Author Guidelines

Manuscript and submission guidelines

Authors are advised to read the JSSB manuscript and submissions guidelines carefully and follow the instructions. The Chief Executive Editors reserves the right to return manuscripts that do not comply with the stated guidelines.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Manuscript Types

JSSB accepts submission of three types of manuscripts that (i) have not been published elsewhere (manuscripts are to be minimally 50% revised if published previously in conference proceedings), and (ii) are not currently in the submission process to other journals. 

1. Regular article

Manuscripts submitted under this category are full-length original and empirical investigations. Manuscripts should generally include the following sections: introduction, literature review, methodology/methods, results, discussion, and contributions. The empirical investigation should present novel and significant findings that contribute to advancing the research area. 

Word count: Each manuscript is not to exceed 8000 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and/or figures). The abstract must be between 250-300 words. Provide a maximum of 5 keywords. 

2. Review article

A review article reports a critical evaluation of a given research field. It organises, integrates, and evaluates previously published materials, summarises and outlines future directions of discourse. Meta-analyses and systemic reviews are welcomed.

Word count: Each manuscript is not to exceed 6000 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and/or figure). The abstract must be between 250-300 words. Provide a maximum of 5 keywords. 

3. Book review 

Reviewers must not review books with which they have a conflict of interest. The reviewed book must ideally be published within the last two years from the date of submission of the review. While the review may not adhere to any specific structure, it must be engaging and contain a critical discussion of the issues. 

Word count: Each manuscript is not to exceed 1500 words. 

Language Accuracy and Choice

JSSB emphasises on the linguistic accuracy of every manuscript published. Articles must be written in the English language. JSSB allows both American and British spelling. However, each manuscript must select either type and be consistent with the selected spelling type. Manuscripts must be competently written and presented using clear and concise grammar. 

Where relevant, authors may be advised to have the manuscript checked by a competent English language editor as well as to provide evidence confirming that their manuscripts have been sufficiently edited. Associated editing costs is to be borne by the authors. If undertaken by authors on their own accord prior to submission, the process of language editing will facilitate the review process and thus increase chances for publication.

Manuscripts that are poorly written (e.g., when editors are not able to grasp what the authors are trying to convey) will face the likelihood of being rejected at the outset. 

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT

The paper should be submitted in a one-column format with 1.5 line spacing throughout. Authors are required to use Times New Roman 12-point font and MS Word format.

1. Manuscript Structure

The manuscripts, in general, should be organised in the following order:

Page 1: Author(s) and Corresponding author’s information

1. General information: This page should contain the full title of your paper not exceeding 25 words, with the name of all the authors, institutions and corresponding author’s name, institution and full address (Street address, telephone number (including extension), handphone number, and e-mail address) for editorial correspondence. The corresponding author must be clearly indicated with a superscripted asterisk symbol (*).
2. Authors’ name: The names of the authors should be named in full without academic titles. For Asian names, please write first name and middle name before the surname/ family name. 
3. Authors’ addresses: Multiple authors with different addresses must indicate their respective addresses separately by superscript numbers.

Sample of Page 1:

Paper Title (full title of your paper not exceeding 25 words)

Author 1*

Author 2

* Designation, Faculty, University Name

Street address, 

Institutional contact number, 

Mobile number, 

e-mail address.

Page 2: 

• Abstract: Include the full title of your paper and an abstract (in one paragraph).
• Keywords: Provide a maximum of 5 keywords to represent the content of the paper.

Page 3:

• Main text: A regular article should be prepared with the following order of headings: Introduction, literature review, methodology/methods, results, discussion, contributions, references and acknowledgements (where applicable)

2. Levels of Headings

Follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style (seventh edition). See guidelines below: 

3. Equations and Formulae

• These must be clearly set up and be typed double-spaced. Numbers identifying equations should be in square brackets.

4. Tables and figures 

• All tables must be prepared in a form consistent with the APA style (seventh edition) and must be numbered consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Table 2). Each table or figure should be prepared on a new page, embedded in the manuscript.
• Note: All tables and figures must be submitted in Microsoft word format only. 
• See guidelines below:

Sample of Table: 

Table 1

Respondents’ Civic Responsibility

Sample of Figure: 

5. Photographs

• Submit an original photograph.
• Line drawings must be clear, with a high black and white contrast.
• Each photograph should be embedded in the manuscript for reviewing.
• Where relevant, photographs should be numbered consecutively with Roman numerals.
• Provide a brief title, which should be shown at the bottom of each photograph.
• Photographs must also be submitted separately as TIFF or JPEG files in order for the journal to have the highest quality photographs.

6. Acknowledgement (where applicable)

• Individuals and/or entities that have contributed to the research should be appropriately acknowledged. This includes funding grants/ awards. 

7. References

References must be prepared in a form consistent with the APA style (seventh edition). See below for guidelines:

References must begin on a new page and are to be listed in alphabetical order according to the first author’s last name. 

References should be in 12-point font size and single-spaced. 

Only references cited in the text are to be included. 

Sample of Reference Page

Sample 1 (journal article)

Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207 217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185

Peasley, M.C., Hochstein, B., Britton, B.P., Srivastava, R.V., & Stewart, G. T. (2020). Can’t leave it at home? The effects of personal stress on burnout and salesperson performance. Journal of Business Research, 117, 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.014

Sample 2 (e-book/book)

Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.

Bell, E., Bryman, A., & Harley, B. (2019). Business research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Tschirhart, M., & Bielefeld, W. (2021). Managing nonprofit organizations. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qiupmy/detail.action?docID=836561

Sample 3 (conference paper)

Duckworth, A. L., Quirk, A., Gallop, R., Hoyle, R. H., Kelly, D. R., & Matthews, M. D. (2019). Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 116(47), 23499–23504. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910510116

Ahn, Yeonsin. (2021). When is Organizational Culture More Replicable? [Conference presentation]. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings 2021. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.1

Sample 4 (newspaper article) 

Carey, B. (2019, March 22). Can we get better at forgetting? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html

Sani, R. (2017, March 22). Marketing in digital spaces. The New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/223452/marketing-digital-space 

Sample 5 (Chapter in edited e-book/book)

Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge.

Tzouramani, E., & Karakas, F. (2016). Spirituality in management. In de Souza, M., Bone, J., & Watson, J. (Eds.), Spirituality across disciplines: Research and practice (pp. 273-284). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31380-1_21

Sample 6 (report by government agency)

National Cancer Institute. (2019). Taking time: Support for people with cancer (NIH Publication No. 18-2059). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf

Malaysian Bureau of Labour Statistics. (2021). Labour demand: Changing of job vacancies trend impact of movement control order (DOSM/MBLS/1.2021/Series 28). Department of Statistics Malaysia. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/6_Newsletter/Newsletter%202021/DOSM_MBLS_1_2021_Series%2028.pdf 

Sample 7 (magazine article)

Hall, S. & Weale, S. (2019, April 2). Universities spending millions on marketing to attract students. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/02/universities-spending-millions-on-marketing-to-attract-students

Fotsch, B., & Case, J. (2017, July 11). The challenge of being a Theory Y manager. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/fotschcase/2017/07/11/the-challenge-of-theory-y/#6100569b42da

8. General Guidelines

Abbreviations: Words or phrases should be written in full the first time that they appear in the text before abbreviations (in parenthesis) are to be used. 

Co-Authors: In general, authorship is that one must have contributed significant to the manuscript and is equally accountable for its content. Contributors must decide on the order in which authors are to be listed. 

Similarity Index: All manuscripts will undergo an originality check before being sent for blind peer review. JSSB does not accept any article with a similarity index exceeding 25%.

Page numbering: Every page of the manuscript including the title page and references page must be numbered. Place page numbering on top right corner. 

PUBLICATION CHARGE

There are no publication charges.