These guidelines set out the requirements for preparing and submitting manuscripts to Scientific Navigation. Submissions must comply with the following instructions; non-conforming manuscripts may be returned for technical revision prior to peer review.

1. Manuscript Categories and Length Requirements

Word count excludes references, tables, figure captions, and supplementary materials.

• Original Research Articles: 4,000–7,000 words — empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, or applied investigations.
• Review Articles: 5,000–8,000 words — critical synthesis or meta-analysis with implications for future research.
• Short Communications / Brief Reports: 1,500–3,000 words — concise reports of novel findings or pilot studies.
• Case Studies / Technical Reports: 2,000–3,500 words — context-specific applications and methodological clarity.
• Perspectives / Commentaries / Editorials: 1,000–2,000 words — well-reasoned arguments supported by current literature.

Submissions outside these ranges may be considered at the editorial board’s discretion with clear justification.

2. File Preparation and Upload Instructions

Required Files

• Title Page.docx
  Title page containing manuscript title; full author names; affiliations; corresponding author email and postal address; ORCID iDs where available.
• Manuscript.docx
  Main manuscript including:
  • Abstract: maximum 250 words.
  • Keywords: 3–7 keywords.
  • Main Text: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.
  • References & Tables: follow Vancouver style; every in-text citation must match a reference entry, and every reference must be cited in text.
  • Acknowledgements: Mandatory.
  • Funding Statement: mandatory (or state “No funding was received”).
  • Conflicts of Interest: mandatory.
  • Ethics Statement: if human/animal participants were involved; otherwise state “Not applicable”.
• Additional Documents.zip
  Optional — questionnaires, datasets, ethics approvals, multimedia files, or other relevant materials.

3. Formatting and Style

Manuscripts must conform to the Vancouver reference style (ICMJE recommendations) in all aspects of formatting, including structure, headings, in-text citations, and reference lists. Citations should appear in the text as consecutive numbers in square brackets (e.g., [1], [2,3], [4–6]) according to the order of their first mention. The reference list must be numbered consecutively in the same order and not arranged alphabetically. Authors should maintain consistent spelling (UK or US English) throughout the manuscript. When available, include digital object identifiers (DOIs) or URLs to ensure accessibility.

4. Tables and Figures

Place tables and figures in the manuscript immediately after their first mention in the text, in line with Vancouver style. Ensure each item is cited in text, numbered consecutively (Table 1, Figure 1, etc.), and accompanied by clear titles/captions.

5. Similarity and AI Content Check

Please ensure that your manuscript has been screened for similarity and AI-generated content prior to submission. Authors are encouraged to utilise institutional resources, such as Turnitin or equivalent services. The similarity index should not exceed 20%, excluding references, tables, and figures.

6. Ethical and Legal Considerations

Research must comply with relevant ethical guidelines. Provide ethics committee approval details and informed consent statements where applicable. The journal may reject manuscripts that fail to meet ethical standards or infringe copyright.

7. Final Checklist Before Submission

• Vancouver reference style is applied consistently.
• Tables and figures are placed after first mention, numbered, and captioned.
• Similarity index ≤ 20% (excluding references, tables, figures); AI-generated content screened.
• Acknowledgements, funding, conflicts of interest, and ethics statements are included as required.
• All in-text citations match reference entries, and vice versa.
• Title Page.docx, Manuscript.docx, and Additional Documents.zip are correctly named and uploaded.