes from the first or last sentence of the paragraph. Try to write your paragraphs this way.