Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

1. General Principles

Scientific Navigation welcomes submissions across all disciplines.

Manuscript Length Requirements

The following word count guidelines apply to all submissions and are exclusive of references, tables, figure captions, and supplementary material. Authors are encouraged to adhere closely to these limits to facilitate timely peer review and efficient editorial processing.

  • Original Research Articles:
    Submissions should be between 4,000 and 7,000 words. This format includes empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, or applied investigations supported by robust methodology and analysis.

  • Review Articles:
    Comprehensive reviews or meta-analyses should range from 5,000 to 8,000 words, offering a critical synthesis of existing literature and clear directions for future research.

  • Short Communications / Brief Reports:
    Brief reports of novel findings or pilot studies should be limited to 1,500–3,000 words. These papers must demonstrate significant originality or innovation, despite their concise format.

  • Case Studies / Technical Reports:
    Context-specific reports (e.g., clinical cases, educational interventions, engineering solutions) are expected to be between 2,000 and 3,500 words, highlighting practical relevance and methodological clarity.

  • Perspectives / Commentaries / Editorials:
    Opinion pieces, theoretical insights, or policy discussions should fall within 1,000–2,000 words. These articles must present well-reasoned arguments supported by current literature.

Submissions that exceed or fall short of these guidelines may be considered at the discretion of the editorial board, provided a clear justification is given.

2. File Upload Instructions

To ensure a smooth submission and review process, authors are required to upload all relevant files as separate, clearly labelled documents. Please adhere strictly to the following format:

  1. Title Page (Word Document)

    • Must include the full title of the manuscript, complete author names, institutional affiliations, and the contact details of the corresponding author.

    • File name: title page.docx

  2. Main Manuscript (Word Document)

    • Should contain the abstract, keywords, main text (e.g., Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion), references (in Vancouver style), and any embedded tables.

    • File name: manuscript.docx

  3. Figures (Optional, but recommended if applicable)

    • All figures must be uploaded separately in high-resolution formats such as PNG, JPEG, or TIFF.

    • Each figure should be clearly numbered and referenced in the manuscript.

    • File name: figures.zip or upload individually as figure1.png, figure2.tiff, etc.

  4. Additional Documents (Optional)

    • Supplementary material may include questionnaires, multimedia files, raw datasets, ethics approval letters, or any other relevant appendices.

    • File name: additional documents.zip

Upload File Name Section Requirements
Title page.docx Title Page Include title, full author names, DOI, affiliations, and corresponding author contact information.
Manuscript.docx Abstract Max 250 words
Keywords 3–7 keywords
Main Text Typically: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion
References & Tables Vancouver style, numbered in-text and listed in order. Insert tables in the manuscript at appropriate locations.
Acknowledgements Optional – Mention funding bodies, institutional support, or individual contributors
Funding Statement Mandatory – Clearly state all sources of funding or declare “No funding was received”
Author Contributions Mandatory – Use CRediT taxonomy to specify the role of each author
Conflicts of Interest Mandatory – All authors must declare any financial or non-financial interests
Ethics Statement If applicable – Required for research involving humans or animals; otherwise, state “Not applicable”
Figures.zip Figures Upload all figures as separate files. Each with a caption and numbered sequentially. Do not include figures in the manuscript file.
Additional documents.zip Supplementary Data Optional – May include questionnaires, datasets, ethics approvals, or multimedia files

3. Font, Spacing & Style Requirements

  • Manuscripts must be written in British or American English, but usage must be consistent throughout..
  • Use A4 paper size, with 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins on all
  • Use Times New Roman font throughout:
  • Body text: 12 pt, single-spaced, no extra spacing before or after
  • Paragraph first line indent: 5 inch (1.27 cm).

Title and Author Information

  • Title: Times New Roman, 14 pt, bold, Use Title Case for the article title.
  • Author names: Times New Roman, 12 pt, bold.
  • Affiliations: Times New Roman, 11 pt, regular font. Each affiliation corresponds to a superscript number. Include the full institution name, city, and country.
  • ORCID ID: Include immediately after author
  • Corresponding author: Mark the corresponding author’s name with an asterisk (*).

Abstract and Keywords

  • Abstract heading: 12 pt
  • Abstract text: 12 pt

Headings

To ensure consistency and readability, please follow the formatting rules for all heading levels:

  • Level 1 Heading: Font size: 14 pt, Bold, Spacing: 12 pt before, 6 pt after, Alignment: Left-aligned, Use Title Case (Capitalise Major Words), numbered (1., 2., 3., . . . ), left
  • Level 2 Heading: Font size: 11 pt, Regular, Spacing: 12 pt before, 6 pt after, Alignment: Left-aligned, Use Title Case. Avoid excessive length. numbered (1.1, 1.2, etc.).
  • SLevel 3 Heading: Font size: 10 pt, Italic, Spacing: 6 pt before, 3 pt after, Alignment: Left-aligned, Use Title Case. Keep itp it concise. numbered (1.1, 1.1.2, etc.).

Table

  • Number all tables consecutively using Arabic numerals (e.g., Table 1, Table 2) in the order they appear in the manuscript.
  • Table titles should be placed above the table, written in sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalised), and not bolded.
    Example: Table 1. Demographic characteristics of participants
  • Use a three-line table layout (with top, header, and bottom lines only) and avoid vertical lines.
  • Font: Times New Roman, 10 pt, single-spaced within the table.
  • Units of measurement should be included in column headers, not repeated in individual cells.
  • Use superscript letters or symbols (e.g., a, *, †) for explanatory footnotes, which should be placed below the table.
  • Tables should be self-explanatory and referenced explicitly in the text.

Figure

  • Number all figures consecutively using Arabic numerals (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2) according to the order of appearance.
  • Each figure must be cited in the text (e.g., “as shown in Figure 2”).
  • Place captions below the figure, written in sentence case and not bolded.
    Example: Figure 2. Changes in systolic blood pressure across three time points.
  • All figures should be submitted as separate files, not embedded within the manuscript document.
  • Accepted file formats include JPG, PNG, TIFF, or PDF.
  • Text within figures (e.g., axis labels, legends) should be legible and use a consistent, readable font, typically 10 pt or larger.
  • Avoid excessive colours, 3D effects, or decorative design; keep figures scientifically clear and professional.

4. In-text Citations

Use Arabic numerals in square brackets: e.g., [1], [2,3], [4–6].
Reference numbers should appear after punctuation:
Correct: “…as previously reported [3].”
Incorrect: “…as previously reported. [3]”

5. Reference List Format

References must appear in the order cited and follow the Vancouver format. 

Type Format & Example
Journal Article Author(s). Title. Journal Name. Year;Vol(Issue):Pages. DOI
Example: Nutbeam D. Health literacy as a public health goal. Health Promotion International. 2000;15(3):259–267. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/15.3.259
Book Author(s). Title. Edition. City: Publisher; Year.
Example: Bailey R. Physical Education for Learning: A Guide for Secondary Schools. 2nd ed. London: Routledge; 2021.
Book Chapter Author(s). Title of chapter. In: Editor(s), eds. Book Title. City: Publisher; Year. p. xx–xx.
Example: Biddle SJH, Asare M. Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents. In: Smith AL, Biddle SJH, eds. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Challenges and Solutions. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2008. p. 93–116.
Website Author(s). Title [Internet]. Publisher; Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: URL
Example: World Health Organization. Physical activity [Internet]. WHO; 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 14]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
Thesis Author. Title [thesis]. City: Institution; Year.
Example: Zhou Y. The Impact of Physical Education on Adolescent Social Development [thesis]. Beijing: Beijing Sport University; 2019.
Conference Paper Author(s). Title. Presented at: Name of conference; Date; City, Country.
Example: Lee MJ, MacIntyre TE. Sport, mindfulness and flow: An integrated model. Presented at: 13th European Congress of Sport Psychology; 2011 Jul 12–17; Madeira, Portugal.

 

6. Ethics and Integrity

Submissions involving human or animal research must provide valid ethics approval. Misconduct such as plagiarism, data falsification, or duplicate publication will be reported and handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

7. Submitting Your Manuscript

  • File format: MS Word (.doc or .docx), Latex
  • Figures: High-resolution (JPG, PNG, or TIFF)
  • Tables: Editable Word tables (not images)
  • Submit via the Submission Portal

8. Article Processing Charges (APC)

Scientific Navigation is an open access journal. To support the cost of editorial handling, peer review, copyediting, typesetting, long-term archiving, and online hosting, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is applied to accepted manuscripts.

  • The standard APC is 300 USD per accepted article.

  • There are no submission fees or charges for rejected manuscripts.

  • APCs are payable upon acceptance and must be settled before final publication.

  • Waivers or discounts may be considered on a case-by-case basis, particularly for authors from low-income countries or under special circumstances.

  • For questions regarding APCs or payment procedures, please contact the editorial office at contact@scientificnavigation.com