Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

These guidelines apply to all SERA open press journals. Authors should also consult the journal-specific guidelines for their target journal, which contain additional discipline-specific requirements (e.g., data sharing mandates, reproducibility checklists, methodology reporting standards).

Before You Submit

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure:

The manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal
The manuscript is prepared according to these guidelines
All identifying information has been removed from the manuscript file (for double-blind review)
All co-authors have approved the final version and agree to its submission
A cover letter is prepared
Required declarations are ready (conflicts of interest, funding, ethics approval, AI disclosure, data availability)

Manuscript Preparation

File Format

  • Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word (.docx) or LaTeX format
  • Use A4 page size with standard margins (2.5 cm / 1 inch on all sides)
  • Use a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt) with 1.5 or double line spacing
  • Number all pages consecutively

Language

  • Manuscripts must be written in English
  • Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscript professionally edited for language before submission
  • SERA open press does not discriminate based on variety of English (British, American, etc.), but usage should be consistent throughout the manuscript

Article Types

SERA open press journals publish the following article types (journal-specific types may also be available):

Article Type Description Typical Length
Research Article Original empirical or theoretical research 5,000–10,000 words
Review Article Comprehensive, critical review of a specific topic 6,000–12,000 words
Short Communication Preliminary findings, novel methods, or brief reports 2,000–4,000 words
Commentary Critical perspective on a published article or current issue 1,500–3,000 words

Word counts include the main text but exclude the abstract, references, tables, and figure captions.

Manuscript Structure

Title Page (separate file)

The title page must be submitted as a separate file to preserve double-blind review. It should include:

  • Title: Concise and informative (avoid abbreviations)
  • Author names: Full names of all authors
  • Affiliations: Department, institution, city, country for each author
  • Corresponding author: Name, email address, and full postal address
  • ORCID iDs: For all authors who have one
  • Author contributions: Using CRediT taxonomy (see Editorial Policies)
  • Acknowledgments: Including funding sources and non-author contributors
  • Conflict of interest declaration
  • AI disclosure statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Word count

Main Manuscript (anonymized)

The main manuscript file must not contain any author-identifying information — no author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments. Self-citations should be referenced in the third person (e.g., "Previous work by [Author] showed..." rather than "Our previous work showed...").

Structure for Research Articles

  1. Abstract (150–300 words): Structured or unstructured, summarizing the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions
  2. Keywords (4–6 keywords): Not duplicating words in the title
  3. Introduction: Background, research gap, objectives, and research questions/hypotheses
  4. Literature Review (if separate from Introduction)
  5. Methods/Methodology: Sufficient detail for replication, including ethical approvals
  6. Results/Findings
  7. Discussion: Interpretation of results, implications, limitations, and future directions
  8. Conclusion
  9. References

Review articles and other article types may use alternative structures appropriate to their content.

References

Citation Style

All SERA open press journals use APA 7th Edition (American Psychological Association, 7th edition) for in-text citations and reference lists.

In-Text Citations

  • One author: (Smith, 2024)
  • Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2024)
  • Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2024)
  • Direct quotation: (Smith, 2024, p. 45)

Reference List

References should be listed alphabetically by the first author's surname at the end of the manuscript. Include DOIs where available.

Journal article: Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. C. (2024). Title of article. Journal Name, 12(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Book: Smith, J. A. (2024). Title of book (2nd ed.). Publisher Name.

Book chapter: Smith, J. A. (2024). Title of chapter. In B. C. Jones (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 100–120). Publisher Name.

Conference paper: Smith, J. A. (2024). Title of paper. In Proceedings of the Conference Name (pp. 1–10). Publisher Name. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Website: Smith, J. A. (2024, January 15). Title of page. Website Name. https://www.example.com/page

For complete APA 7th Edition guidelines, consult the APA Publication Manual or https://apastyle.apa.org.

Figures and Tables

Figures

  • Submit figures as separate high-resolution files (minimum 300 dpi for raster images)
  • Accepted formats: TIFF, PNG, EPS, SVG, or high-quality PDF
  • Figures must be numbered consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.)
  • Each figure must have a descriptive caption
  • Indicate approximate placement of figures in the main text (e.g., "[Insert Figure 1 about here]")
  • Ensure all text within figures is legible at the published size
  • Use colorblind-friendly palettes where possible

Tables

  • Tables should be created using the word processor's table function (not as images)
  • Number tables consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.)
  • Each table must have a descriptive title above the table
  • Notes, abbreviations, and statistical significance indicators go below the table
  • Avoid vertical lines; use horizontal rules sparingly

Supplementary Materials

Authors may submit supplementary materials that support the manuscript but are not essential to the main text. These may include:

  • Additional data, tables, or figures
  • Questionnaires or survey instruments
  • Code, scripts, or algorithms
  • Audio, video, or multimedia files
  • Extended methodology details

Supplementary materials are published online alongside the article and are referenced in the main text. They undergo the same peer review as the main manuscript.

Required Declarations

The following declarations must be included on the title page:

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declare any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the work. If none exist, state: "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Funding Statement

List all sources of funding for the research, including grant numbers. If the research received no specific funding, state this explicitly.

If the research involved human participants or animals, state:

  • The ethics committee or institutional review board that approved the study (including approval number)
  • That informed consent was obtained from all participants (for human research)
  • That the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (for medical/health research)

If not applicable, state: "Ethical approval was not required for this study."

AI Disclosure Statement

Disclose any use of AI tools in the preparation of the manuscript. Use the template provided in our AI Transparency Statement. If no AI tools were used, state: "No AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript."

Data Availability Statement

Describe how the data supporting the findings can be accessed. See our Editorial Policies for acceptable statement formats.

Submission Process

  1. Create an account on the journal's OJS platform (if you do not already have one)
  2. Start a new submission and follow the step-by-step submission wizard
  3. Upload your files:
    • Title page (separate file, with all author information)
    • Main manuscript (anonymized)
    • Figures (as separate files, if applicable)
    • Supplementary materials (if applicable)
    • Cover letter
  4. Enter metadata (title, abstract, keywords, author information) as prompted
  5. Review and confirm your submission

You will receive an email confirmation upon successful submission. You can track the status of your submission through your OJS dashboard at any time.

After Submission

  • Desk review: The editor will assess your manuscript for scope, completeness, and basic quality within 3–7 days
  • Peer review: If the manuscript proceeds to review, two or more independent reviewers will evaluate it (see our Peer Review Process)
  • Decision and revision: You will receive the editorial decision with reviewer feedback. If revisions are requested, submit your revised manuscript with a point-by-point response letter
  • Acceptance and production: Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting and typesetting. You will review proofs before publication

Contact

For submission inquiries, contact the journal's editorial office through the journal's website page. For general author support: authors@serapress.com