Submissions

Author Guidelines

Submission of Manuscripts

1. Manuscript should preferably be 5,000-8,000 words in length.

2. The font type of text is Calibri, 11pt. and the font type for title of article is Berlin Sans FB, 26pt.

3. Title page must contain the following information: Title of the article, Author(s) name, Affiliations, Institutional Email, ORCID ID, Abstract, Keywords.

4. The abstract should be about 150-250 words and to include, the purpose of the paper, the scope, the objectives, the methodology and approach, the findings, the practical applications and significance in one paragraph.

5. Authors should provide 4 to 6 relevant keywords that accurately reflect the content and focus of the manuscript. Keywords should be listed in sentence case, separated by semicolon, and should not repeat words already used in the title. Avoid using overly general terms. These keywords will be used for indexing and improving discoverability of the article.

6. The full text manuscript must contain the following main section headings that must be capitalized and bold. 

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

LITERATURE REVIEW

METHODS (include Research Objectives / Questions)

RESULTS

DISCUSSIONS

CONCLUSIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CONFLICT OF INTEREST 

ETHICAL APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENTS 

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS 

REFERENCES 

7. Sub-headings under the main headings should be bold and in sentence case.

8. Authors must confirm that the manuscript is their original work and has not been generated by any AI tool or Large Language Model (LLM). If an AI tool or LLM has been used in the development or generation of any part of the manuscript (e.g., for writing assistance, data analysis, or figure creation), this must be explicitly disclosed in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section.

9. Limited Use of Large Language Models (LLMs)

If authors have used generative AI tools (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT) for limited purposes such as improving language clarity or assisting in exploratory data analysis (e.g., clustering bibliometric records or interpreting citation patterns, systematic literature review), this must be explicitly disclosed in the manuscript. The following elements must be included in the disclosure:

• LLM version and provider: Clearly identify the tool used (e.g., “OpenAI’s ChatGPT, version 4”)
• Purpose of use: Clearly distinguishing between language support and analytical assistance
• Prompt transparency: Describe how the LLM was used and include examples of prompts or input formats, where relevant
• Human validation: Confirm that all AI-assisted outputs were critically reviewed and validated by the authors
• AI authorship disclaimer: Clearly state that AI tools cannot be listed as authors and that the authors take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of all content.

10. Figures, charts and diagrams should be kept to a minimum. And integrated within the text. They should be in either of these format, Microsoft powerpoint, tif, jif, jpeg, bmp and sized to fit within a 14cm wide page.

Format

1. All manuscripts must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, formatted on A4-sized paper with single line spacing. Page margins should be set as follows: Top and Bottom – 2.5 cm; Inside and Outside – 3.3 cm. Submissions must be made through our online submission system at https://mjlis.um.edu.my/.

2. All articles are subjected to double blind reviewing process. Authors should receive information about the status of their articles within 5 months.

3. Papers that are amended accordingly will be published in the earliest issue possible.

Style

1. The style of the manuscript should follow APA Style (APA 7) for references and in-text citations.

2. References at the end of the article should be listed in alphabetical order.

Tables, Figures and Illustrations 

1. All tables, figures, and illustrations must be integrated within the main body of the text at appropriate points, rather than placed at the end of the manuscript. Each should be clearly labeled and numbered consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1).

2. Captions should appear directly above tables and below figures or illustrations, using the following format:
Table/Figure X: Caption title (in sentence case, not title case).

Accuracy

It is the responsibility of the author to check the accuracy of all data, statements and references.