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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The submission represents an original work that has not been published elsewhere nor submitted to another journal for publication;
  • The submission indicates that the Institutional Review Board (IRB) human subjects approval was secured, or explain why it was not required;
  • The submission includes a definition of an international student as defined by its government or institution;
  • The submission cites current theoretical and empirically-based literature, including relevant articles published in the Journal of International Students;
  • The submission reports sample size, population, confidence interval, and effect size, if applicable;
  • The submission is written in language that is engaging, lively, and direct, using active voice whenever possible;
  • The submission includes a limited number of tables and figures as separate files, if applicable;
  • The submission adheres to word count and APA stylistic and bibliographic requirements; and
  • All identifying information has been removed from all documents and file names.

Author Guidelines

Submissions should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), Sixth Edition, including title page (without author names), abstract, keywords, in-text citations, pagination, headings, tables, figures, and reference list. Title page, references, tables, and figures are not included in the word count.

Authors are encouraged to review current issues of the journal for examples of published articles, as well as the journal's Aims & Scope. Authors are encouraged to review the criteria used to evaluate manuscripts in our double-blind peer review process.

The following information will guide authors as they make a submission in the online system. You may begin your submission and return to edit it anytime until you decide to finalize the submission by clicking on the Finish Submission button. You may wish to review the visual, step-by-step guide on Submitting an Article.

Start Submission

Section. Select the Manuscript Type of the submission:

  • Research Article
  • Research in Brief
  • Study Abroad Reflections
  • Book Reviews

Submission Requirements. Verify compliance with the Submission Preparation Checklist.

Comments for the Editor. Enter any additional comments for the Editor (optional).  You will upload a Cover Letter to the Editors (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) on the next screen.

Copyright. Agree to the journal's copyright license.

Upload Submission

To ensure a blind review, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of the authors and reviewers from being known to each other. This involves the authors checking taking the following steps with regard to the text and the file properties: author identification has been removed from Microsoft Office documents and authors have deleted their names from the text, with "Author" and year used in the references and footnotes, instead of the authors' name, article title, etc.

Cover Letter. Upload a Cover Letter to the Editors (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) about the alignment of the submission with the journal's Aim & Scope.

Manuscript. Upload a blind Manuscript as one document (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) that includes a title page (without author names), abstract, main article text, and reference list. Documents must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and use 12-point Times New Roman font. Remove author(s) names, affiliation, country, and bio information, as well as all identifying information from the Microsoft Office document. 

Tables and Figures. Upload tables as one document (.doc, .docx, or .rtf), if applicable. Upload figures as individual JPG or PNG files (300 dpi resolution). Authors should limit the total number of tables and figures in the manuscript per APA recommendations for table and figure use.

Enter Metadata

Title and Abstract. Enter title and 100-150 word abstract.

List of Contributors. Enter author(s) information, including name, email, country, ORCID iD (optional), institution/affiliation, and a short bio statement that describes the author(s) department, rank, and research interests. Indicate which author will be the principal contact for editorial correspondence.

Keywords. Provide five to eight keywords for the submission. Authors are encouraged to include one or more Subject Terms from the ERIC Thesaurus.  

References. Cut-and-paste all references listed in the Reference List in main document to the References textbox. References must be cited in APA style, alphabetically by author and date. All references listed in the References list must appear in text, and all references cited in the text must appear in the References list.

Funding data. Add funder name and identification and grant numbers, if applicable. 

Confirmation

Click the “Finish Submission” button. Authors will receive an email confirmation with a Submission Acknowledgement message and link to track the submission during the review process.

Pre-Submission Language Editing for Scholarly Manuscripts

The use of language editing services prior to submission may be valuable for some authors. If authors wish to hire a professional editor prior to submission, the journal has an arrangement with Taryn Aldrich, a member of the ACES Society for Editing who specializes in language editing for scholarly manuscripts. Authors may email their pre-submission manuscript to Taryn at taryn@tarynaldrich.com and mention their plans to submit to the Journal of International Students for a discount on editing services. The use of pre-submission language editing services is optional, and the journal follows a double-blind peer review process. 

Manuscript Types

Research Articles

Research Articles (4,500-7,500 words) focus on quantitative and qualitative empirical research that marks a new and demonstratively significant advancement in research on international students related to the journal's Aims & Scope.

Research in Brief

Research in Brief (1,750-2,000 words) articles focus on reviews of research literature on a specific topic or question that joins theory and research related to the journal's Aims & Scope. Includes a brief introduction of the specific topic or question, theoretical or conceptual perspective, an analysis of the reserach literature, and brief discussion with implications for reserach and practice. Articles should include no more than two figures/tables and five to eight references.

Study Abroad Reflections

Study Abroad Reflections (1,000-2,000 words) are descriptions from faculty, students, and scholars concerning another culture, language, people, and society from an insider or outsider perspective. May also include research papers written by students on any topic of their interest or individual research work related to international students or their counterparts.

Book Reviews

Book Reviews (750-1,200 words) include critiques of books, doctoral dissertations, movies, websites, and articles related to international students, study abroad, or cultural exchange programs. Include a JPG (600 dpi) of a cover image of the reviewed item. View Book Review Titles >

Copyright Notice

All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.