Authors should read these guidelines carefully before submission. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's aims and scope, ethical requirements, manuscript preparation standards, or technical requirements may be returned to the authors before external peer review.

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to IJE must:

• represent original scholarly work;
• not have been published previously;
• not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal;
• fall clearly within the aims and scope of IJE;
• make a substantive contribution to education or interdisciplinary educational scholarship;
• be written in clear and professional academic English;
• comply with applicable research and publication ethics;
• follow the current IJE manuscript template and submission requirements; and
• use APA 7th Edition for citations and references.

2. Scope Alignment

Educational contribution must be central. IJE welcomes interdisciplinary scholarship involving psychology, technology, economics, entrepreneurship, sociology, culture, environmental studies, health, management, artificial intelligence, and other disciplines only when the manuscript makes a clear and substantive contribution to education.

The educational dimension should be evident in one or more substantive components of the manuscript, such as the research question, conceptual framework, methodology, educational setting or intervention, analysis, outcomes, discussion, or scholarly contribution.

A peripheral reference to education, students, teachers, schools, learning, or educational implications is not sufficient by itself to establish scope alignment.

Authors should consult the IJE Aims & Scope before submission.

3. Manuscript Types

IJE may consider:

• Original Empirical Research Articles;
• Quantitative Studies;
• Qualitative Studies;
• Mixed-Methods Studies;
• Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Studies;
• Systematic Reviews;
• Meta-Analyses;
• Bibliometric and Systematic-Bibliometric Reviews;
• Theoretical or Conceptual Articles;
• Methodological Studies; and
• other rigorous scholarly contributions consistent with the educational scope of the journal.

The organization of theoretical, conceptual, review, bibliometric, methodological, and other non-empirical manuscripts may be adapted to the nature of the study. However, the argument, evidence base, methodological approach where applicable, scholarly contribution, limitations, and conclusions must be presented transparently.

4. Submission Files and Double-Anonymous Review

Authors should normally submit:

1. a title page containing complete author information;
2. an anonymized main manuscript for double-anonymous peer review; and
3. supplementary files where applicable.

The anonymized manuscript must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, author biographies, or other information that could directly identify the authors.

Authors should also remove identifying information from document properties where reasonably possible.

5. Title

The title should be concise, informative, internationally understandable, and preferably contain no more than 15 words.

The title should:

• accurately reflect the principal research problem or contribution;
• use precise academic terminology;
• avoid unnecessary abbreviations;
• avoid exaggerated claims; and
• be written in clear academic English.

Generic constructions such as A Study of, An Analysis of, or The Effect of should be avoided where a more specific and informative title can be provided.

6. Author Information

The title page and submission metadata should contain:

• full name of each author;
• institutional affiliation;
• city and country;
• valid email address;
• ORCID iD where available; and
• clear identification of the corresponding author.

Academic degrees and professional titles should not be included as part of author names in the article byline.

All listed authors must meet appropriate authorship criteria and approve the manuscript submitted to the journal.

7. Abstract

The abstract should normally contain approximately 180–250 words and should be presented as a coherent paragraph unless the journal template specifies otherwise.

It should communicate:

The abstract should accurately represent the article and include meaningful quantitative or qualitative findings where relevant. References should not normally be cited in the abstract.

8. Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords.

Keywords should:

• represent the central concepts of the study;
• use established terminology in the relevant field;
• support international discoverability; and
• avoid unnecessary repetition of terms already contained in the title.

9. Introduction

The Introduction should establish:

• the research background and educational context;
• the current state of knowledge;
• a critical synthesis of relevant literature;
• the research problem;
• an explicit research gap;
• the scientific novelty or scholarly contribution;
• the theoretical or conceptual basis where relevant; and
• the research objective, research question, or hypothesis.

The Introduction should not consist merely of a descriptive summary of previous studies. Authors should critically engage with relevant, credible, recent, and internationally accessible scholarship.

10. Research Method

The Method section should provide sufficient information for readers to understand how the research was conducted and, where applicable, evaluate or reproduce the study.

Depending on the study design, authors should report:

• research design;
• research setting and context;
• population and sample or participants;
• sampling procedures and inclusion/exclusion criteria where relevant;
• research instruments or measures;
• validity, reliability, or trustworthiness procedures where applicable;
• data collection procedures;
• interventions or treatments where applicable;
• data-analysis procedures;
• software used where methodologically relevant;
• ethical approval and informed consent where applicable; and
• other information necessary to support transparency and reproducibility.

Qualitative studies should describe participant selection, researcher role or reflexivity where relevant, data collection, analytical procedures, and strategies used to support credibility or trustworthiness.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should report databases, search strategies, eligibility criteria, screening procedures, study-selection methods, and analytical procedures.

11. Reporting Standards

Authors should follow an appropriate internationally recognized reporting guideline when applicable to the research design.

• PRISMA — systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
• CONSORT — randomized controlled trials;
• STROBE — observational studies;
• COREQ — qualitative interview and focus-group studies; and
• other relevant disciplinary reporting standards where appropriate.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to upload the relevant completed reporting checklist as supplementary material.

12. Results

Results should be presented accurately, objectively, clearly, and logically.

Where relevant, authors should report sufficient analytical information, including descriptive statistics, test statistics, p-values, confidence intervals, effect sizes, model estimates, diagnostic information, qualitative themes, or other evidence necessary for interpretation.

Tables and figures should complement rather than unnecessarily duplicate information presented in the text.

13. Discussion

The Discussion should:

• interpret the principal findings;
• explain their scholarly significance;
• compare findings with relevant previous studies;
• connect findings with appropriate theoretical or conceptual perspectives;
• explain important similarities, differences, or unexpected findings;
• identify theoretical, educational, policy, or practical implications; and
• clearly establish the contribution of the study.

The Discussion should not merely repeat the Results section.

14. Conclusion and Limitations

The Conclusion should directly address the research objective, question, or hypothesis and clearly communicate the principal contribution of the study.

It should not merely repeat the abstract, results, or discussion. Practical implications and directions for future research may be included where appropriate.

Authors should also transparently identify meaningful methodological, contextual, theoretical, measurement, or analytical limitations that may affect interpretation, transferability, or generalizability.

15. Research Ethics and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Where approval is required, authors should identify the relevant ethics committee, institutional review body, or approving authority and provide the approval/reference number where available.

Appropriate informed-consent procedures must be reported where applicable. Authors must protect participant privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and personal data.

Research involving vulnerable populations, animals, biological materials, or other regulated activities must comply with relevant ethical, institutional, and legal requirements.

16. Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions and who accept responsibility and accountability for the submitted and published work.

Authors should provide an Author Contributions Statement, preferably using the CRediT taxonomy where applicable.

Relevant roles may include Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project Administration, and Funding Acquisition.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately rather than listed as authors.

17. Conflict of Interest / Competing Interests

Authors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, personal, academic, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

If no competing interests exist, authors may state:

18. Funding

All sources of financial support must be disclosed, including the funding organization and grant number where applicable.

If no external funding was received, authors may state:

19. Data Availability

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing whether and how data supporting the findings can be accessed.

Where data cannot be made publicly available, authors should explain relevant ethical, legal, confidentiality, contractual, security, intellectual-property, or privacy restrictions.

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to deposit data, code, instruments, or supplementary research materials in a trustworthy repository.

20. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Generative AI systems and AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, citations, evidence, data, analyses, interpretations, and conclusions presented in the manuscript.

Substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies must be disclosed transparently in accordance with IJE policy.

Where AI forms part of the research design, data processing, analysis, educational intervention, coding, visualization, or other methodological component, its use must be described sufficiently in the Methods section to support transparency and interpretation.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate participants, data, references, DOIs, quotations, ethical approval, evidence, analyses, or research findings.

For complete requirements, authors must consult the IJE Generative AI & AI-Assisted Technologies Policy .

21. Acknowledgments

Individuals, institutions, organizations, or other contributors who supported the research but do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged.

Authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate permission where an identifiable individual is named in the acknowledgment.

22. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Material

Tables should:

• be numbered consecutively;
• have concise and informative titles;
• be cited in the text;
• use understandable headings and explanatory notes where necessary;
• be editable where possible; and
• avoid unnecessary duplication of information already provided in the text.

Figures should:

• be numbered consecutively;
• have descriptive captions;
• be cited in the manuscript;
• be clear and legible at publication size;
• preferably be supplied in PNG, JPEG, TIFF, or another publication-quality format; and
• normally have sufficient resolution for publication, approximately 300 dpi for photographic or raster images where applicable.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures, photographs, scales, instruments, tables, datasets, or other third-party materials where permission is required.

Relevant appendices, datasets, instruments, reporting checklists, or other supporting files may be submitted as supplementary material where appropriate.

23. References

IJE uses APA 7th Edition.

Authors should ensure that:

• references are directly relevant to the manuscript;
• high-quality peer-reviewed scholarly literature is prioritized;
• recent and internationally relevant literature is adequately represented where appropriate;
• foundational or seminal literature is included where scientifically necessary;
• the literature reflects appropriate scholarly diversity and avoids unnecessary concentration on a single author, journal, institution, or research group;
• DOIs are provided whenever available;
• every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list;
• every reference in the reference list is cited in the manuscript; and
• bibliographic information is complete and accurate.

The relevance, quality, accuracy, diversity, and scholarly appropriateness of references are more important than meeting a fixed numerical quota or percentage.

Authors should not add irrelevant references solely to increase citation counts or satisfy inappropriate citation requests.

Reference-management software such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote is strongly recommended.

24. Originality, Similarity Screening, and Research Integrity

IJE does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate text recycling, undisclosed redundant or duplicate publication, citation manipulation, inappropriate image manipulation, ghost authorship, guest or gift authorship, fraudulent peer-review activity, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or simultaneous submission.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using similarity-detection software as an editorial aid.

Similarity reports are interpreted contextually and are not evaluated solely according to a numerical similarity percentage.

Suspected research or publication misconduct may be investigated before or after publication in accordance with IJE publication-ethics procedures.

Authors should consult the IJE Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement .

25. Initial Editorial Screening

Before external peer review, submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment.

The screening may consider:

• alignment with the journal's aims and scope;
• originality and scholarly contribution;
• methodological appropriateness and rigor;
• ethical compliance and research integrity;
• quality and clarity of academic English;
• adequacy of scholarly context and references;
• completeness of required declarations and submission files; and
• compliance with the Author Guidelines.

Manuscripts may be declined without external review when they are clearly outside the journal's scope, lack sufficient scholarly or methodological quality, contain major integrity concerns, or do not meet basic editorial requirements.

26. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

Manuscripts that pass initial editorial screening may proceed to external peer review.

IJE uses a double-anonymous peer-review model. Research manuscripts are normally assessed by at least two qualified and independent reviewers with relevant expertise.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The final editorial decision is made by the responsible editor based on scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical integrity, reviewer reports, author responses, scope relevance, and applicable editorial policies.

Acceptance is not determined by the author's academic position, institutional affiliation, nationality, personal relationship, commercial consideration, or payment of publication-related fees.

For complete information, consult the IJE Peer Review Process .

27. Revision of Manuscripts

When revision is requested, authors should submit:

1. a revised manuscript;
2. a detailed point-by-point response to relevant reviewer and editor comments; and
3. a reasoned scholarly explanation where a recommendation has not been adopted.

Authors should respond professionally, accurately, and transparently to editorial and reviewer comments.

A request for revision does not constitute acceptance or guarantee subsequent publication.

28. Copyright and Open-Access Licensing

Authors retain copyright in articles published by IJE. Copyright is not transferred to the journal or publisher as a condition of publication.

By publishing an article in IJE, the author(s) grant the journal and publisher a non-exclusive right of first publication and continuing non-exclusive rights necessary to publish, distribute, display, preserve, archive, index, and identify the article as the official Version of Record.

Unless otherwise clearly stated for an individual article, articles published by IJE are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) .

Under this license, users may share, copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material, including for commercial purposes, subject to appropriate attribution and the ShareAlike conditions of the license.

For complete information concerning copyright, author rights, third-party material, reuse, and self-archiving, consult the IJE Copyright and License Statement .

29. Article Processing Charges

Authors should consult the journal's official Author Fees page for current information concerning submission fees, peer-review fees, Article Processing Charges (APCs), payment timing, and other publication-related charges.

Payment of any publication fee does not influence manuscript evaluation, reviewer selection, peer-review outcomes, or editorial decisions.

Current fee information is available at: IJE Author Fees / Article Processing Charges .

30. Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the official IJE online submission system.

Before submitting, authors must confirm compliance with the Submission Preparation Checklist and ensure that all required metadata, declarations, anonymized files, and supplementary materials have been provided.