Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. Scope, eligibility and originality

Digital Society, Governance & Development considers manuscripts that make a clear scholarly contribution within the journal’s stated aims and scope. Submissions must be original, accurate, ethically prepared and written so that editors and reviewers can evaluate the claims, methods and evidence without relying on undisclosed information.

A manuscript must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Submission confirms that all listed authors have approved the submitted version, agree with the authorship order, accept responsibility for their contributions and have disclosed relevant competing interests and prior dissemination.

Preprints, theses, conference abstracts and working papers do not automatically prevent consideration, but they must be disclosed. Substantial overlap with previously published work must be explained and cited. Duplicate publication, fabricated data, plagiarism, manipulated peer review and undisclosed redundant publication are not acceptable.

Manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope, lack essential ethical or methodological information, contain unverifiable references, or do not meet minimum presentation standards may be returned before external peer review.

2. Article types and length limits

Authors must select the article type that best matches the manuscript. Word limits apply to the main text and normally exclude the abstract, references, figure legends, table contents, acknowledgements, funding statement and supplementary material. Editors may request shortening or permit modest extensions when scientifically justified.

A journal may decline a submission at initial screening when the chosen article type does not match the manuscript’s purpose, evidence base or structure. Authors should not select a shorter article type solely to avoid providing necessary methodological detail.

3. Manuscript presentation and file preparation

3.1 Required typography and page setup

• Use Constantia throughout the manuscript. Main text must be 10 pt; the manuscript title must be 12 pt; headings and subtitles must be 11 pt. Do not use Arial, Times New Roman or mixed body fonts.
• Use A4 page size with margins of approximately 2.54 cm on all sides and 1.5 line spacing during peer review. Do not add decorative borders, coloured page backgrounds or publisher-style artwork to the manuscript.
• Number all pages consecutively and enable continuous line numbering in the review version. Paragraph text should be left aligned, with consistent spacing and no manual tab-based layout.
• Use no more than four practical heading levels. Headings should be descriptive and parallel in style; avoid headings that consist only of numbers, abbreviations or vague labels.

3.2 Submission files

For double-anonymous peer review, authors should normally upload a separate title page and an anonymised main manuscript. The title page contains author information; the review manuscript must not contain names, affiliations, acknowledgements, self-identifying file properties or statements that reveal identity unnecessarily.

• Title page: manuscript title, running title, all authors, affiliations, ORCID iDs, corresponding author, author contributions, funding and conflicts where requested.
• Anonymised manuscript: title, abstract, keywords, main text, declarations that can be safely blinded, references, tables and figure legends.
• Figures: uploaded individually when requested, in publication-quality formats.
• Supplementary material: uploaded as separate, clearly named files.
• Response to reviewers: required for revisions and organised point by point.

File names should be concise, descriptive and preferably under 80 characters, for example Main_Manuscript.docx, Title_Page.docx, Figure_1.png or Supplementary_Table_S1.xlsx. Avoid names such as finalfinal2.docx or image-new-latest.jpg.

4. Manuscript title, abstract, keywords and scope statement

4.1 Title and running title

The full title must be specific, informative and no longer than 160 characters including spaces. It should identify the central phenomenon, system, population, intervention, method or outcome as appropriate. Avoid unexplained abbreviations, citations, equations, excessive punctuation, promotional claims and vague formulations such as “A study of” or “Some observations on.”

Provide a running title of no more than 60 characters including spaces. The running title should preserve the core topic without repeating the full manuscript title.

4.2 Abstract

The abstract must be self-contained, accurate and consistent with the manuscript. It must not contain citations, footnotes, table or figure references, undefined abbreviations or claims that are not supported in the main text. Word limits depend on article type.

Original Research should normally use a structured abstract with Background or Context, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Systematic reviews should use a structured abstract appropriate to the review design. Reviews, Perspectives, Policy Analyses and Editorials normally use a single unstructured paragraph unless the journal specifies otherwise.

4.3 Keywords

Provide 5–7 keywords. Select terms that improve discoverability and represent the principal subject, population, technique, technology, policy domain or outcome. Avoid repeating the title word for word. Spell out uncommon abbreviations.

4.4 Scope statement

Provide a 150–200 word scope statement in the submission system explaining the manuscript’s main contribution, its fit with the selected journal, and the readership that will benefit from the work. The scope statement is used for editorial screening and is not normally published. Keep it under approximately 1,500 characters where the submission interface imposes a character limit.

5. Authors, affiliations, ORCID and contributions

5.1 Authorship

Authorship is reserved for individuals who made substantial intellectual contributions to the work, participated sufficiently to take responsibility for relevant content, approved the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for the integrity of the publication. General supervision, routine technical support, provision of funding or administrative assistance alone does not normally justify authorship.

All authors must agree to the submitted author order. Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission require a written explanation and agreement from all affected authors; after acceptance, such changes will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

5.2 Names, affiliations and corresponding author

Enter author names exactly as they should appear in publication and indexing systems. Affiliations should follow the form: Department or Unit, Institution or Organisation, City, Country. Do not include street addresses in affiliations. Use superscript numbers to map authors to multiple affiliations where necessary.

At least one author must be designated as corresponding author. Provide a stable email address, preferably institutional. The corresponding author is responsible for submission, revision, proof approval and communication with co-authors and the journal.

5.3 ORCID and contributor roles

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide an authenticated ORCID iD. Contributor statements should use clear role descriptions and may follow the CRediT taxonomy, including Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project Administration and Funding Acquisition.

6. Structure of original research manuscripts

6.1 Introduction

The Introduction should establish the scholarly context, explain the significance of the problem, synthesise the most relevant evidence, identify the unresolved issue and state the purpose of the study. It should remain focused and should not become a full literature review. Where relevant, end with clearly stated objectives, research questions or hypotheses.

6.2 Materials and Methods / Methodology

Describe the design, setting, population or materials, sampling, instruments, procedures, interventions, measures, software, statistical analyses and analytical decisions in sufficient detail for expert evaluation and, where feasible, replication. Identify software by name and version when it materially affects reproducibility. Cite established methods and explain modifications.

For quantitative studies, define primary and secondary outcomes, statistical models, assumptions, missing-data handling and significance thresholds. For qualitative studies, explain participant selection, data generation, researcher role where relevant, coding or analytical procedures and strategies supporting credibility or trustworthiness. For computational work, report datasets, preprocessing, model configuration, training, validation and evaluation procedures.

6.3 Results / Findings

Report findings in a logical order without unnecessary repetition of complete tables or figures. Provide appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics, effect sizes and uncertainty measures where relevant. Exact p values are preferred where meaningful. Do not describe association as causation unless the design supports causal inference.

6.4 Discussion

Interpret the principal findings in relation to the research question and existing evidence. Explain agreements and disagreements with previous work, theoretical or practical implications, plausible alternative interpretations and study limitations. Separate evidence from speculation and avoid overstating novelty or generalisability.

6.5 Conclusion

The Conclusion should synthesise the study’s main contribution and implications without repeating the abstract or introducing new evidence. Conclusions must remain proportionate to the design, sample, analytical methods and uncertainty of the results.

7. Requirements for reviews, editorials and other article types

7.1 Review articles

Review articles should define a clear scope, use a transparent approach to identifying and selecting literature, synthesise rather than catalogue studies, identify areas of agreement and disagreement, and explain implications for research or practice. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must report search strategy, eligibility criteria, screening, extraction, appraisal and synthesis methods in sufficient detail.

7.2 Editorials and perspectives

Editorials should present an evidence-informed scholarly argument, define an important issue, synthesise current challenges, identify research or practice priorities and remain clearly distinguishable from original empirical research. They should not include invented Methods or Results sections. Perspectives may advance a reasoned interpretation or future agenda but must separate evidence from opinion.

7.3 Short communications, methods and case-based articles

Short Communications must report a focused contribution with sufficient methodological detail to evaluate the evidence. Methods or Technical Articles must demonstrate the utility, validation and limitations of the method. Case Studies must explain why the case is analytically informative and avoid presenting an isolated example as broadly generalisable evidence.

8. Reporting standards and methodological transparency

Authors should use recognised reporting guidelines appropriate to the study design. Examples include CONSORT for randomised trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STROBE for observational health research, ARRIVE for animal research and STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies. Where no formal checklist applies, manuscripts must still provide enough information for rigorous appraisal.

Methods, outcomes and analyses should be described before interpretation. Changes from registered protocols or planned analyses should be disclosed. Negative, null or unexpected results should not be omitted merely because they do not support the original hypothesis. Selective reporting and post hoc reframing of outcomes are unacceptable.

8A. Journal-specific technical and reporting requirements

8A.1 Digital society, governance and development reporting

Research on digital society, platforms, governance, development, digital public services, online communities or technology-mediated behaviour must describe social and institutional context as carefully as technical systems. Authors should explain the population, setting, data source, time period, sampling frame and relevant institutional or platform conditions.

• Survey studies should report questionnaire development or source, sampling and recruitment, response rates where available, weighting, missing-data handling, construct measurement and reliability or validity evidence where relevant.
• Qualitative research should identify the approach to participant selection, interviewing or observation, transcription, coding, interpretation, researcher positionality where relevant and procedures supporting analytic credibility.
• Research using social-media, platform or digital-trace data must describe how data were obtained, the dates covered, inclusion and exclusion rules, API or scraping methods, relevant platform restrictions, de-identification and ethical considerations.
• Computational social-science models should report training or classification data, annotation procedures, model validation, performance metrics, subgroup error where relevant and risks associated with automated inference about people or communities.
• Development research should report the geographic, socioeconomic and institutional context needed to interpret transferability. Avoid treating country income classification or region as a substitute for describing the actual setting.
• When reporting demographic variables, explain why they are analytically relevant and how categories were defined. Avoid deficit framing and unsupported generalisation about populations.

Claims about governance, public trust, inclusion, inequality or societal impact should be supported by evidence appropriate to the level of analysis. Cross-sectional associations should not be presented as proof of long-term institutional or behavioural effects.

9. Research ethics, consent and integrity

9.1 Human participants and identifiable data

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal data or human biological material must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements. Provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review body and the approval or reference number where one exists. If approval was waived or not required, state the basis clearly.

Informed consent must be obtained where required. Consent for participation and consent for publication are distinct; publication consent is required where images, quotations, case details or combinations of information could identify an individual.

9.2 Animal research

Animal research must have appropriate institutional or regulatory approval and must report relevant welfare, housing, handling, anaesthesia, humane endpoint and euthanasia information where applicable. The manuscript should explain measures taken to minimise unnecessary harm and bias.

9.3 Research integrity

Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, undisclosed duplicate publication, citation manipulation, authorship abuse and interference with peer review are incompatible with Eldran Academic Press standards. Editors may request raw data, original images, approvals or supporting records when integrity concerns arise.

10. Data, code, materials and reproducibility

Research articles must include a Data Availability Statement. Authors should make data, code, protocols and materials available where ethically, legally and practically possible. When public sharing is restricted, the statement must explain the restriction and the mechanism, if any, by which qualified researchers may request access.

Datasets placed in repositories should use persistent identifiers where available. Computational studies should preserve versions of code, scripts, configurations and environments that materially affect reproducibility. A development repository may be cited, but an archived release with a persistent identifier is preferred for the Version of Record.

Examples of acceptable statements include: “The data supporting this study are available in [repository] at [persistent identifier]”; “De-identified data are available from the corresponding author subject to ethics approval and a data-use agreement”; or “No original datasets were generated or analysed for this article.”

11. Artificial intelligence and automated tools

Generative AI systems, large language models and other automated tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot accept responsibility, approve publication or account for the integrity of the work. Human authors remain responsible for every claim, citation, table, figure, calculation and interpretation submitted to the journal.

Material use of generative AI for drafting, translation, coding, image generation, data processing or analytical assistance must be disclosed in an appropriate statement. The disclosure should identify the tool, the purpose for which it was used and the human verification performed. Routine spelling or grammar checking does not normally require a detailed disclosure.

AI-generated references must never be accepted without independent verification. Authors must confirm that each cited work exists, has the correct authorship, title, publication details and DOI where applicable, and genuinely supports the associated statement. AI-generated or AI-edited figures must not be presented as experimental observations, microscopy, clinical images or measured data.

12. Figures, images, graphical material and accessibility

12.1 Technical requirements

• Number figures consecutively as Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and cite each figure in numerical order in the main text.
• Raster images must be at least 300 dpi at final publication size. Line art should preferably be 600 dpi. Low-resolution screenshots or images enlarged beyond their native resolution are not acceptable.
• Preferred formats are TIFF, PNG, high-quality JPEG, SVG, EPS or publication-quality PDF, depending on the figure type. Use RGB colour for online publication unless production staff request otherwise.
• Multi-panel figures must use clear panel labels such as A, B, C and D. Axis labels must include units where applicable. Figure text should use Constantia and remain fully legible at final size; specialist equation or symbol fonts may be retained where necessary.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for third-party images or adapted material unless the material is clearly licensed for the intended reuse.

12.2 Captions and alternative text

Each figure requires a caption beginning with “Figure X.” The caption should explain the figure sufficiently for readers to understand its purpose, define abbreviations and identify relevant panels without repeating the complete Results section.

Provide alternative text for meaningful figures. For simple images, aim for approximately 100–250 characters. Complex diagrams or multi-panel figures may require up to about 500 characters. Alt text should communicate the essential visual information that would otherwise be unavailable to a reader using assistive technology; it should not merely repeat the caption.

12.3 Image integrity and colour

Image adjustments must preserve the underlying information. Global changes to brightness or contrast may be acceptable when they do not obscure or exaggerate features. Selective deletion, duplication, relocation, enhancement or concealment of image elements is prohibited. Original source files may be requested.

Do not rely on colour alone to communicate categories or results. Use labels, symbols, patterns or line styles as additional cues and ensure adequate contrast between foreground and background elements.

13. Tables, equations, units and nomenclature

13.1 Tables

Tables must be editable and numbered consecutively. Provide a concise title above each table and explanatory notes below it. Define all abbreviations used in the table. Avoid unnecessary vertical lines, decorative shading and duplication of the same data in both a table and a figure. Very large tables should be supplied as supplementary material.

13.2 Equations and symbols

Create equations using an editable equation editor or LaTeX rather than embedding equations as images. Define variables, symbols and abbreviations at first use. Number displayed equations only when they are referred to elsewhere in the manuscript.

13.3 Units, abbreviations and scientific nomenclature

Use SI units wherever appropriate. Define non-standard abbreviations at first use and avoid creating abbreviations that appear fewer than about four times. Chemical nomenclature should follow accepted international conventions; biological names and gene or protein symbols should follow discipline-specific nomenclature standards.

14. APA 7th edition citation and reference requirements

14.1 In-text citations

All Eldran Academic Press journals use APA 7th edition author-date referencing. One author: (Smith, 2024). Two authors: (Smith & Lee, 2024). Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2024). Narrative forms are “Smith (2024)” and “Smith and Lee (2024).”

When citing several works together, order them alphabetically by first-author surname and separate them with semicolons: (Ahmed, 2022; Garcia & Lee, 2023; Smith et al., 2024). For direct quotations, provide a page number or other locator where available: (Smith, 2024, p. 18).

For organisations, write the organisation name as the author. If a recognised abbreviation will be used subsequently, introduce it on first citation. Works by the same author in the same year must be distinguished as 2024a, 2024b and so forth in both text and reference list.

14.2 Reference-list rules

• List references alphabetically by first-author surname. Use a hanging indent in the final manuscript.
• Every work cited in the text, tables or figure captions must appear in the reference list, and every reference-list entry must be cited in the manuscript.
• Include DOI links in the form https://doi.org/... whenever a DOI exists. Do not replace journal publication details with the name of an indexing database or publisher platform.
• Use sentence case for article, book and report titles. Journal titles and volume numbers are italicised in APA style.
• References should be current, directly relevant and appropriately balanced. Avoid citation padding, excessive self-citation, coordinated citation behaviour and disproportionate citation of one journal, research group or institution without scholarly justification.
• Before submission, verify whether cited works have been corrected, retracted or replaced. A retracted work may be discussed only when its retracted status is explicit and relevant to the argument.

14.3 Sources not normally included as conventional references

Personal communications are normally cited only in text because readers cannot retrieve them. Manuscripts submitted elsewhere but not accepted should not be presented as published literature. Preprints may be cited when relevant and clearly identified as preprints; where a peer-reviewed Version of Record exists, cite the published version in preference to the preprint.

15. Copyright, permissions, open access and preprints

Authors retain copyright in articles published by Eldran Academic Press. Unless otherwise stated for a specific work, the Version of Record is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0), permitting reuse and adaptation with appropriate attribution.

Authors must secure any permissions required for third-party figures, tables, photographs, questionnaires, maps, scales or other protected material. Permission documentation may be requested before publication. The CC BY licence applied to the article does not override separate rights notices attached to third-party content.

Preprints are generally compatible with submission. Authors must disclose the preprint at submission and provide its persistent link or DOI. After publication, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the Version of Record where the repository permits this.

16. Supplementary material

Supplementary material may contain extended methods, additional tables or figures, datasets, code, questionnaires, multimedia or other content that supports the article but is not essential to the main narrative. Supplementary files are normally published substantially as supplied and therefore must be complete, legible and free of tracked changes or reviewer comments.

Label supplementary items consistently, for example Supplementary Figure S1, Supplementary Table S1 or Supplementary File S1, and cite them in the main manuscript. Remove confidential, identifying or copyrighted content that is not authorised for publication.

17. Submission package and OJS metadata

17.1 Required submission information

Metadata entered into the submission system must match the manuscript exactly. Authors must verify the title, abstract, keywords, author names, author order, affiliations, corresponding author details, ORCID iDs and funding information before completing submission.

A concise cover letter should state the manuscript title, article type, principal contribution, fit with the journal, originality status and any relevant prior dissemination. The cover letter must not attempt to influence editorial decisions through payment, institutional prestige or personal relationships.

17.2 Reviewer suggestions and exclusions

Where requested, authors may suggest 2–4 independent reviewers with suitable expertise and institutional email addresses. Do not suggest recent collaborators, close personal associates, current institutional colleagues or individuals whose independence could reasonably be questioned. Authors may request exclusion of particular reviewers with a brief reason; final reviewer selection remains entirely with the editors.

18. Peer review, revisions and editorial decisions

Research and review manuscripts are normally evaluated under a double-anonymous peer-review model unless an article type or journal policy specifies another process. Editorial decisions are based on scope, originality, methodological quality, evidence, clarity, ethics and contribution, not on an author’s ability to pay publication charges.

For revisions, upload a clean revised manuscript, a marked version when requested and a point-by-point response to every editor and reviewer comment. Quote or summarise each comment, describe the change made and identify where it appears. When disagreeing with a requested change, provide a concise scholarly justification rather than ignoring the comment.

Possible decisions include accept, minor revision, major revision, reject with invitation to resubmit where appropriate, and reject. A request for revision does not guarantee eventual acceptance. Substantive new analyses introduced during revision must be described transparently.

19. Proofs, corrections, charges and author responsibilities

19.1 Proofs and post-acceptance changes

The corresponding author must review publication proofs promptly. Proof correction is intended to identify production errors and minor factual problems, not to rewrite the article. Major changes to authorship, analyses, conclusions or data after acceptance require editorial approval and may trigger further review.

19.2 Article processing charge and waivers

The standard article processing charge is USD 150 per accepted article unless a journal or article type is explicitly exempted. No submission fee is charged. APC payment is requested only after a final acceptance decision and is handled separately from editorial evaluation. Authors experiencing genuine financial barriers may request a partial or full waiver under the publisher’s waiver policy.

19.3 Corrections and responsibility after publication

Authors must notify the journal promptly if they identify a material error after publication. Depending on the nature of the issue, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern or retraction. Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable post-publication inquiries concerning data, images, ethics, authorship or reporting integrity.

20. Final submission checklist

• The manuscript falls within the selected journal’s aims and scope and uses the correct article type.
• The manuscript is original, is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere and all prior dissemination has been disclosed.
• Constantia is used throughout: 10 pt main text, 12 pt manuscript title and 11 pt headings/subtitles.
• The full title is no more than 160 characters including spaces and the running title no more than 60 characters.
• The abstract and keywords meet the requirements for the selected article type.
• The review manuscript is anonymised appropriately for double-anonymous peer review.
• All authors have approved the manuscript, author order and affiliations; ORCID iDs are accurate where supplied.
• Ethics approval, consent, funding, competing-interest, author-contribution and data-availability statements are complete where applicable.
• All figures and tables are cited in numerical order and supplied in acceptable, legible formats; raster images are at least 300 dpi at final size.
• All references follow APA 7th edition, every citation matches a reference-list entry, DOI information has been checked and retraction status has been verified where relevant.
• AI use has been disclosed when materially relevant and all AI-assisted text, citations, calculations and visuals have been independently checked by the authors.
• The submission metadata matches the manuscript exactly and all required files have been uploaded with clear file names.

Appendix A. APA 7 reference examples

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of every reference. Journal production staff may standardise punctuation, italics and spacing, but they will not reconstruct incomplete or unverifiable citations.

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