GUIDE TO AUTHORS

Manuscript Submission

Submission Process: Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through our online submission system. Create an account and follow the instructions on our submission portal. Submissions sent via email or other methods will also be considered. Email: srj.spamsat.edu.ph

Formatting: Manuscripts must adhere to our formatting guidelines, including text layout, references, figures, and tables. A detailed formatting template is available on our website.

Cover Letter: A cover letter is required with each submission. It should include:

• A brief description of the research and its significance.
• A statement confirming the manuscript’s originality and that it has not been published or under consideration elsewhere.
• Any potential conflicts of interest.

Type of Manuscript

Research Paper: This type of manuscript presents the results of original, empirical research conducted by the authors. It involves a comprehensive study, usually including data collection, analysis, interpretation, and a discussion of the findings. Original research papers are typically 15 pages maximum and structured into sections such as Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRAD). These papers provide new insights or discoveries and significantly contribute to the body of knowledge in a specific field.

Review Articles: A review article synthesizes and summarizes existing research on a particular topic with not less than 50 articles cited and a maximum of 20 pages excluding references. Unlike original research papers, review articles do not present new experimental data but provide an overview of recent developments, trends, and debates within a field. The goal is to analyze and critically evaluate the body of literature, often identifying gaps, strengths, and areas for future research. Reviews help readers understand the current state of research in a specific area and are often written by experts in the field.

Short Communication: Short communications are brief reports with a maximum page of eight that present concise, preliminary research findings or observations. These manuscripts are shorter than full research papers and typically focus on a single aspect of a larger study. The goal is to quickly disseminate important results that may not yet be fully developed but are of interest to the scientific community. Short communications are more concise in scope and length but still undergo peer review to ensure validity.

Comments: A comment manuscript is a two-page brief article that critiques, questions, or provides additional insight into a specific previously published paper. Comments often address errors, alternative interpretations, or broader implications of the original work. They are less formal than research papers or reviews but contribute to ongoing scholarly dialogue by fostering discussion and debate.

Perspective: Perspective articles provide an expert viewpoint or opinion on a particular topic or emerging trend within a discipline written in a two-page paper. These manuscripts do not present new data but offer interpretations, opinions, or reflections based on the author's expertise. The aim of a perspective is to provide a fresh viewpoint, often encouraging new ways of thinking about a subject, proposing future directions for research, or discussing broader societal implications of scientific developments.

Article Structure

Length and Structure: Manuscripts should generally include:
All manuscripts submitted in SRJ should be in a word format (Microsoft word document, docx or doc). It also follows a 12-point font size, Times New Roman font style, double-spaced (except for abstract since it uses a single space format) and with continuous line numbering in every page. Italicized words are a must for scientific names and to highlight local terms. Headings should be written in bold with capital letters (ex. METHODOLOGY) and subheadings will be written with the first letter capital and not bold (ex. Sampling Site).

Title Page: It must include the title of the manuscript with at least 10-12 words that describe the content of the paper and differentiate the paper from other papers of the same subject area. Titles should not contain abbreviations, chemical formula and jargons. Title can be sentencing type or ask a question title. Titles must be written in capital letters, bold and 13-point font size, authors’ names and affiliations must be written below the title with 12-point font size and not bold. If authors affiliations differ, use superscript to denote specific authors affiliations. Corresponding author’s contact details must also be provided for correspondence. ORCID must also be provided after each author’s name.

Abstract: A concise summary of the research with not more than 250 words. No citations, abbreviation, detailed data and speculations. It should be written with single space and use past tense.

Keywords: 4-6 keywords that define the main topics of the paper. Words found in the title should not be included in this section. Keywords should be written in alphabetical order.

Introduction: Provide background information related to the subject matter, justification and motivation in doing the research, it should also contain the objective of the study and its significance. It should be written in present tense.

Methodology: Provide a detailed description of methods and procedures. Provide enough details for others to be able to repeat the work. Written in past tense. For the (1) new method it should be described in detail, for (2) published method, identify procedures and give references and for (3) modification of published method, give reference of the method and provide details of modification. If research used laboratory equipment or materials, provide exact technical specifications and quantities, method of preparation, name of manufacturer and genus and species for animal identification. In addition, map should be publishable with complete elements (coordinates, north arrow, scale bar, inset maps, legends).

Results: Presentation of findings with appropriate tables and figures. It should be the core of the paper that provides new facts. Tabular presentation of data should be presented with mean, standard deviation, written description. Use the table if the data presented is precise, informative and self-explanatory. Table should be inserted using spreadsheet or in editable format. For data that shows trends and shape, use figures like graphs, illustrations, photos. Figures should have legends or symbols and must be self-explanatory. Figures must be of high quality, especially for colored figures or illustrations.

Discussion: Interpretation of results, implications, and limitations. Should answer the question, what does your result mean? Provide principles, relationship shown by results, point out exception or lack of correlation and define unsettled points. Compare and contrast your findings with published works and provide insights for possible applications. Tenses used should be swinging between present (other works) and past (own work) tense.

Conclusion: Provide summary of findings, future work, brief recommendation and implications.

Acknowledgments: Recognition of contributors and funding sources, if applicable.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the research.

References

List of all cited works formatted according to APA reference style.
In text citation: Please ensure that all in text citation must be cited in the reference list except for personal communications and unpublished research.

Reference style:

• Single Author: author’s name and year of publication (ex. Dela Cruz, 2024).
• Two authors: both authors name and year of publication (ex. Dela Cruz & Araneta, 2024).
• Three Authors or more: first authors name followed by “et al.” and year of publication (ex. Dela Cruz et al. 2024)
• List of References: Should be arranged in alphabetical order and further chronologically (ex. Araneta et al. 2024; Araneta et al. 2020; Dela Cruz, 2024; Dela Cruz, 2022).

Example of Journal:
Macusi, E. D., Siblos, S. K. V., Betancourt, M. E., Macusi, E. S., Calderon, M. N., Bersaldo, M. J. I., & Digal, L. N. (2022). Impacts of COVID-19 on the catch of small-scale fishers and their families due to restriction policies in Davao Gulf, Philippines. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 770543. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.770543

Example of Book:
Rastogi, R. P., Phulwaria, M., & Gupta, D. K. (Eds.). (2021). Mangroves: Ecology, biodiversity and management. Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2494-0

Example of Proceedings:
Dellon, E. S., Liacouras, C. A., Molina-Infante, J., Furuta, G. T., Spergel, J. M., Zevit, N. & Bredenoord, A. J. (2018). Updated international consensus diagnostic criteria for eosinophilic esophagitis: proceedings of the AGREE conference. Gastroenterology, 155(4), 1022-1033. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2018.07.009

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) are encouraged to be provided in every citation listed in the references. You can check for the DOI of the manuscript in this website: https://doi.crossref.org/simpleTextQuery

Web Referencing: The full URL should be written, and the date accessed. Web URL should be written in the last part of the reference list after all authors are cited.

Appendices: Supplementary material, if necessary.

Figures and Tables: Include high-quality figures and tables within the manuscript file. Provide captions and ensure they are referenced in the text. Detailed guidelines for their preparation are available on our website.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the research.

Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

SRJ requires clear disclosure of any generative AI use in manuscript preparation to maintain transparency and academic integrity. Generative AI includes systems that produce human-like text or content, such as language models and writing tools. Authors must declare the AI tools used, their role, and any AI-generated content in both the cover letter and “Acknowledgments” section. AI-generated content must be accurate, and third-party AI tools should be properly acknowledged. Failure to disclose or provide misleading information about AI use may lead to rejection or retraction of the manuscript, and this policy may be updated as standards evolve.

Copyright and Licensing

Upon acceptance, authors transfer copyright to SRJ. This allows us to publish and distribute the work under an open-access license. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, permitting sharing and adaptation with proper attribution.