Guide for Authors

Manuscript Preparation and Submission Guidelines

The Regional Studies Journal (RSJ) welcomes original scholarly research that falls within the scope of the journal and makes a clear academic contribution to the fields of regional and international studies.

The journal publishes articles in Arabic or English. All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening, followed by peer review in accordance with the journal’s established peer-review policy.

Authors are required to read these guidelines and the relevant journal policies carefully before submission and to ensure that their manuscripts comply with the journal’s scientific, methodological, ethical, and formatting requirements.

1.     Manuscript Submission: Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission system. A submitted manuscript must:

·       Be original and not have been previously published in full by any other publisher or publication venue.

·       Not be under consideration by another journal or publication venue simultaneously.

·       Fall within the scope and subject areas of the journal.

·       Meet the journal’s scientific and methodological standards.

·       Be written in clear and appropriate academic language.

·       Be accompanied by the required information for all authors.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication and have agreed to the order in which their names are listed.

2.     Authorship Requirements: Authorship must be based on substantial scholarly contributions to the research, such as:

·       Contributing to the conception, design, or development of the study.

·       Collecting, analyzing, or interpreting data or sources.

·       Making a substantial contribution to writing the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.

·       Approving the final version of the manuscript.

·       Accepting responsibility for the content of the work.

·       Administrative assistance, general supervision, or financial support alone does not constitute sufficient grounds for authorship.

·       All authors must agree on the order of authorship and designate a corresponding author to communicate with the journal.

3.     Manuscript Title: The title of the manuscript should be:

·       Clear, precise, and representative of the content of the study.

·       As concise as reasonably possible.

·       Sufficiently specific to identify the subject of the research.

·       Free of uncommon or unexplained abbreviations.

·       Free of rhetorical language or unsupported presuppositions.

·       The journal does not impose a fixed word limit on titles, provided that the title is appropriate to the nature of the study and accurately reflects its subject matter.

4.     Abstract: The abstract should provide a concise, accurate, and self-contained overview of the research.

·       Depending on the nature and discipline of the study, the abstract should preferably address:

·       Background or research problem.

·       Objective.

·       Methodology or research approach.

·       Principal findings.

·       Conclusion or scholarly contribution.

The use of identical subheadings is not required across all disciplines, provided that the abstract clearly communicates the subject, objective, methodology, principal findings, and contribution of the study.

The abstract should normally contain 150–200 words.

The Arabic abstract must be accompanied by an accurate and complete English abstract conveying the same meaning and substantive content. The English abstract should not constitute a literal or machine-generated translation.

The abstract should be free of references, direct quotations, and unexplained abbreviations, unless their inclusion is justified by the nature of the study.

5.     Keywords: Each manuscript must include 5–7 keywords reflecting the principal subject areas and key concepts of the study.

Keywords should be selected to facilitate the discoverability of the article by researchers, academic databases, and scholarly discovery services.

Authors are advised to avoid overly broad terms and should not simply reproduce all the words appearing in the title as keywords.

6. Introduction; The introduction should provide a clear and coherent scholarly background to the study and establish the relevant scientific, historical, or regional context. It should clearly identify the research problem and the research gap that the study seeks to address.

Depending on the nature of the study, the introduction should preferably include:

·       Background to the research topic.

·       Research problem.

·       Research questions or hypotheses, where applicable.

·       Significance of the study.

·       Research objectives.

·       Relevant previous studies and the research gap.

·       A brief description of the methodology and research sources.

·       Temporal, geographical, and thematic boundaries, where applicable.

·       An overview of the structure of the study, where appropriate.

Introduction Criteria: The introduction should be:

·       Clear, coherent, and logically organized.

·       Explicit in defining the research problem.

·       Clear in identifying the research gap.

·       Consistent with the research objectives, questions, and methodology. Supported by appropriate and relevant scholarly sources.

·       Balanced in its use of foundational and recent sources, according to the nature of the subject.

·       Free from general narrative or information that does not contribute directly to the research problem.

The introduction should not present findings or conclusions that have not been discussed in the main body of the manuscript. The journal recognizes that the structure and emphasis of an introduction may differ across historical, political, economic, legal, social, theoretical, and interdisciplinary studies.

7.     Research Methodology: The manuscript should clearly identify the research method or methods employed, in accordance with the nature and discipline of the study.

Where applicable, the manuscript should specify:

·       The research method or methodological approaches adopted.

·       Sources of information or data.

·       The study population and sample, where applicable.

·       Data-collection instruments or procedures, where applicable.

·       Analytical methods.

·       The temporal and geographical framework of the study, where applicable.

For historical studies, authors should clarify the nature of the primary and secondary sources and the methods used to critically assess and analyze them.

For theoretical or intellectual studies, the analytical approach or conceptual framework adopted should be clearly identified.

8.     Results Research: Results should be presented clearly, systematically, and in direct relation to the research objectives, questions, or hypotheses. The results should:

·       Be supported by the evidence or data presented in the study.

·       Be specific and verifiable.

·       Clearly distinguish scholarly findings from personal opinions.

·       Avoid unnecessary repetition of data.

·       Use tables and figures where appropriate to clarify the findings.

9.Discussion of Results: Where the nature of the study warrants a separate discussion section, the discussion should interpret the findings and relate them to the research problem, previous studies, and relevant scholarly literature. Where appropriate, the discussion should address:

·       The significance and implications of the findings.

·       Areas of agreement or disagreement with previous studies.

·       Possible explanations for such similarities or differences.

·       The contribution of the findings to existing scholarly knowledge.

The Results and Discussion sections may be combined when this structure is more appropriate to the nature of the study.

10.  Conclusion: The conclusion should provide a concise synthesis of the main findings of the study and should be directly linked to the research problem, objectives, questions, or hypotheses. Depending on the nature of the study, the conclusion should preferably address:

·       The principal findings.

·       Answers to the research questions or the results of hypothesis testing.

·       The scholarly contribution of the study.

·       The principal implications arising from the findings.

·       Recommendations, where appropriate.

·       Directions for future research, where appropriate.

Conclusion Criteria: The conclusion should:

·       Be clear and focused.

·       Be grounded in the findings of the study.

·       Avoid merely repeating the introduction.

·       Not introduce new findings or information that have not been discussed in the main body of the manuscript.

·       Clearly distinguish between findings and recommendations.

·       Ensure that any recommendations are directly supported by the findings.

References should generally not be cited in conclusion unless there is a clear scholarly justification for doing so.

11.     Recommendations: A separate recommendations section is not required for all research articles. Where recommendations are included, they should be:

·       Based on the findings of the study.

·       Specific and clearly formulated.

·       Feasible, where applicable.

·       Relevant to the institutions, sectors, or areas concerned, where appropriate.

12.  Tables and Figures: Tables and figures must be directly relevant to the content of the manuscript and should contribute to the clear presentation of information or findings, and should:

·       Number tables and figures consecutively.

·       Provide a clear title for each table or figure.

·       Refer to each table or figure in the main text.

·       Provide the source of data where applicable.

·       Ensure that all tables and figures are clear and of adequate quality.

·       Obtain the necessary permissions for the reuse of copyrighted material, where applicable.

13.  References and Citation:

The journal adopts the APA 7th edition citation and referencing style, unless the nature of a particular discipline or specific journal instructions require otherwise.

All sources cited in the manuscript must be included in the reference list, and all references listed must be cited in the manuscript, with accurate and complete bibliographic information provided for each source. A DOI should be included whenever available.

References should be academically reliable and directly relevant to the subject of the manuscript. Authors should use up-to-date scholarly sources, particularly when addressing contemporary topics and issues. Where appropriate, priority should be given to sources published within the last ten years, while seminal, foundational, historical, legal, and primary sources may be retained when they are essential to the nature and subject of the study.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all citations and references, including author names, titles, publication details, and DOI information.

14.  Language and Academic Style: The journal accepts manuscripts written in Arabic or English. Manuscripts must be written in clear, accurate, and consistent academic language and should avoid:

·       Linguistic, grammatical, and spelling errors.

·       Rhetorical or exaggerated language.

·       Unsupported claims.

·       Ambiguous terminology.

·       Unexplained abbreviations.

For manuscripts written in English, either American or British English may be used, provided that one style is applied consistently throughout the manuscript. Authors are responsible for the linguistic accuracy and overall quality of the language of their submitted manuscripts.

15.     Originality and Research Integrity: Manuscripts must be original, must not have been previously published, and must not be under consideration for publication by more than one journal simultaneously. Submitted manuscripts are subject to screening using the plagiarism and similarity-detection tools adopted by the journal. Research integrity violations include, but are not limited to:

·       Plagiarism.

·       Duplicate or redundant publication.

·       Simultaneous submission.

·       Data fabrication.

·       Data falsification.

·       Improper attribution of authorship.

·       Inappropriate manipulation of citations.

·       Reuse of previously published material without appropriate disclosure or citation.

The journal does not apply a single numerical similarity threshold as an automatic determination of plagiarism. Instead, similarity reports are evaluated in light of the nature, sources, context, and scholarly significance of the identified similarities.

16.  Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could influence the research, the interpretation of its findings, or the publication process. Where no conflict of interest exists, authors should provide a clear statement to that effect.

17.  Funding: Authors must disclose all sources of funding for the research, where applicable, and state the role of the funding organization in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or decision to publish. Where no external funding was received, authors should clearly state that the research received no external funding.

18.  Ethical Considerations: Where the nature of the research requires ethical or institutional approval, authors must state that the relevant approval was obtained from the appropriate authority. Authors are responsible for complying with all ethical and legal standards relevant to the type of research and the data used.

19.  Peer Review: All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their suitability for the journal’s scope and their compliance with the journal’s basic requirements.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are subsequently subjected to peer review in accordance with the journal’s peer-review policy.

The journal follows a double-blind peer-review process, whereby the identities of authors are concealed from reviewers and the identities of reviewers are concealed from authors.

The Editorial Board may request minor or major revisions before making a final publication decision.

20.  Revision and Resubmission: When revisions are requested, authors must:

·       Respond clearly and comprehensively to the reviewers’ comments.

·       Indicate the revisions made to the manuscript.

·       Provide a scholarly response to comments that have not been adopted, explaining the reasons.

·       Resubmit the revised manuscript within the timeframe specified by the journal.

21.  Copyright and Licensing: Copyright and licensing are governed by the journal’s officially adopted and published policies.

Published works are made available under the journal’s applicable open-access license, permitting reuse in accordance with the terms of that license and with proper attribution to the author(s) and the original source.

Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to reuse copyrighted material from other sources, where applicable.

22.  Open Access: The Regional Studies Journal publishes its articles under its publicly stated open-access policy.

Published articles are made openly available to readers in accordance with the applicable licensing terms, thereby supporting the accessibility, dissemination, and reuse of scholarly knowledge.

23.  Digital Object Identifier (DOI): Published articles are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) in accordance with the journal’s DOI registration procedures.

Authors should use the DOI when citing published articles that have been assigned one.

24.  Article Publication: Charges Accepted manuscripts are subject to the journal’s Article Processing Charges (APCs) as stated in the journal’s current publication-fee policy.

No submission or peer-review fees are charged, in accordance with the journal’s stated policy.

For the current publication charges and applicable conditions, authors should refer to the Article Publication Charges page on the journal’s website.

25.     Post-Publication Errors and Corrections: If an author discovers a significant error in a published article, the author should notify the Editorial Board as soon as possible.

The journal will take the appropriate editorial action based on the nature of the error and its potential impact on the scholarly record. Such action may include the publication of a correction or clarification, or the retraction of the article, where necessary.

26.  Final Submission Checklist: Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

☐ The manuscript falls within the scope of the Regional Studies Journal.

☐ The manuscript is original and has not been previously published or submitted to another journal simultaneously.

☐ The title is clear and accurately reflects the content of the manuscript.

☐ The abstract is approximately 150–200 words.

☐ The manuscript includes an Arabic abstract and an English abstract conveying the same substantive content.

☐ The manuscript includes 5–7 keywords.

☐ The introduction clearly identifies the research problem, objectives, and research gap.

☐ The methodology is appropriate to the nature of the study and clearly described.

☐ The findings are clearly presented and supported by evidence.

☐ The conclusion is consistent with the findings of the study.

☐ Any recommendations are supported by the research findings.

☐ All citations follow APA 7th Edition.

☐ All sources cited in the text are included in the reference list, and vice versa.

☐ Bibliographic information and DOI details have been verified where available.

☐ Tables and figures are clear, consecutively numbered, and cited in the main text.

☐ Any conflict of interest has been disclosed.

☐ Sources of funding have been disclosed, where applicable.

☐ Ethical or institutional approval has been obtained where required.

☐ All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and the order of authorship.

☐ The manuscript has been carefully proofread for language, formatting, and presentation before submission.