Preparing and Submitting Your Manuscript

Preparing and submitting your manuscript

  • The article should be structured into sections, including title page, abstract, keywords, main text, references, appendices, figures and tables. The main text may include but not be limited to headings like Introduction, Methods, Discussion, and Conclusion. The paper should begin with an abstract of no more than 250 words followed by 5-6 keywords.
  • The names of all authors, including the corresponding author, should be clearly mentioned on the title page.
  • Formal permission for the usage of any third-party material is the responsibility of the author(s).
  • In case of any funding source being involved, an acknowledgement statement has to be included at the end of the document prior to notes and references. However, this section will be incorporated in the final stages of printing.
  • All submissions are to be made via an the online submission system using the following link
    http://irigs.iiu.edu.pk:64447/ojs/index.php/jcp/information/authors.

Style and referencing

  • JCP follows the MLA style guidelines and for a quick overview you can read a summarised version here (click here)
  • JCP follows British spellings (e.g. -ise instead of -ize).
  • JCP also uses double quotation marks for short quotations and single quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation.
  • Title and first-level headings may be in bold Times New Roman (font size 14 pt), while second level headings should be in bold Times New Roman (font size 12 pt).
  • Papers that fail to comply with the author guidelines will be desk rejected. 
  • The JCP also expects its authors to adhere to the MLA guidelines meticulously. Papers failing to meet this requirement can be rejected at any stage.

Formatting and Templates

  • JCP accepts papers between 5000-8000 words including references and end-notes.
  • The manuscript should be submitted as an MS Word document.
  • Authors should choose the font Times New Roman in size 12 with double-line spacing. Margins should be 2.5 cm (1 inch).

Checklist for authors:

Before submitting the paper, authors must refer to the following checklist:

  1. Authors have double-checked the ethics statement, obtained permissions from third-party sources and fulfilled all referencing and formatting requirements.
  2. Mentioned all the co-authors on the title page which is to be submitted as a separate document.
  3. Authors have verified that the manuscript has been completely anonymised for blind peer review.
  4. Referenced all sources both within the text and in the reference list with precision and clarity.
  5. Double-checked all data and uploaded any supplementary or raw data for the editorial review.
  6. Declared any conflicts of interest or competing interests at the time of submission.
  7. Only submitting the paper to one journal at a time.
  8. Has sought permissions from all co-authors for publication of a co-authored paper.
  9. The paper falls within the range of 5000–8000 words.
Authors are requested to submit the following documents:
  1. An anonymised copy of the article including the abstract and Works Cited list.
  2. The abstract as a separate anonymised document.
  3.  The title page with the author details and paper title only.
The authors must ensure a strict adherence to the MLA format otherwise their papers will be returned in the desk review.