Author Guidelines

These guidelines provide detailed instructions for preparing and submitting manuscripts to Datokarama English Education Journal. Authors must ensure that their manuscripts comply with these requirements before submission.

All editorial communications, including submission, review, revision, and editorial decisions, are conducted exclusively through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

1. Journal Scope and Article Types

DEEJournal publishes scholarly works in the fields of:

English Language Education
Applied Linguistics

The journal welcomes original and unpublished manuscripts related to language learning, teaching, assessment, pedagogy, discourse, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, second language acquisition, multilingual education, educational technology in ELT, and related areas.

Accepted manuscript types include:

Original Research Articles, empirical or theoretical
Review Articles, systematic reviews or meta-analyses
Short Communications
Interview-Based Papers with clear academic relevance

Manuscripts outside the journal’s scope may be declined during the initial screening stage.

2. Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should be organized in the following order:

Title
Author Information
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Literature Review, if separated from the Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgments, if any
Author Contribution Statement
AI Disclosure Statement
Competing Interests Statement
References
Appendices, if any

Title

Maximum 15 words
Clear, specific, and descriptive
Avoid abbreviations and overly generic titles

Abstract

The abstract must:

consist of 150–200 words;
be written in a single paragraph;
summarize the background, objective, method, findings, and implications;
avoid citations and undefined abbreviations.

Keywords

Provide 3–5 keywords
Separate keywords using semicolons

3. Formatting Requirements

General Formatting

Language: English, using either British or American spelling consistently
File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
Manuscript length: 5000–7000 words, excluding references and appendices
Font: Bahnschrift 12 pt
Line spacing: single
Layout: one-column
Paper size: B5 JIS, 18.2 × 25.7 cm

Margins

Left: 0.98 inch
Right: 0.79 inch
Top: 0.79 inch
Bottom: 0.79 inch

Paragraphs

Use first-line indentation of 0.5 inch
Do not add extra spacing before or after paragraphs
Use justified alignment

Headings

Use heading levels consistently and avoid excessive subsectioning.

4. Tables and Figures

Tables

Number tables consecutively, for example Table 1, Table 2
Place table titles above the table
Avoid vertical lines
Ensure tables are clearly readable
Every table must be cited in the text

Figures

Number figures consecutively, for example Figure 1, Figure 2
Place figure captions below the figure
Use high-resolution visuals
Avoid decorative or unnecessary visual elements
Every figure must be cited in the text

Authors should avoid presenting identical information in both text and visuals.

5. Citation and References

DEEJournal uses APA 7th Edition referencing style.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote.

Reference Requirements

Minimum 20 references
At least 80% should come from scholarly journal articles
At least 30% should be published within the last five years
All in-text citations must appear in the reference list
All references must be cited in-text

Authors should prioritize peer-reviewed scholarly sources.

6. Ethical Requirements

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

the manuscript is original and unpublished;
the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere;
all cited sources are acknowledged properly;
ethical research procedures have been followed.

Human Participants

If the study involves human participants, authors must report:

informed consent procedures;
confidentiality and anonymity measures;
ethical approval information where applicable.

Plagiarism and Similarity

Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity levels or indications of plagiarism may be rejected during editorial screening.

7. AI Use and Disclosure Policy

DEEJournal permits limited and responsible use of AI-assisted tools for purposes such as:

language refinement;
grammar checking;
editorial assistance;
content organization.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript.

If AI-assisted tools are used, authors must include an AI Disclosure Statement before the References section.

Example if AI tools were used:

The authors used [TOOL/SERVICE NAME] during manuscript preparation for [SPECIFY PURPOSE]. All outputs generated by the AI tool were critically reviewed, revised, and verified by the authors. The authors take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript.

Example if no AI tools were used:

The authors declare that no generative AI or AI-assisted tools were used during the preparation of this manuscript.

8. Author Contribution Statement

Authors must include an Author Contribution Statement before the References section.

Please use only author initials without full stops.

Example:

AB conceived and designed the study. CD collected and analyzed the data. EF contributed to manuscript drafting and revision. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.