Tips for Manuscript Submissions

LATE appreciates the time and effort authors invest in preparing their manuscripts. The following tips address common problems with submission details, files, formatting, and anonymisation. Read them alongside the Author Guidelines and use the current journal templates before submitting. Careful preparation can reduce avoidable delays, but compliance with technical requirements does not guarantee external peer review. The editorial team also assesses the relevance of each manuscript to the scope of the journal, along with its originality, theoretical grounding, and academic quality, as explained in the Review Process.

1. Tips for Completing the Submission Form

When filling out the submission form, please ensure that all details are accurate, complete, and formatted according to the requirements. Many manuscripts fail the initial technical check because of simple oversights. Common areas to review include

• Title formatting: Use sentence case in the title field of the online submission form: capitalise the first word and any proper nouns or acronyms. In the manuscript files, use title case as shown in the journal templates. Do not enter the entire title in uppercase or lowercase.
• Abstract formatting: In the submission form, the abstract text should be plain (non-italic). In the uploaded manuscript file, the abstract must appear in italics, following the journal template.
• Bio statement: Provide a biographical note of 40–60 words for each author, including current position, institutional affiliation, and main research interests. Include this information in the Cover Page and complete the Bio Statement field for each author in the online submission form. Keep biographical information out of the anonymised manuscript.
• Affiliation details: Ensure that all authors’ institutional details are accurate and complete, including department, university, city, and country.
• Keywords: Provide 3–5 keywords. In the online submission form, enter each keyword or keyword phrase separately, pressing Enter after each entry. Keep multiword phrases together as one entry. In the manuscript file, place the keywords after the abstract and separate them with commas. Use lowercase except for proper nouns and acronyms.
• File upload location: Upload the main manuscript in the Author’s Submission section only, not under the sections for Editor and Reviewers.

Before clicking Submit, review all information carefully to ensure consistency between the submission form and the manuscript file.

2. Tips for Preparing the Manuscript Files

Prepare your manuscript files using the current journal templates and follow the formatting, anonymisation, and ethical requirements of the journal. Before uploading, check the following:

• Required submission files: Use the current template package and upload four separate files: Cover Page, Article Manuscript Without Author Information, Article Manuscript With Author Information, and Declaration. Complete all six sections of the Declaration and remove unused examples, instructions, and placeholders. Consult the Author Guidelines for the full requirements.
• Anonymisation: Check the manuscript intended for peer review for identifying information in its text, filename, document properties, comments, and tracked changes. Using a template does not by itself ensure anonymity. Remove or anonymise author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and self-identifying references as required by the Author Guidelines. Keep author-identifying information in the separate Cover Page, manuscript with author information, and Declaration files.
• Research site and participant confidentiality: Do not use real names of research sites, institutions, or participants unless explicit written consent has been obtained. Replace identifiable information with pseudonyms or general descriptions to protect privacy and confidentiality.
• Heading styles in Microsoft Word: Use the built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) provided in the templates of the Journal. Do not manually format headings or insert numbering. To confirm correct formatting, press Ctrl + F to open the Navigation Pane. All section headings should appear under the Headings tab.
• Paragraph formatting: All headings and paragraphs are single spaced and left aligned. First line indented for paragraph cannot be used. 
• Referencing style: Follow APA 7th Edition meticulously for all in-text citations and references. Ensure every in-text citation has a matching entry in the reference list.
• File format: Submit your manuscript in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format only. Remove any tracked changes, comments, or formatting inconsistencies.

We sincerely thank you for considering LATE as the home for your scholarly work. The success of our Journal depends on the quality and dedication of our authors, and we truly value your contribution to our growing research community. Our editorial team looks forward to receiving your manuscripts and to supporting you through every step of the publication process. We can together continue to advance meaningful, credible, and impactful scholarship.