Author Guidelines

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

The International Journal of Research and Community Empowerment (IJoRCE) publishes scholarly works related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Education within the journal's Focus and Scope. Authors must follow these Author Guidelines, the latest official IJoRCE Manuscript Template, and all applicable editorial and publication policies.

1. Manuscript Types

IJoRCE accepts:

1. Original Research Articles;
2. Review Articles, including Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses; and
3. Comments and Criticism concerning articles previously published in IJoRCE.

Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication by another journal or publisher.

2. Submission and Authorship

Manuscripts must be submitted through the IJoRCE Online Journal System (OJS):

https://journal.edupartnerpublishing.co.id/index.php/ijorce

Authors experiencing technical difficulties may contact the Editorial Team at [email protected].

Manuscripts must be written by at least two authors, preferably from different institutions and countries. All listed authors must have made genuine scholarly contributions to the research and/or preparation of the manuscript.

Author contributions must be reported using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy). The author list and author order must be agreed upon before submission and must comply with the IJoRCE Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

The Corresponding Author must be clearly identified and serves as the primary contact with the journal throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, production, and publication processes.

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange authors after submission are subject to editorial evaluation and must comply with the IJoRCE Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

3. Language, Length, and Typography

The manuscript must be written in English and should generally be 5–15 pages in length.

The manuscript must be prepared on A4 paper (210 × 297 mm) using the latest official IJoRCE Manuscript Template.

Unless otherwise specified in the template:

• the main text must use Times New Roman, 11 pt;
• line spacing must be single;
• paragraphs must be justified;
• the manuscript title must use Times New Roman, 11 pt, bold;
• author names must be written in full without academic titles or degrees;
• each author must provide complete affiliation information and email address; and
• the Corresponding Author must be clearly identified.

Authors must follow the margins, indentation, heading styles, layout, and other technical requirements provided in the latest official IJoRCE Manuscript Template.

4. Abstract, Keywords, and SDGs

The abstract must be written in English using Times New Roman, 11 pt, italic and must not exceed 300 words.

The abstract should concisely include:

• background problem;
• research objective;
• brief methods;
• main results or findings;
• conclusion; and
• potential impact or contribution to the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The abstract must not contain citations, tables, figures, formulas, or unexplained abbreviations.

Authors must provide 2–5 keywords and identify at least two SDGs directly relevant to the research.

The relationship between the research and the selected SDGs must be substantive and supported by the content of the manuscript.

5. Manuscript Structure

Original Research Articles should generally contain:

Title; Authors and Affiliations; Abstract; Keywords; SDGs; Introduction; Method; Results and Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgement, where applicable; Author Contributions; Data Availability Statement; Declaration of Competing Interest; Declaration of Ethics; Declaration of Assistive Technologies in the Writing Process; and References.

Review Articles should follow an appropriate scholarly structure consistent with the review methodology used.

Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses should adequately describe the search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, source-selection process, data extraction, analytical methods, and other methodological components appropriate to the review design.

Comments and Criticism should follow a structure appropriate to scholarly commentary, criticism, clarification, or academic discussion concerning an article previously published in IJoRCE.

Authors must not remove required declarations from the manuscript.

6. Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion

Introduction

The Introduction must contain the state of the art, gap analysis, and research objectives.

Authors should use sufficient relevant scholarly literature, including at least 10 scientific articles, to establish an appropriate state of the art.

The state of the art should discuss relevant previous studies and developments in the field. The gap analysis should identify the research problem, scholarly gap, limitations of previous studies, or unresolved issues that justify the study and demonstrate its novelty or contribution.

The final part of the Introduction must clearly state the research objectives and/or research questions.

Excessive general definitions, broad theoretical descriptions, and textbook-style explanations should be avoided.

Method

The Method must describe the study in sufficient detail so that the research procedures can be understood, evaluated, and, where appropriate, reproduced by other researchers.

The Method should include, where relevant:

• research design;
• research procedures;
• research setting or context;
• data sources or participants;
• sampling techniques and procedures;
• data collection techniques;
• research instruments;
• instrument validity and reliability procedures;
• intervention or treatment procedures, where applicable;
• data analysis techniques; and
• software or analytical tools used, where relevant.

Commonly established methods or procedures do not need to be described excessively, but appropriate references should be provided where necessary.

Where applicable, the Method section should report relevant ethical considerations, including Ethical Clearance, institutional permission, informed consent, or an ethical self-declaration.

For low or negligible risk research where formal Ethical Clearance is not required, authors should state the basis for non-requirement and the relevant institutional permission obtained, where applicable.

Further requirements concerning research ethics must comply with the IJoRCE Ethical Clearance and Research Ethics Policy and the statements provided in the official IJoRCE Manuscript Template.

Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion must be presented as an integrated section.

The Results should clearly present the main findings and may be supported by tables, figures, graphs, statistical analyses, qualitative findings, or other relevant evidence.

Results should not merely reproduce raw data but should emphasize findings directly related to the research objectives or research questions.

The Discussion should:

• address the research problem or research questions;
• interpret the findings;
• explain the meaning of the findings;
• relate the findings to relevant theories and previous studies;
• explain agreements, differences, or unexpected findings;
• identify the scholarly contribution of the study; and
• where relevant, develop or modify existing theoretical or practical understanding.

The Results and Discussion should address what was found, why it was found, and what else the findings imply.

At least 10 relevant scholarly references are recommended in the Discussion to support a sufficiently comprehensive interpretation of the findings.

The limitations of the study should be clearly stated before the final part of the Results and Discussion.

The final paragraph should explain the implications of the findings for the relevant SDGs, including their potential contribution to education, community empowerment, policy, research, or sustainable development.

Conclusion

The Conclusion must be concise, written in paragraph form, and directly answer the research objectives and/or research questions.

The Conclusion must not merely repeat the Abstract, Results, or Discussion.

The Conclusion should emphasize the principal findings or scholarly contribution of the study. Appropriate directions for future research may be stated where relevant but should not be presented as an extensive recommendation section.

7. Figures, Tables, Equations, and Technical Format

Figures, photographs, graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, schemes, flowcharts, and other visual materials must be relevant to the manuscript, clearly presented, referred to in the text, and discussed where appropriate.

Visual materials must be of sufficient quality and resolution for publication.

Figure captions must be placed below the figure using Times New Roman, 10 pt, centered, and single-spaced.

Table titles must be placed above the table. Tables should generally use Times New Roman, 10 pt and single spacing. Font size may be adjusted where necessary to maintain readability.

Tables should contain clear column and row headings.

Diagrams, schemes, charts, and flowcharts should use Times New Roman, generally 10 pt, and must remain clearly legible.

Decimal values must include a leading zero, for example 0.333, not .333.

Mathematical equations must be prepared using Microsoft Equation Editor, MathType, or an equivalent equation editor.

Equations should be numbered sequentially, with the equation number placed on the right.

The International System of Units (SI) and standard scientific abbreviations must be used.

Abbreviations should be defined at first use unless they are commonly recognized.

Footnotes are not allowed.

All figures, tables, equations, and other numbered elements must be referred to in the manuscript text.

Detailed technical formatting must follow the latest official IJoRCE Manuscript Template.

8. Acknowledgement, Contributions, Data, and Declarations

The Acknowledgement section is optional but must be included when the research receives grant funding or other financial or non-financial support.

Where funding was received, authors should disclose the funding institution, grant or funding scheme, grant or contract number, and other relevant funding information.

Individuals or institutions that contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged where appropriate.

Every manuscript must include:

• Author Contributions using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy);
• Data Availability Statement;
• Declaration of Competing Interest;
• Declaration of Ethics; and
• Declaration of Assistive Technologies in the Writing Process.

These declarations must accurately reflect the circumstances of the research and must follow the format provided in the official IJoRCE Manuscript Template.

Authors must not remove mandatory declaration sections from the manuscript.

9. Research Ethics, Privacy, and Identifiable Materials

Research involving human participants, animals, communities, institutions, vulnerable groups, personal data, or other subjects requiring ethical oversight must comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, and relevant regulations.

IJoRCE does not require formal Ethical Clearance for every type of research. The requirement for Ethical Clearance depends on the nature of the study, level of risk, type of participants or data involved, and applicable institutional or ethics committee requirements.

Where formal Ethical Clearance is required, authors must report:

• the name of the approving institution or ethics committee;
• the Ethical Clearance or ethical approval number; and
• the year of approval.

Ethical Clearance must be obtained before the research is conducted when such approval is required.

For low or negligible risk research where formal Ethical Clearance is not required under applicable institutional requirements, authors should state the basis for non-requirement.

Permission from the relevant school, university, institution, community, or other research setting must be obtained and reported where applicable.

Research involving participants must continue to apply appropriate ethical safeguards, including:

• voluntary participation;
• informed consent where applicable;
• parental or guardian consent and participant assent where applicable;
• protection of privacy and confidentiality;
• protection of vulnerable groups; and
• fair treatment of participants.

Personal information, identifiable data, photographs, images, recordings, screenshots, documents, and other identifiable materials must be appropriately protected.

Where identification is unnecessary for the scholarly purpose of the manuscript, identifiable features should be appropriately anonymized or obscured.

Privacy-protecting modifications such as blurring faces, masking identifying information, anonymizing names, or cropping images are permitted provided that they do not alter, fabricate, or misrepresent the scholarly or scientific meaning of the material.

Where publication of identifiable materials requires specific consent or permission, authors are responsible for obtaining the appropriate consent or permission before manuscript submission.

10. AI and Assistive Technologies

Where Gen AI, AI-assisted technologies, or other assistive technologies are used in the research or preparation of the manuscript, authors must disclose:

• the name of each tool; and
• the actual function or purpose for which the tool was used.

All AI-generated or AI-assisted outputs must be independently reviewed, verified, and edited by the authors.

Authors must verify the accuracy of facts, interpretations, data, calculations, quotations, citations, references, and other information generated or suggested by AI-assisted technologies.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, ethical compliance, scholarly validity, and final content of the manuscript.

The use of Gen AI or AI-assisted technologies must not result in fabricated data, fabricated references, misleading information, plagiarism, inappropriate paraphrasing, undisclosed manipulation, or other forms of research or publication misconduct.

All use of AI and assistive technologies must comply with the IJoRCE Gen AI Utilization Policy.

11. References

The reference list must contain at least 20 references.

References must be relevant, accurate, verifiable, traceable, and derived from legitimate scholarly sources. Authors should prioritize primary, recent, and reputable scholarly literature.

References should generally meet the following criteria:

• at least 80% are primary scholarly sources;
• at least 80% are up-to-date references, generally published within the last 10 years; and
• more than 75% are from reputable international journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science, where applicable to the manuscript type and field.

Older references may be used where they represent foundational theories, landmark studies, established instruments, or other essential scholarly sources.

All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and all references listed must be cited in the manuscript.

Authors are strongly recommended to use Mendeley, EndNote, or Zotero and must follow the APA citation style specified by IJoRCE.

Where available, a DOI or appropriate persistent link should be provided.

Authors are responsible for verifying every reference before submission.

References and citations that are fabricated, non-existent, irrelevant, unverifiable, manipulated, misleading, or AI-hallucinated are prohibited.

12. Comments and Criticism

The Comments and Criticism section forms part of IJoRCE's post-publication mechanism and provides a forum for scholarly comments, critical responses, academic clarification, and scientific discussion concerning articles previously published in IJoRCE.

Comments and Criticism must clearly identify the IJoRCE article being discussed and present arguments that are focused, relevant, evidence-based, and constructive.

Comments and Criticism may address, among other matters:

• interpretation of results or conclusions;
• methodological or analytical aspects;
• theoretical or conceptual foundations;
• relevance or implications of the findings;
• limitations, inconsistencies, or possible errors requiring clarification; or
• other scholarly issues directly related to the article being discussed.

Comments or criticisms should be supported by scholarly reasoning and verifiable sources where appropriate.

Comments and Criticism must not be used for personal attacks, abusive or demeaning language, unsupported allegations, personal disputes, or matters without scholarly relevance to the article being discussed.

Where a Comments and Criticism submission is considered appropriate for further consideration, the Authors of the Original Article may be invited to submit an Author Response.

An Author Response provides the Original Authors with an opportunity to address the scholarly issues raised in the Comments and Criticism. The response must focus on academic substance and must not be used to attack or discredit the commenting Authors.

Comments and Criticism and the related Author Response may be published within the same section so that readers have appropriate scholarly context for the discussion.

Comments and Criticism and Author Responses remain subject to the journal's standards concerning academic integrity, transparency, competing interests, source use, and publication ethics.

Where post-publication discussion identifies an error or concern that may affect the integrity of the published article, the IJoRCE Editorial Team may consider further editorial action in accordance with the IJoRCE Research Misconduct and Post-Publication Policy.

This mechanism is intended to promote scholarly discussion, critical evaluation, transparency, scientific correction where necessary, and constructive academic dialogue after publication.

13. Peer Review, Reviewer Recommendation, and Submission Files

Manuscripts passing the initial editorial screening are evaluated through double-blind peer review by at least two or three independent Peer Reviewers with relevant expertise.

Authors may recommend prospective reviewers whose expertise is relevant to the submitted manuscript. If a Reviewer Recommendation is submitted, authors are encouraged to recommend at least three and up to five prospective reviewers. Recommended reviewers should not have the same affiliation as any author and should not be members of the current IJoRCE Peer Reviewer Team.

The Editorial Team is not obligated to use reviewers recommended by the authors.

In addition to the manuscript file in DOC or DOCX format, authors must upload the following as separate PDF files:

1. Statement of Manuscript Authenticity; and
2. Author's CV.

The following supplementary files are optional:

1. Reviewer Recommendation; and
2. Self-Evaluation Form.

The Corresponding Author and/or First Author must complete and sign the Statement of Manuscript Authenticity and is responsible for the accuracy of the declarations made on behalf of the authors.

Authors must always use the latest official IJoRCE Manuscript Template for detailed manuscript preparation, declarations, examples, supplementary documents, and technical formatting requirements.

IJoRCE Editorial Team
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://journal.edupartnerpublishing.co.id/index.php/ijorce