1. General format (submission stage)

• File type: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx)

• Font: Times New Roman, 11–12 pt, used consistently

• Line spacing: Single spacing 

• Alignment: Left-aligned

• Page numbers: Optional at submission

• Paragraphs: Optional at submission, but we advise authors to use the template enclosed

Language

• Manuscripts must be submitted and published in English and must be written in clear, accurate academic English.
• Each manuscript must include an English title, abstract, and keywords, together with an additional abstract in the author"s first language, where applicable.
• Bibliographic information for works published in non-Roman scripts must be provided in Romanised form. An English translation of the title should be provided in square brackets where appropriate.

 

 

2. JoLIE layout for revised manuscripts and final publication

The final published version follows the established JoLIE print format:

• Page size: 17 × 24 cm

• Margins: 2 cm on all sides

• Header: 1.27 cm

• Font: Times New Roman

• Paragraphs: The first paragraph following a heading is not indented. Subsequent paragraphs have a first-line indentation of 1.27 cm (0.5 inch).

Font sizes in the final version:

• Title and author name(s): 12 pt

• Affiliation: 11 pt

• Abstract and keywords: 10 pt

• Main text: 11 pt

• References: 10 pt

Authors are not required to apply these settings at initial submission. Following the first round of blind review, authors submitting a revised manuscript are required to use the JoLIE template provided.

 

3. Manuscript files for double-anonymised review

Authors must submit three separate Microsoft Word files:

1. Title page, including:

   • Article title

   • Author name(s)

   • Institutional affiliation(s)

   • Corresponding author’s email address

   • ORCID (mandatory)

   • Short biographical note(s) (100–150 words)

2. Anonymous manuscript, containing:

   • No author names or affiliations

   • No acknowledgements or identifying funding information

   • Self-references written in the third person, in the same manner as references to other authors. Full reference details must be retained in the reference list.

3. A submission declaration, in which the author(s) formally confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, is not under consideration by another journal or publisher, and will not be submitted elsewhere while it is under review by JoLIE.

Please submit only the these three Word documents, preferably titled:  1. Title page; 2. Anonymous manuscript; 3. Submission declaration

 

4. Required manuscript structure 

Manuscripts should follow the JoLIE structure specified below and include the following elements, in this order:

• Title

• Abstract (English)

• Keywords (5–7 words in alphabetical order)

• Main text (using the JoLIE heading system described below)

• References

• Tables and figures (placed close to where they are first mentioned in the text)

• Appendices (if any)

Journal-specific structural guidance
The main text should be divided into clearly defined sections using appropriate JoLIE heading levels. Authors are strongly encouraged to organise their papers under the following headings, where appropriate to the nature of the study:

• Introduction

• Literature Review

• Research Methodology

• Results and Interpretation

• Conclusions and Recommendations

Subsections may be used as necessary.

Additional requirement:
An additional abstract in the author’s first language should be provided, where applicable, as a separate section following the English abstract.

Before References, there are further required sections that authors need to provide information on:

Acknowledgements

Acknowledge individuals or organisations that contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship, including technical, administrative, editorial, or other assistance. If there are no acknowledgements, this section may be omitted.

Authors’ Contributions

Briefly describe each author’s contribution to the work (e.g., study conception and design, methodology, data collection, analysis and interpretation, writing, review and editing, supervision, or project administration).

Data Availability Statement

Indicate whether and where the data supporting the study are available (e.g., in a public repository, as supplementary material, or upon reasonable request). If not applicable, this should be stated.

Funding

State the source(s) of financial support for the study, including the funder name and grant number where applicable. If no funding was received, this should be explicitly stated.

Ethics Approval

For studies involving humans or animals, provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval/reference number, where applicable. If ethical approval was not required, this should be stated.

AI Use Disclosure

If generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the preparation of the manuscript, disclose the name of the tool(s) and briefly describe how they were used (e.g., language editing, translation, summarisation, or idea generation). Authors are responsible for reviewing and verifying all content and remain fully responsible for the submitted manuscript. If no generative AI tools were used, state: “The authors declare that no generative AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.”

Conflicts of Interest

Disclose any financial, professional, or personal interests that could be perceived as influencing the work. If there are no conflicts of interest, this should be explicitly stated.

 

5. Abstract and keywords

• Abstract length: 150–250 words

• Keywords: 5–7 keywords (in alphabetical order)

• An additional abstract in the author’s first language, where applicable, should follow the English abstract.

 

6. Headings 

JoLIE uses a numbered heading system for structuring manuscripts.

• Level 1: Left-aligned, Bold, Title Case

• Level 2: Left-aligned, Bold, Sentence case

• Level 3: Left-aligned, Bold, Sentence case, Separate line, No extra spacing after (tight paragraph follows)

 

7. Numbers, abbreviations, and language

Authors should follow APA 7 rules regarding numbers, abbreviations, capitalization, and inclusive, bias-free language. British spelling will be used consistently throughout the manuscript.

 

8. In-text citations 

• Parenthetical: (Popescu, 2004) or (Popescu, 2004, p. 45)

• Narrative: Popescu (2004) argues that…

• Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2020)

• Three or more authors: (Kramer et al., 2023)

• Multiple citations: (Allan, 2020; Jones, 2019)

 

9. Reference list 

• Section title: References (bold, left-aligned)

• References should be listed in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname

• Single-spaced throughout

• Use no hanging indent

• Include DOIs in URL format where available

• Reference entries should otherwise follow APA 7th edition conventions

References to works published in non-Roman scripts must provide the bibliographic information in Romanised form. An English translation of the title should be provided in square brackets where appropriate.

Reference accuracy: Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete, and verifiable, and that every source cited in the text appears in the reference list and vice versa. Fabricated, hallucinated, unverifiable, substantially inaccurate, or systematically incomplete references may result in rejection of the manuscript. References must conform to APA 7th edition conventions and JoLIE’s formatting requirements.

Examples:

• Journal article:
  Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Book:
  Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition if applicable). Publisher.

• Chapter in edited book:
  Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Webpage:
  Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

 

10. Tables and figures 

• Number tables and figures consecutively in the order they appear (Table 1, Figure 1, etc.)

• Place tables and figures close to where they are first mentioned in the text.

• Tables: Use the table format provided in the JoLIE template. Table captions should be in sentence case and placed above the table. The first row should contain bold column headings; all other table text should be in regular font. Maintain the formatting, alignment, borders, spacing, and font used in the template.

• Figures: Centre figures and place the figure number and caption below the figure. Figure captions should be in sentence case.

• Place source or explanatory notes below the table and copyright acknowledgements where required.

 

11. Quotations

• Fewer than 40 words: integrated into the text with quotation marks and citation (Author, year, p. x)

• 40 words or more: block quotation, indented, no quotation marks, with citation after final punctuation

 

12. Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission for any third-party copyrighted material and for including credit lines exactly as required by the rights holders.

 

13. Length

JoLIE accepts manuscripts of 7,000–9,000 words, including references and appendices, unless otherwise specified by the editors.