Writing Rules

1. General Formatting Guidelines

  • Paper Size: A4

  • Margins: 2.50 cm on all sides

  • Line Spacing: 1.5

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point. The font should be consistent throughout the manuscript.

  • Paragraph Formatting: Indent the first line of each paragraph (except the abstract).

  • Title Page: Include the title of the paper (and subtitle, if applicable), and full author details in a separate document for anonymity during the review process.

Note: While there are no strict formatting requirements for the main text, the manuscript must include all the compulsory elements (title, abstract, main sections, etc.).

2. Manuscript Structure

Title Page

  • Paper Title: Include the full title, and if applicable, a subtitle.

  • Author Details: Provide details for all authors in the following format:

    • Name: [Full Name of Author]

    • Affiliation: Faculty/Department Name, University/Institute Name, Street Address, City, Postal Code, Country

    • Email Address: [Your Email Address]

    • For the corresponding author, add an asterisk (*) and clearly indicate.

Note: Author details must be submitted in a separate document from the manuscript itself to ensure anonymity during the review process. The corresponding author should be clearly identified.

Abstract

  • Provide a single-paragraph abstract of up to 250 words summarizing the objectives, methods, results, and significance of the study.

  • Do not include references or citations within the abstract.

  • Follow the abstract with 6-7 keywords, separated by commas.

Main Text
The manuscript should include the following sections:

  1. Introduction: Provide background information and context for the study.

  2. Objectives: Clearly state the objectives or goals of the study.

  3. Conceptual Framework: Outline the theoretical framework or background for the research.

  4. Research Methodology: Describe the methodology in detail, including the following sub-sections:

    • Population and Samples

    • Research Instruments

    • Data Collection

    • Data Analysis

  5. Results and Discussion: These sections may be combined if necessary.

  6. Conclusion: Summarize the findings and their implications for future research or practice.

Headings and Subheadings

  • Level 1: UPPERCASE, 12-point, bold, unnumbered (e.g., MATERIALS AND METHODS)

  • Level 2: Sentence case, 12-point, bold, optionally numbered (e.g., Data Collection)

  • Level 3: Sentence case, 12-point, bold italic, optionally numbered (e.g., Data Analysis)

  • Level 4: Sentence case, 12-point, italic, optionally numbered

  • Level 5: Sentence case, 12-point, optionally numbered

Note: Subsections should follow the numbering convention if the manuscript includes multiple layers of headings.

3. Figures, Tables, and Equations

Figures

  • Figures should be numbered sequentially in the order they appear in the text.

  • Embed figures directly in the manuscript, or submit as separate files if required by the journal's submission system.

  • Label parts of multi-component figures (e.g., (a), (b)).

  • Provide captions below the figures. Example format:

    • Fig. 3 Example of a figure caption: (a) sun and (b) blob.

Note: Ensure that figures follow consistent formatting (e.g., line thickness, color scheme).

Tables

  • Tables should be numbered sequentially and placed near their first mention in the text.

  • Table captions should appear above the table.

  • Example:

    Table 1 Recommended Fonts and Sizes
    Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
    Row 1 Row 1 Row 1
    Row 2 Row 2 Row 2
    Row 3 Row 3 Row 3

Equations

    • Inline equations are acceptable for simple expressions (e.g., a = b/c).

    • More complex equations should be displayed on a new line and numbered as follows:

       
      2a = ((b + 1)) / 3c (1)

    • Use MS Word Equation Editor or MathType for formatting equations.

4. Declarations

  • Acknowledgement
    For research articles with several authors, a short paragraph specifying their individual contributions must be provided. The following statements should be used “Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.; methodology, X.X.; software, X.X.; validation, X.X., Y.Y. and Z.Z.; formal analysis, X.X.; investigation, X.X.; resources, X.X.; data curation, X.X.; writing—original draft preparation, X.X.; writing—review and editing, X.X.; visualization, X.X.; supervision, X.X.; project administration, X.X.; funding acquisition, Y.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.”
  • Funding Information
    If external funding has been obtained for the study, then that should be mentioned under a separate header "Funding" after the acknowledgements. If no funding information is applicable, the authors shall use the below sentence:
    “This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”
  • Availability of Data and Materials
    The data supporting the findings of this study are available upon request. The data is stored in [data storage method, e.g., Google Form], and access can be provided to interested parties upon request.
  • Declaration of Conflict
    Authors shall declare the conflicts after the ‘Funding Information’. In case of no conflicts of interest, the authors shall use the below sentence:
    “The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.”
  • Clinical Trial Number 
    If applicable, write the number.
  • Human Ethics and Consent to Participate
    The study did not involve any clinical interventions or experiments requiring formal ethical approval. 

5. References

  • Use APA 7th edition style for referencing.

  • List references alphabetically or numerically at the end of the manuscript.

  • Ensure DOI links are included where applicable.

Example:

The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the bibliographic information. The list must be in alphabetical order (A→Z) and numbered. The list of references should be included on separate 1.5-spaced pages at the end of the text. The style and punctuation of the references should confirm the APA version or must be confined to the following examples:

  • Journal references:

1st author last name, 1st author first name initial. 1st author middle name initial. 2nd author last name, 2nd author first name initial. 2nd author middle name initial., … (year). Article title: subtitle. Journal name, volume (issue), page range.

Asagar, M. S. (2024). The Benefits and Challenges of Flipped Learning: A Study on Students’ Perception. Synergy: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(3), 41–50. Retrieved from https://sijmds.com/index.php/pub/article/view/25

singh, D., Alam, M. Q., & Singh, P. (2024). Leather Waste Management and Possibilities of Employment Generation in India. Synergy: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 30–35. Retrieved from https://sijmds.com/index.php/pub/article/view/10

  • Book with one author:

Author, A. A. (2005). Title of work. Publisher.

  • Book with two authors:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2005). Title of work. Publisher.

  • Book with more than two authors:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (2005). Title of work. Publisher.

  • A publication in press:

Junho, S. (in press). Roadmap for e-commerce standardization in Korea. International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research.

  • A publication in a language other than English:

Amano, N., & Kondo, H. (2000). Nihongo no goi tokusei [Lexical characteristics of Japanese language]. Sansei-do.

  • Edited book:

Zhao, F. (Ed.). (2006). Maximize business profits through e-partnerships. IRM Press.

  • Chapter in an edited book:

Asagar, M. S. (2024). Exploring Gender Disparities in Higher Secondary Enrollment in Haryana State. In Suman Taneja, Anjusha Srivastava, & Dharmveer Singh (Eds.), Haryana Chronicles: A Collective Exploration of Culture, Heritage and Progress (pp. 39-45). Redshine India Publication House.

  • Published proceedings:

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In Proceedings of Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (vol. 38, pp. 237-288). University of Nebraska Press.

  • Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis:

Wilfley, D. (1989). Interpersonal analyses of bulimia: Normal-weight and obese [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States.

  • A presented paper:

Lanktree, C., & Briere, J. (1991, January). Early data on the trauma symptom checklist for children (TSC-C) [Paper presentation]. The meeting of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, San Diego, CA, United States.

  • Website:

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates. http://jbr.org/articles.html; Accessed on 15 June 2019

6. For In-text Citations

1. One Author

  • Narrative citation (author’s name in sentence):

    Smith (2020) argued that online learning increases access to education.

  • Parenthetical citation (author’s name and year in parentheses):

    Online learning increases access to education (Smith, 2020).

2. Two Authors

  • Use & in parenthesis; use “and” in narrative.

    Narrative: Johnson and Lee (2019) found similar results.
    Parenthetical: (Johnson & Lee, 2019)

3. Three or More Authors

  • Use the first author’s surname + "et al."

    Narrative: Gonzalez et al. (2021) explored this issue.
    Parenthetical: (Gonzalez et al., 2021)

4. Multiple Works by Same Author in Same Year

  • Use a, b, c after the year:

    (Khan, 2022a; Khan, 2022b)

5. Multiple Sources in One Citation

  • List alphabetically, separated by semicolon:

    (Brown, 2018; Davis, 2020; Smith, 2017)

6. Group or Organization as Author

  • First citation (with abbreviation):

    (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020)

  • Later citations:

    (WHO, 2020)

7. No Author

  • Use first few words of title in quotation marks (article/chapter) or italics (book/report):

    ("Online Education Trends," 2021)
    (Global Learning Report, 2021)

8. Citing a Specific Part of a Source

Include page number or other locator:

(Jones, 2017, p. 45)
(Ahmed, 2020, para. 4) — for web sources without page numbers