Author Guidelines

This page outlines what authors must prepare and ensure before submitting a manuscript to the International Journal of Management Thinking (IJMT). Authors are also encouraged to review the journal's Ethical Guidelines and Peer Review Process pages prior to submission.

  1. Submission

  • Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Authors may use British or American English, but must remain consistent throughout the manuscript.

  • Length: Original research manuscripts are generally expected to be between 4,500 and 8,000 words, inclusive of the abstract, references, tables and figures. Conceptual papers or critical reviews should be limited to a maximum of 10,000 words.

  • File Format: Manuscripts must be submitted as editable Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files. PDF or LaTeX files are not accepted for initial submission.

  1. Manuscript Structure

To ensure a high academic standard, empirical manuscripts must follow a rigorous structural framework. Please compile your main text file using the following sequence:

  • Title: The title should be concise, descriptive, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

  • Abstract: A single, unstructured paragraph between 180 and 250 words. It must clearly state the research objective, methodology, key findings, and core implications.

  • Keywords: Provide exactly 4 to 6 keywords, separated by semicolons, utilizing standard indexing terms relevant to the theme.

  • Introduction: State the study background, Problem Statement, Research Gap, Aims and Objectives, Questions, Scope of the Research, Novelty Statement

  • Literature Review / Theoretical Framework: Situate the study within contemporary academic discourse.

  • Methodology and Research Ethics:

The methodology section should clearly describe the research design, population/sample or data sources, instrument design, data collection procedures and analytical techniques.

  • Ethical Considerations: Manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants must include a clear statement detailing institutional ethical review board (IRB) approval, protocol reference numbers, informed consent procedures, and measures to protect participant confidentiality.

  • Qualitative studies should be reported according to the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) guidelines, and observational studies should adhere to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines. Authors may be required to submit the appropriate reporting checklist during the review process.

  • Conceptual, review, and case-study manuscripts may adapt the structure where appropriate.

  • Results & Discussion: Present findings clearly with accompanying visuals if necessary, interpreting them against previous literature.

  • Conclusion & Recommendations: Summarize major insights, outline practical or policy implications, and address research limitations.

  1. Formatting Requirements

  • Use a standard 11-point font (Times New Roman), 1.5 spaced, with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.

  • Remove all author names, affiliations, funding information, acknowledgements, ORCID iDs, and other identifying information from the manuscript to ensure a fair double-blind peer-review process.

  • All tables and figures must be directly relevant to the study, properly numbered, captioned, and cited within the text. Visual materials should be of sufficient quality for publication and placed close to their first citation in the manuscript.

  1. Citations and References (APA 7th Edition)

The International Journal of Management (IJMT) strictly enforces the APA 7th Edition style guide for all in-text citations and bibliographies/References.

  • System Correspondence: Every in-text citation must correspond exactly to an entry in the reference list, and all references listed must be actively cited within the manuscript. Authors are solely responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete, and correctly formatted.

  • Digital Links: Where available, authors must provide active Crossref DOI links. For digital or online sources where a DOI is unavailable, a valid, direct, and accessible URL must be provided.

  • Compliance Screening: Manuscripts containing incomplete, inaccurate, or improperly formatted references will be returned to the authors for technical correction prior to entering the peer-review process.

  1. Reference Integrity Policy

To maintain the highest levels of scientific validity and academic merit, IJMT enforces a strict Reference Integrity Policy aligned with international publishing standards:

  • Prohibited Citation Practices: Authors are expected to cite only relevant, credible, and directly related scholarly sources that contribute meaningfully to the manuscript. The journal strictly prohibits:

  • Excessive Self-Citation: Unwarranted citations to the author’s own previous works.

  • Citation Stacking: Collaborative agreements between authors or journals to mutually inflate citation counts.

  • Coercive Citation: The inappropriate inclusion of references mandated by external parties without scholarly justification.

  • Citation Manipulation: The inclusion of irrelevant or misleading references intended to artificially alter scientific metrics.

References must accurately acknowledge and credit the original sources of all ideas, theories, methods, and findings. Failure to maintain citation integrity is considered a form of research misconduct and may result in an immediate manuscript rejection, editorial requests for structural revision, or formal editorial investigation.

  1. Author Identification

  • To support global research transparency and metadata integrity, all contributing authors are required to provide a verified ORCID iD at the time of manuscript submission.

  • ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) facilitates accurate author identification, increases research visibility, improves scholarly metadata tracking, and maintains the integrity of the academic record. Authors without an ORCID iD are required to register free of charge via the official ORCID website (orcid.org) before submitting a manuscript. Manuscripts submitted without valid ORCID iDs for all co-authors will be placed on technical hold until the necessary metadata is provided.

  1. AI Disclosure Statement

  • Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, or similar technologies, if these tools were used in preparing the manuscript.

  • AI tools may be used to improve readability, language quality, or manuscript preparation; however, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and validity of all submitted content. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

  1. Standard Formatting Phrases

If generative AI tools were used during manuscript preparation, authors should include the following statement on the Title Page:

  • Where applicable, authors should include the following statement on the Title Page: “The author(s) used [Name of AI Tool or Service] to assist with [specific purpose]. Following the use of this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as necessary and assume full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the manuscript.”

If no generative AI tools were used during manuscript preparation, authors should include the following statement on the Title Page: