Guidelines for Authors

Journal of Future Studies – Sirte University

The Journal of Future Studies – Sirte University invites researchers from various scientific and humanities disciplines to submit original research that aligns with the Journal’s objectives and scope and provides a clear scholarly examination of future-oriented and foresight-related issues.

These guidelines aim to assist authors in preparing their manuscripts for submission in a manner that facilitates editorial screening, peer review, and publication.

First: Before Submitting a Manuscript

Authors should ensure that their manuscripts:

1. Are consistent with the Journal’s objectives and scope.
2. Include a clear future-oriented or foresight dimension, such as analyzing anticipated trends, examining potential transformations and changes, developing scenarios, or assessing future opportunities, challenges, and impacts.
3. Make a clear scientific or practical contribution.
4. Meet the methodological requirements appropriate to the nature of the study.
5. Have not been previously published and are not under consideration by another journal at the same time.
6. Comply with research ethics and intellectual property rights.

Second: Manuscript Structure

Depending on the nature and discipline of the study, a manuscript should preferably include the following elements:

1. Title: Clear and specific, accurately reflecting the subject of the study.
2. Abstract: A concise summary of the research problem, objectives, methodology, key findings, and conclusions, highlighting the future-oriented dimension where appropriate.
3. Keywords: Words or phrases reflecting the main topics of the manuscript.
4. Introduction: Presents the research topic, problem, significance, and objectives.
5. Theoretical Framework and Literature Review: Reviews relevant literature and identifies the research gap the study seeks to address.
6. Methodology and Research Procedures: Explains the research method, data sources, data collection instruments, and analytical techniques, as appropriate to the study.
7. Results and Discussion: Presents and interprets the findings and discusses them in light of relevant literature and scientific evidence.
8. Future-Oriented or Foresight Dimension: Explains anticipated trends, scenarios, future implications, opportunities, or challenges, depending on the nature of the study.
9. Conclusions and Recommendations: Presents the main conclusions drawn from the study and recommendations supported by its findings.
10. Acknowledgments and Disclosures: Included where applicable, covering funding, conflicts of interest, and the use of artificial intelligence tools in accordance with the Journal’s policies.
11. References: Includes all sources cited in the manuscript.
12. Tables, Figures, and Appendices: Included where necessary, with appropriate numbering, titles, and sources.

The order or headings of these sections may be modified according to the nature and discipline of the research, provided that the manuscript maintains logical progression, scholarly clarity, and completeness.

Third: Abstracts and Keywords

1. Each manuscript must include an abstract in Arabic and another in English.
2. Each abstract must not exceed 250 words.
3. Each abstract should clearly present the research problem, objectives, methodology, principal findings, and conclusions.
4. Each abstract must be accompanied by no more than five keywords.
5. The English translation of the manuscript title, abstract, and keywords must be accurate and consistent with the Arabic text.

Fourth: Manuscript Formatting

1. Manuscripts must be prepared on A4 paper and must not exceed 30 pages, including abstracts, tables, figures, references, and appendices, unless otherwise approved by the Editorial Board.
2. Arabic manuscripts must use Traditional Arabic, while English manuscripts must use Times New Roman.
3. Font sizes should be as follows:
• Main headings: 16-point bold.
• Subheadings: 14-point bold.
• Arabic main text: 14-point.
• English main text: 12-point.
• Arabic abstract: 12-point italic.
• English abstract: 10-point.
• Footnotes: 10-point.
4. Margins should be approximately 2.5 cm on all four sides.
5. Headings, paragraphs, and page numbering should be formatted consistently throughout the manuscript.
6. Manuscripts must be submitted in an editable Word format. Authors should use the Journal’s official template whenever one is available.

Fifth: Author Information and Anonymization

A separate title page must be provided, containing the manuscript title in both Arabic and English, the names of all authors, their academic degrees, specializations, institutional affiliations, and email addresses, as well as the designation of the corresponding author.

The manuscript file intended for peer review must be free of authors’ names and any information that could reveal their identities, including identifying information in the main text, footnotes, and electronic file properties. This requirement supports the Journal’s double-anonymous peer-review process.

Sixth: Tables, Figures, Images, and Equations

1. Tables, figures, images, and equations must be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance in the manuscript.
2. Table titles must appear above the tables, while notes and explanatory information should be placed below them.
3. Figure and image titles must be placed in clear and consistent locations.
4. Every table, figure, and image must be referred to in the main text.
5. Sources of data, images, and quoted or reused materials must be acknowledged, and the necessary permissions must be obtained where applicable.
6. Tables and figures must be clear and legible, and the data presented in them must be consistent with the findings reported in the text.

Seventh: In-Text Citations and References

The Journal adopts the APA referencing style, in accordance with the edition approved by the Journal.

Authors must observe the following requirements:

1. Cite quotations, ideas, and data derived from other sources in the text.
2. Provide page numbers for direct quotations whenever available.
3. Include all cited sources in the reference list and exclude references that are not cited in the manuscript.
4. Verify the accuracy of authors’ names, publication years, titles, journal names, publishers, volumes, issues, and page numbers.
5. Include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) or electronic links whenever available.
6. Apply a consistent referencing style throughout the manuscript.
7. Rely on credible, recent, and relevant scholarly sources while also acknowledging important foundational works.

Eighth: Language and Academic Style

Manuscripts must be written clearly, accurately, and objectively, using terminology appropriate to the relevant discipline.

Authors should avoid exaggerating findings or making claims unsupported by scientific evidence. They should also clearly explain the limitations of the study and any constraints that may affect the interpretation or generalizability of its findings.

Terminology and abbreviations should be used consistently. Each term should be written in full when first introduced, followed by its abbreviation where necessary.