Thank you for your interest in the 'International Journal of Space Applications (IJSA)' for submitting your manuscript. We recommend that you review the Home page for an understanding of the journal's aims and scope.

ARTICLE TYPES

The journal accepts a range of article types, including:

1.  Original Research Articles

2.  Review Articles

3.  Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

4.  Methodology Papers

5.  Perspectives/Opinion pieces

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described in it has not been published before; that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that the content has been read and approved by all co-authors (if present), as well as the responsible authorities, tacitly or explicitly, at the institute where the work has been carried out.

Initial Submission

In order to prevent the wastage of authors’ time and efforts in formatting before the Editorial Board decides on the suitability of the manuscript for this journal, the International Journal of Space Applications (IJSA) welcomes and encourages authors to submit their manuscripts in any format of their preference. This flexible submission policy is part of the publisher’s initiative aimed at making the publication process less time-consuming and more author-friendly.

Thus, for the initial submission, the authors just need to upload their manuscript, either including all attachments (i.e., tables, figures, images, and supplementary material) embedded within the text or attached as separate files, using the Google Form provided in the submissions section. 

The journal does not impose a word limit or a fixed structure. However, authors are advised to prepare clear and concise manuscripts that follow a logical structure, with well-defined sections and subsections, such as Title, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, Limitations, Future Directions, Acknowledgments (optional), and References. The authors can divide their manuscripts into additional sections as required.

Once the manuscript is deemed suitable within the journal’s guidelines and scope during the first-level review, it will proceed to the next stage, i.e., the peer review process; otherwise, it will be returned. The corresponding author will be informed of the same via email.

Submission of the manuscript for the peer review process

In order to ensure consistent quality of manuscripts prior to peer review, authors will be required to resubmit their articles following the preparation and formatting guidelines specified by IJSA.

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines: -

• The journal imposes no limitation on the word limit.

• The journal imposes no limitation on colour figures and images, provided they are appropriate and enhance the elucidation of the manuscript text.

• Manuscripts should be organized logically in sections and subsections, with clearly defined headings.

• In addition to the full title, a short/running title for the manuscript, not exceeding 50 characters, should be provided.

• The abstract should be written concisely and clearly. It should reflect only what appears in the original paper.    

• Two to nine keywords, separated by commas, that best describe the work presented in the manuscript should be provided in italics.

• The first page of the manuscript should be the Title Page

•  Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.

• The Tables, Figures, Images, and Photographs should be embedded in the text close to their description.

• All Tables, Figures, and Images should have clear captions and be consecutively numbered using Arabic numerals.

• The notes and footnotes for the Tables, Figures, Images, and Photographs should appear in paragraph form below them. 

• All figures and images are to be supplied at the highest resolution/quality possible, with numbers and text legible.

• Use proper equation editors (e.g., MS Equation Editor or LaTeX) to type equations rather than embedding them as images or graphics. 

• Vectors and matrices should be formatted in boldface.

• Equations should be numbered sequentially throughout the manuscript. The equation number should be placed in parentheses aligned to the right margin.

• All variables, constants, and operators used in equations should be clearly defined, preferably immediately following the equation.

• Maintain consistent notation and symbols throughout the paper to avoid confusion.

• The journal uses a referencing style where author initials precede surnames, followed by publication details such as title, journal name, volume number, issue number, page range, month and year of publication, and DOI if available.

• The titles of the journals may be abbreviated as per standard conventions, but clarity should be maintained.

• Ensure that DOI links are provided for the references wherever available.

• Please ensure that all citations are accurate and that every reference listed is cited in the manuscript.

Manuscript Organization and its Formatting:

Please note that the journal follows a double-blind peer review, i.e., throughout the peer review process, the author(s) remain anonymous to reviewers and vice versa. Therefore, when formatting their manuscripts, authors must ensure they are fully anonymized by removing author names, affiliations, and any other potentially identifying information from the manuscript text and any accompanying files, such as figures or supplementary materials, except for the title page. Authors should avoid citing their own work in a way that could reveal their identity.

(1) Title Page should be the first page of the manuscript. It must include the following:

• Information of the Authors in the order they will appear in the manuscript. Full names, titles, current affiliations, and contact details (including active email, ORCID ID if present) of each author should be provided. 

• Acknowledgements (optional)

• Information about any financial support, grants, or institutional recognition received at any stage of the research work presented in the manuscript. This includes grants for research activities, travel funding, or awards received for the work. The full names of funding agencies, sponsoring institutions, or honorific organizations should be clearly stated. Example statements: “This research work was supported by Grant numbers […] and […]. Author A.B. has received research support from Company C or organization D.”

• "The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript."

• Statement(s) on Conflict of interest(s), if present or otherwise, should be provided.

(2) Abstract

• The abstract should not exceed 300 words.

• Abstract should be in 10 pt. Times New Roman font, in italics.

• The authors should attempt to structure their abstract around the key themes of the research presented in the manuscript, namely the Purpose, Design, Findings, and Value in terms of theoretical or practical implications.

(3) Main Text

• The main body of the text must be single-spaced, in double-column, and 10 pt. Times New Roman font with 2 cm margins overall.

• Headings and sub-headings:

• The prescribed font for the article title is Times New Roman, 14 pt.

• The prescribed font for all other headings and subheadings is Times New Roman, 10 pt., in italics, and centre aligned.

• Sections and Sub-sections

  • • Sections should be numbered using Roman serials (i.e., I, II, and so on)

    • Sub-sections should be numbered alphabetically (i.e., A, B, and so on).

• Tables

  • • Each table should have a concise caption that accurately describes the content of the table.

• The title should appear at the top of each table in title case, centre-aligned.

• When preparing your tables, size them to fit in the column width.

• Tables should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.

• Figures and images

  • • The journal will publish colour illustrations free of charge.

    • Each figure and image should have a concise caption describing accurately what the figure depicts.

    • The title should appear at the bottom in title case, centre-aligned.

    • Figure captions should begin with the term Fig., followed by the figure number.

    • No punctuation is to be placed at the end of the caption.

    • Figures should be placed within the body of the text. Only large figures, images, and photographs should be submitted separately from the text.

    • When preparing your figures, size them to fit in the column width.

    • All illustrations should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.

• Equations

  • • Equations should be visually clear and integrated into the text flow.

    • Short or simple equations can be included in-line with the text.

    • Longer or more complex equations should be displayed on their own, centre-aligned with spacing above and below for readability.

• Footnotes

  • • Footnotes can be used to give additional information, which may include the citation of a source.

    • Footnotes in the text are numbered consecutively; those for tables should be marked with superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance levels and other statistical data).

    • Prefer using footnotes instead of endnotes.

• In-text citations

  • • • References are numbered sequentially in square brackets within the text, e.g., [1] in case of a single source and [4,5,6] in case of multiple sources. For example: When calibrated with extensive ground surveys, these methodologies establish scalable, data-driven forecasting frameworks applicable to crop-producing regions [14,15].

      • The reference list must be organized numerically corresponding to the in-text citations. In cases where multiple in-text citations support a single argument, the most recent reference should appear first in the reference list.

(4) Reference

The journal adopts the following referencing style for different sources:

 a)  Journal article –

[1] A. Author, B. Author, and C. Author, “Title of the article,” Journal Name, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 10–21, Month Year.

b)  Conference paper –

[2] A. Author, “Title of paper,” in Proceedings of the Conference Name, City, Country, Year, pp. 10–16.

c)  Book –

Book references include author, book title in italics, publisher, place of publication, and year. For example,

[3] A. Author, Title of the Book, xth ed. City, Country: Publisher, Year.

d) Book chapter –

[4] A. Author, “Chapter title,” in *Book Title*, xth ed., B. Editor, Ed. City, Country: Publisher, Year, pp. 10-48.

e)  Website –

[5] A. Author or Organization, “Title of webpage,” Website Name. [Online]. Available: URL. [Accessed: Month Day, Year].

f)   Thesis or dissertation –

[6] A. Author, “Title of thesis,” M.S./Ph.D. thesis, Dept., University, City, Country, Year.

(5) Cover letter

Providing a cover letter, although not mandatory, is an opportunity for authors to make a strong impression on the Editor. The letter should be submitted separately from the main manuscript. It must emphasize the novelty and significance of the research work presented in the manuscript. Kindly note that a cover letter is different from an abstract. It should not merely summarize the research question, methodology, and key findings, but instead should provide context for how the manuscript fits the journal’s scope and interests its readership. In case the manuscript is an extension of a previously published work by the author(s), kindly cite the original publication and explain how the current submission differs in content, scope, or findings from the previous version. The cover letter should also include a list of five preferred reviewers and five non-preferred reviewers (if any).

Submission of the revised manuscript

Authors must ensure they provide all relevant editable source files at every submission and revision. Submitting an incomplete set of editable source files will result in the article not being considered for review. For your manuscript text, always submit in common word processing formats such as .docx or LaTeX.

At this stage, authors must ensure that:

i) They provide a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments or provide well-reasoned justifications for any comments that cannot be incorporated. 

ii) All revisions, suggested or otherwise, comply with the journal’s guidelines and adhere to ethical standards.

iii) Submit the revised manuscript by the specified deadline to prevent unnecessary delays in the review and publication process. In case of excessive and unreasonable delay in the submission of the revised manuscript, the manuscript will be treated as a new submission.

Kindly note that any queries about the review or publication process should be directed to the journal's Managing Editor at submissions@ijsa-prp.in 

Authorship principles

Authors must meet one or more of the following four criteria to qualify for authorship of a manuscript:

 i) Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;

 ii) Draft or critically review the work for important intellectual content;

 iii) Provide final approval of the version to be published;

 iv) Agree to be responsible for all aspects of the work by ensuring questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part are appropriately investigated and resolved.

• Those who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments. More detailed guidance on authorship is available at ICMJE, Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors.

• Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc., do not currently meet our authorship criteria. In all cases, human responsibility must be taken for the final version of the text generated using LLMs, and authors must agree that the edits reflect their original work. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for copy editing purposes, such as AI-assisted improvements to human-generated texts for improving their readability, style, tone, and grammatical correctness, does not need to be declared.

• One author is assigned as the ‘Corresponding Author’ and acts on behalf of all co-authors and ensures that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately addressed. In case the corresponding author is not explicitly mentioned in the Author’s list, the author submitting the manuscript will be considered to fulfil the role. The Corresponding Author is responsible for the following:

  • • Ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission, including the names and order of authors;

    • Addressing a cover letter to the Editor;

    • Managing all communication between the Journal and all co-authors, before and after publication.

Research Misconduct

The authors are strongly encouraged to follow the best practices in research and adhere to ethical standards, as detailed in the journal’s Research and Publication Ethics section, to ensure the integrity and quality of their manuscript. The journal maintains a strict policy against research misconduct. Submissions found to exhibit any of the following unethical practices during the peer review process will be promptly returned to the authors. These practices include, but are not limited to:

• Plagiarism: It includes copying text, ideas, images, or data from another source, even from your own publications, without giving credit to the original source. Plagiarism above an acceptable level is not permitted within the journal guidelines. To avoid plagiarism, put the reused text that is copied from another source between quotation marks, and cite the original source. In case of structural plagiarism, i.e., if a study's design or the manuscript's structure has been inspired by previous studies, those studies must be explicitly cited. Ensure appropriate paraphrasing of the content by restructuring the sentence and expressing the underlying theme in your own words.

• Data falsification: Note that any presented data must be original and not inappropriately selected, manipulated, enhanced, or fabricated. This includes:

1) The exclusion of data points to enhance the significance of conclusions,

2) Irregular image manipulation

3) The fabrication of data,

4) The selection of results that support a particular conclusion at the expense of contradictory data, and

5) The deliberate choice of analysis tools or methods that support a particular conclusion.

• Copyright Infringement: To use any previously published content or content that is not available in the public domain, it is essential that, prior to submission, authors obtain due permission and give proper credit to the original work.

• Manipulation in Citation: In accordance with COPE guidelines, we expect that original wording taken directly from publications by other researchers should appear in quotation marks with the appropriate citations. This applies to the author’s own previous work as well. More information on widely accepted citation guidelines can be found in a discussion document produced by COPE (citation manipulation).

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Authors must identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of the reported research results. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include but are not limited to financial interests (such as membership, employment, consultancies, stocks/shares ownership, honoraria, grants or other funding, paid expert testimonies, and patent-licensing arrangements) and non-financial interests (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, and personal beliefs).

Example statements:

1. (In case of Financial Interests) – “Author A has received speaker and consultancy honoraria from Company M. Dr. C has received research funding and speaker honoraria from Company M and Company N. Author D has received travel support from Company O.”

2.  (In case of Non-Financial Interests) – “Author D has served on advisory boards for Company M and Company N.”

3.  (If no conflicts exist) - “The authors declare that they have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.”

Any role of the funding sponsors in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results must also be declared. If there is no role, please state, “The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results”.

Editorial Procedure

• A newly submitted manuscript undergoes a first-level review by the Managing Editor. This involves a pre-check and screening for the quality of the English language. Thereafter, the submissions are automatically screened within the editorial system using Turnitin software to detect cases of suspected plagiarism. 

Pre-check involves an assessment of: 

i) Overall suitability of the manuscript to the journal's scope; 

ii) Manuscript adherence to ethical standards and best practices in research; 

iii) Novelty and methodological rigour of the research work presented in the manuscript

• While Pioneer Research Publications Pvt. Limited (PRP) provides infrastructural and administrative support, the Journal maintains complete editorial independence in accordance with COPE’s position on ethical editing and decision-making. Editorial decisions are made solely by the Editorial Board, based on the scholarly merit and relevance of the submissions, free from undue influence by the publisher, funders, or other external entities.

• The Editorial Board will ensure not to send the manuscript for review to the non-preferred reviewers; however, it is not obligatory to assign reviewers exclusively from the preferred list of names. 

• A member of the Editorial Board will not handle an article on which he/she is listed as an author.

• Editors may run a similarity report at any other point during the review process to check the originality of revisions and corrections made by the authors.

• Understanding Decision Process

After peer review, the Editor-in-Chief will decide on the manuscript based on the reviewers' reports and discussions with the Editorial Board (if needed). Please note that the Editor-in-Chief's decision will be final, and the same will be communicated to the corresponding author via email. There are five types of decisions: 

(a) Accept 

(b) Accept with minor revisions 

(c) Accept with major revisions 

(d) Resubmit 

(e) Reject

In case the decision is from (b) to (d), authors are required to submit the revised manuscript along with well-reasoned explanations to all the queries raised by the reviewers in the specified time period. The revised manuscript, along with the responses submitted to the reviewers' comments, will be reviewed again by the Editorial Board and/or the reviewers to arrive at the final decision.

After acceptance:

The following tasks need to be undertaken by the authors, upon acceptance of the article:

• Copyright & License: The corresponding author, on behalf of all the authors, must sign a publishing agreement with the journal's publisher, granting PRP the exclusive license to publish the article first and distribute it in any format. A scanned and signed copy of the agreement should be sent to the Production Editor at production.editor@ijsa-prp.in 

Please note that for all articles published in IJSA, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted, provided that the original published version is appropriately cited and given attribution. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work, while ensuring that the authors and publisher receive due credit.

• Proofreading: Next, the article will undergo typesetting, and the corresponding authors will receive the galley proof via email. The purpose of this document is to check for typesetting or conversion errors and the completeness and accuracy of the text, tables, figures, and images. Substantial modifications in content, such as new results, corrected values, title, and authorship changes, are not allowed without the approval of the Editor.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

The journal does not levy any article processing charges. In addition, the journal imposes no overlength page charge and no charge for printing coloured illustrations.

Publishing Mode

IJSA offers both open access and print editions of its issues. The corresponding author will receive a complimentary copy of the journal's issue.