Author Guidelines

1. Manuscript Categories and Scope

NSJ considers original scholarly work within its multidisciplinary scope, including the following categories:

1.1 Original Research Articles

Full-length reports of original empirical, experimental, observational, computational, methodological, or theoretical research that provide a substantive contribution to the relevant field.

1.2 Review Articles

Critical and analytical reviews of published literature addressing significant developments, controversies, or emerging topics in specific or interdisciplinary scientific fields. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow PRISMA or another relevant reporting standard where applicable.

1.3 Short Communications

Concise reports of significant preliminary findings, methodological advances, or focused scientific observations that can be communicated in a shorter format than a full research article.

1.4 Case Reports

Case Reports are considered where they provide important scientific, diagnostic, educational, or clinical insight. Authors should follow the CARE reporting guideline where applicable and must obtain appropriate consent for publication.

1.5 Other Article Types

The journal may consider Editorials, Perspectives, Commentaries, Letters, and Special Issue contributions at the discretion of the Editorial Board. Authors should contact the Editorial Office before preparing an unsolicited submission in these categories.

2. General Submission and Formatting Standards

·  Submit manuscripts as editable Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx), unless the Editorial Office specifies otherwise.

·  Use A4 page size with 2.5 cm margins on all sides.

·  Use double line spacing throughout the manuscript, including references, tables, and figure legends.

·  Use Times New Roman, 12-point font for the main manuscript text.

·  Use continuous line numbering in the manuscript submitted for peer review.

·  Use page numbers throughout the manuscript.

·  Use clear, grammatically sound English. British or American English may be used, but spelling and terminology should be consistent throughout.

·  Use SI units and internationally recognized scientific symbols and abbreviations where applicable.

3. Submission Files and Double-Anonymized Peer Review

3.1 Title Page

·  Full title of the manuscript.

·  Full names of all authors.

·  Department/unit, institution, city, and country for each author.

·  Corresponding author designation, institutional email address, and other contact information requested by the journal.

·  ORCID iDs, where available.

·  Word count and number of tables and figures.

·  Funding information, where applicable.

·  Conflict-of-interest statement.

·  Any additional declarations required by the journal.

3.2 Blinded Main Manuscript

Because NSJ uses double-anonymized peer review, the Main Manuscript should not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or other information that directly identifies the authors or their institutions.

·  Remove or anonymize identifying information where reasonably practicable.

·  Avoid self-identifying statements that reveal authorship unnecessarily.

·  Retain scientifically necessary self-citations, but present them neutrally.

·  Upload the Title Page as a separate file when the submission system permits separate files.

4. Manuscript Structure

The required structure depends on the article type and study design. Original Research Articles should generally follow an IMRaD structure, while Reviews, Case Reports, Short Communications, and other article types should follow their relevant reporting requirements.

4.1 Original Research Articles

·  Title

·  Abstract

·  Keywords

·  Introduction

·  Materials and Methods

·  Results

·  Discussion

·  Conclusion

·  Declarations

·  References

·  Tables and Figures

4.2 Review Articles

Narrative Reviews should use a logical thematic structure appropriate to the subject. Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses should describe the search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias or quality assessment, and synthesis methods as appropriate, and should follow PRISMA where applicable.

4.3 Short Communications

Short Communications should present the research question, methods, principal findings, and implications concisely. The exact structure may vary according to the study design.

4.4 Case Reports

Case Reports should include relevant scientific or clinical context, case presentation, diagnostic or investigative findings, intervention or management where applicable, outcome, and discussion. The CARE guideline should be followed where applicable.

5. Title, Abstract, and Keywords

5.1 Title

The title should be concise, specific, informative, and accurately reflect the manuscript. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations, jargon, claims of priority, and unsupported conclusions. Identify the study design in the title where appropriate.

5.2 Abstract - Original Research

The abstract should normally be structured under the following headings and should not exceed 450 words:

Background: Brief scientific context, rationale, and objective or hypothesis where applicable.

Methods: Study design, setting, participants or materials, sample size where relevant, principal methods, and statistical approach.

Results: Main findings supported by appropriate quantitative data, effect estimates, confidence intervals, or measures of statistical significance, where applicable.

Conclusion: Principal conclusion and scientific or practical implications.

5.3 Keywords

Provide 4–6 relevant keywords or key phrases. Use established scientific terminology where possible. Keywords should accurately represent the manuscript and need not be presented alphabetically unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

6. Main Text

6.1 Introduction

Provide the relevant background and scientific context, identify the problem or knowledge gap, explain the rationale, and state the study objectives or research questions. Present hypotheses where applicable.

6.2 Materials and Methods

Describe the study design, setting, participants or materials, eligibility criteria, sampling procedures, sample size, experimental or analytical methods, software and relevant versions, statistical analyses, and applicable ethical or regulatory approvals in sufficient detail for readers to understand and, where appropriate, reproduce the work.

6.3 Results

Present findings clearly and logically. Use tables and figures where they improve clarity and avoid unnecessary duplication between the text and display items.

6.4 Discussion

Interpret the principal findings, compare them with relevant literature, discuss strengths and limitations, and describe scientific or practical implications where appropriate.

6.5 Conclusion

Provide a concise statement of the principal findings and their significance. Recommendations should be evidence-based and supported by the study findings.

7. Declarations

7.1 Author Contributions

Provide a statement describing each author’s contribution. NSJ encourages the use of the CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy where appropriate.

7.2 Acknowledgments

Acknowledge individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship. Obtain permission, where appropriate, from individuals named in the Acknowledgments.

7.3 Funding

Disclose all sources of financial support for the research and/or manuscript preparation, including funder names and grant or award numbers where applicable. State the role of the funder in the study and manuscript process, or state that the funder had no such role.

7.4 Competing Interests

Disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests. If none exist, state: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

7.5 Ethical Approval and Consent

For studies involving human participants, identifiable human data, human biological materials, or animals, provide the relevant ethics committee or institutional approval information, reference number where applicable, and informed-consent or publication-consent statement as required.

7.6 Data Availability

Provide a Data Availability Statement describing whether the supporting data are available and, where applicable, how and where they can be accessed. Explain any privacy, ethical, legal, contractual, or other restrictions that prevent public sharing.

7.7 Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

Disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in preparing or conducting the work. AI systems must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and proper attribution of the submitted material. Writing assistance should be disclosed in the Acknowledgments or another designated section; AI used for data collection, analysis, coding, image generation, or other research activities should be described in the appropriate section of the manuscript.

8. Reporting Guidelines

Authors should follow established reporting guidelines appropriate to the study design. Examples include:

·  CONSORT - randomized controlled trials

·  STROBE - observational studies

·  PRISMA - systematic reviews and meta-analyses

·  CARE - case reports

·  STARD - diagnostic accuracy studies

·  ARRIVE - animal research

·  SPIRIT - study protocols

·  SRQR or COREQ - qualitative research

·  CHEERS - health economic evaluations

Authors should consult the EQUATOR Network to identify the reporting guideline most appropriate to their study. Where required, relevant checklists and flow diagrams should be submitted as supplementary files.

9. Tables, Figures, and Data Presentation

Tables

·  Create tables using editable table tools in Word where possible.

·  Number tables consecutively in the order in which they are cited.

·  Provide a clear and descriptive title.

·  Define abbreviations and symbols in table notes where necessary.

·  Do not duplicate information unnecessarily in the main text.

Figures

·  Number figures consecutively in the order in which they are cited.

·  Provide an informative figure legend or caption.

·  Submit clear, publication-quality images. Photographic images should generally be at least 300 dpi; line art may require higher resolution or vector formats.

·  Embed figures in the manuscript for review; separate high-resolution files may be requested at production.

·  Colour figures are accepted without additional charges in accordance with the journal’s fee policy.

Display-item limits

Include only tables and figures that are necessary to communicate the study clearly. Where an article-type-specific limit applies, the journal will state it in the relevant submission category or in the call for papers.

10. References

NSJ uses a Vancouver/NLM-style numbered reference system unless otherwise specified for a particular article type.

·  Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first cited in the text.

·  Ensure that every cited reference appears in the reference list and every reference-list entry is cited in the text.

·  Include DOI information where available.

·  Do not cite retracted articles unless the retraction itself is relevant to the discussion.

·  Clearly identify preprints as preprints.

·  Check all references carefully for accuracy, completeness, and consistency.

·  References originally published in non-Latin scripts should be transliterated into the Latin alphabet in accordance with recognized bibliographic conventions, with the original language indicated where appropriate.

11. Ethics, Originality, and Publication Integrity

Authors must comply with NSJ’s Publication and Ethics Policies and relevant international standards. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, and other forms of publication misconduct are prohibited.

Originality and Duplicate Submission

A manuscript submitted to NSJ must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal. Authors must disclose substantially related publications, manuscripts, conference papers, datasets, reports, or other materials that overlap with the submitted work.

Similarity Screening

All submissions may undergo similarity screening. No single similarity percentage automatically constitutes plagiarism or determines the editorial decision. Potentially problematic overlap is evaluated in context and handled under the journal’s publication-ethics procedures.

Preprints

NSJ may consider manuscripts previously posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that the preprint is disclosed during submission and the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another peer-reviewed journal. Provide the preprint DOI or URL where applicable.

12. Submission Charges and Open Access

NSJ does not charge submission fees, article processing charges (APCs), publication fees, mandatory page charges, or mandatory colour charges. Published articles are freely accessible to readers under the journal’s open-access policy.

13. Submission Method

All manuscripts must be submitted directly via email to the Editorial office at scientificjournal@napatacollege.com. Authors should attach the main manuscript, cover letter and any supplementary materials in a single email with the subject line “manuscript Submission- (Short Title of the Article)”. Submission via the online portal are currently disabled.  

14. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

NSJ uses a double-anonymized peer-review process for manuscripts that undergo external review. Manuscripts are first assessed for scope, completeness, formatting, similarity concerns, research integrity, and ethical compliance.

Suitable manuscripts are normally assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers. When revision is requested, authors should provide a point-by-point response and a revised manuscript.

Initial editorial assessment normally takes approximately 1–2 weeks. External peer review may take approximately 3–6 weeks depending on reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, and the need for additional review. These timeframes are indicative rather than guaranteed.

The Editor-in-Chief or designated handling editor makes the final editorial decision after considering reviewer reports, methodological quality, originality, relevance, and ethical considerations.

15. Proofs and Publication

Following acceptance and production, authors may receive electronic proofs for review. Proof corrections should normally be limited to typographical, factual, or production errors. Substantive changes after acceptance may require editorial approval.

Accepted articles are scheduled for publication according to the journal’s three-issue annual publication schedule and production workflow.

16. Pre-Submission Checklist

·  The manuscript fits the journal’s scope and the correct article type has been selected.

·  The Title Page and blinded Main Manuscript are prepared separately where required.

·  All authors have approved the submitted version and meet the journal’s authorship requirements.

·  The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.

·  Ethics approval, informed consent, publication consent, and trial registration information are included where applicable.

·  Author Contributions, Funding, Competing Interests, and Data Availability statements are included where applicable.

·  Relevant reporting guidelines have been followed.

·  References are accurate, complete, and formatted consistently.

·  Any preprint has been disclosed.

·  Any use of AI-assisted technologies has been disclosed.

·  Tables and figures are correctly numbered and cited.

·  The manuscript has been checked for language, formatting, and typographical errors.

17. Contact

Napata Scientific Journal (NSJ)

Napata Research and Innovation Center – Napata College

Website: https://nsjournal.napata.edu.sd

Email: scientificjournal@napatacollege.com

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