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Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Contents

APA Formatting

All manuscripts submitted to IALS Journal must follow the guidelines set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Authors are responsible for ensuring their final manuscript conforms to APA 7th edition standards prior to submission. The APA Style website (apastyle.apa.org) is a useful reference for authors who have questions about specific formatting requirements.

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File Format

Final manuscripts must be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file. Submissions in other formats will not be accepted. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all fonts, tables, and figures are properly embedded in the document prior to submission.

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Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should follow standard APA 7th edition structure, including the following elements where applicable:

  • Title page (including title, author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), author note, and running head)
  • Abstract (150–250 words) with keywords
  • Main body text with APA-formatted headings
  • Reference list
  • Tables and figures (if applicable)
  • Appendices (if applicable)

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References

All references must follow APA 7th edition format. Authors should pay particular attention to the following:

  • All in-text citations must have a corresponding entry in the reference list, and all reference list entries must be cited in the text.
  • DOIs should be formatted as a hyperlink: https://doi.org/xxxxx
  • Journal article titles should be in sentence case. Journal names should be in title case and italicized.
  • References should be listed in alphabetical order by the first author's last name.
  • Use a hanging indent for all reference list entries.

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Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must follow APA 7th edition guidelines. Table titles appear above the table in bold title case. Figure captions appear below the figure. All tables and figures must be numbered consecutively and referenced in the text. Tables should use horizontal borders only — vertical borders are not used in APA style.

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Bias-Free Language

Authors are expected to follow APA 7th edition guidelines for bias-free language. This includes using person-first or identity-first language as appropriate, using singular they as a gender-neutral pronoun, and avoiding language that reduces individuals to a single characteristic or identity. Authors should consult Chapter 5 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) for detailed guidance.

If you have questions about manuscript preparation, please contact the editors.

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