Manuscript submission guidelines
New Manuscript Submission Guidelines
1. Publication procedure
Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts online in a format defined by the author guidelines available on the journal’s website. Each manuscript is pre-screened by plagiarism detection software both before and after review. The review process, copy editing, layout editing and proofing of manuscripts are also all managed online, with authors contributing to both the copyediting and proofing stages of the process.
Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication by the Editor-in-Chief, the editorial staff will work towards preparing the manuscript for online publication.
The first stage involves language editing, after which the manuscript is returned to the corresponding author for review. This is the author’s final opportunity to make text changes to the manuscript and submit a revised version. At a later stage the editorial staff will send the author one set of galley proofs, and the author will have two working days to mark any typographical errors. It may not be possible to incorporate author corrections in the printed version of the manuscript if the author fails to respond to proofreading requests. Authors should visit their personalised homepage frequently to assess the location or stage of the manuscript.
2. Article processing charges
We encourage authors to visit the individual journals to view their individual article processing charges. Payments can be made via credit card or direct deposit (EFT). We will send you an invoice for payment with a unique reference number to use when making payment.
3. Payment
Authors and sponsors may direct any payment enquiries to billing@aosis.co.za. We will send you an invoice for payment with a unique reference number to use when making payment.
3.1 AOSIS bank details
Account name: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
Account type: Savings
Bank: ABSA, Durbanville
Branch Code: 632005
Account number: 9206-0735-85
SWIFT code: ABSAZAJJ
3.2 Credit card payments
AOSIS makes use of Virtual Card Services (VCS) to ensure your safety and privacy while paying online. Learn more about the VCS service and security here. Credit card payments to AOSIS Publishing will show as AOSIS (Pty) Ltd on your bank statement. Click here to make a credit card payment now.
3.3 Direct deposits (EFT)
This method may take a few days to process, depending on where you bank. Please send us your proof of payment with the reference number provided during purchase to billing@aosis.co.za.
3.4 International clients
We encourage international clients to pay via credit card so as not to incur additional bank charges. When paying via electronic funds transfer (EFT) you will be expected to pay the additional bank charges of approximately R150.00.
4. Manuscript formatting
4.1 Types of articles published
We encourage authors to visit the individual journals to view sample articles and their specifications.
4.2 House style guide
All AOSIS manuscripts must adhere to the following style guide, which you may download below:
4.3 Referencing style
Please visit the individual journals to view their approved referencing style. It may be one of the following:
Author list
Anyone that has made a significant contribution to the research and the paper must be listed as an author. Your author list will be added on your cover letter. Contributions that fall short of meeting the criteria as stipulated in our policy should rather be mentioned in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of the manuscript. Read our authorship guidelines and contribution statement policies.
6. Supporting documentation
Complete the publication, copyright and usage licence agreements
The following legal documents need to be submitted with the manuscript to the applicable journal online; please download below:
Where a manuscript is not accepted for publication by the Editor-in-Chief, the sections of the publication agreement in respect of the publishing licensing shall be null and void and the authors will be free to submit the manuscript to any other publication for first publication.
6.1 Cover letter
The format of the compulsory cover letter forms part of your submission. It is located on the first page of your manuscript and should always be presented in English. You should provide the following elements:
- Article title: Provide a short title of 50 characters or less.
- Significance of work: Briefly state the significance of the book reported on.
- Full author details: The title(s), full name(s), position(s), affiliation(s) and contact details (postal address, email, telephone and cell phone number) of each author.
- Corresponding author: Identify to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
- Authors’s contributions: Briefly summarise the nature of the contribution made by each of the authors listed.
- Summary: Lastly, a list containing the number of words, pages, tables, figures and/or other supplementary material should accompany the submission.
7. Policies
Read through our publication policies and privacy policy. Within our publishing policies are stipulated:
- Competing interests
- Human and animal rights
- Integrity of blind peer review
8. Blind peer review
To ensure the integrity of the blind peer review for submissions to our journals, every effort should be made to keep your identity anonymous.
- For authors: Your name and the year must be replaced with “Author” everywhere in your text, footnotes and references.
- For author and reviewers:
- In Microsoft Word: Remove hidden data and personal information by inspecting your document.
- With PDFs in Adobe Reader, remove all personal information within the document properties.
9. Online submission
Register on the individual journal website and follow the online new submission process. Ensure that you have all the documentation in place and that your manuscript adheres to the style and referencing guidelines for that journal. Please read our privacy policy and publication policies to ensure that you are comfortable with our requirements.
Revised manuscript submission guidelines
1. Resubmission process
Revisions may be requested from time to time. You will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed to create and upload your revised submission on the journal website.
When you prepare a revised version of your manuscript it is essential that you follow the instructions given in the editor’s letter and the reviewer’s comments (when provided) very carefully.
Time limits
Authors must stay within the following time limits:
- Revisions received more than three months after being requested may be sent for another review cycle, at the editor’s discretion.
- Revisions received more than six months after being requested may be withdrawn from consideration.
2. Preparing your revised manuscript
The Editor-in-Chief will assess your resubmission based on the reviewer’s suggested comments, and may send the manuscript for another cycle of peer review.
When starting the resubmission process ensure that you have the following documentation prepared for uploading:
- The feedback summary to the Editor-in-Chief
- Provide a detailed account of how you responded to the editorial and peer review comments and any other guidance you may have received. Where suggestions have not been followed you must explain and justify your decision. This should include specific references to sections, pages and paragraph numbers where alterations were made in the text.
- Annotated version of the revisions made on the original manuscript
- The annotated copy should have highlights of the changes (either by using the track changes function in Microsoft Word or by highlighting or underlining text) with notes in the text referring to the editor or reviewer’s query. For example, highlighted text [R2.2] would be the second comment from reviewer 2, and highlighted text [E1.4] would be the fourth comment from the editor. When you upload your annotated version, make sure that the changes are clearly visible on the Word (.doc) file prior to resubmission.
- If references, tables or figures are moved, added or deleted during the revision process, renumber them to reflect such changes so that they continue to be cited in numerical order. Images need only be uploaded if changes have been made to them since the previous version.
- The annotated copy should have highlights of the changes (either by using the track changes function in Microsoft Word or by highlighting or underlining text) with notes in the text referring to the editor or reviewer’s query. For example, highlighted text [R2.2] would be the second comment from reviewer 2, and highlighted text [E1.4] would be the fourth comment from the editor. When you upload your annotated version, make sure that the changes are clearly visible on the Word (.doc) file prior to resubmission.
3. Online submission
Login to the individual journal’s website and follow the online revised submission process. Ensure that you have the feedback summary and the annotated version with the revisions made ready for uploading.