Author Guidelines

This is the new Author Guidelines for SHINE: Study, Enhancement, and Innovation in English Education

ATTENTION. Please carefully read the following guidelines and prepare your manuscript accordingly before submission. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the Contact Person provided. Your manuscript might be rejected if you don’t follow these guidelines.

Withdrawal Policy:

Authors are strongly discouraged from withdrawing submitted manuscripts after they have entered the publication process (review, copyedit, layout, etc.). Please note that valuable resources and time have been invested by SHINE: Study, Enhancement, and Innovation in English Education in processing the manuscript.

Similarity Check:

All manuscripts will undergo a similarity check upon submission. Manuscripts with a similarity score of more than 20% will be returned to be edited and manuscripts with more than 25% similarity score will be automatically rejected.

Outline:

  1.  Language
  2. Format and Length
  3. Structure
  4. Authorship
  5. Abstract
  6. Introduction
  7. Methods
  8. Results and Discussion
  9. Conclusion
  10. Headings
  11. Citations and References
  12. Tables and Figures
  13. Acknowledgements

Language

Manuscripts must be written in English. Please ensure that your manuscript is thoroughly proofread before submission.

Format and Length

  • Manuscripts should be submitted in Open Document (.odt), Microsoft Word Microsoft Word Open XML Document (.docx) or older Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Other file formats, especially uneditable formats (LaTeX, PDF, etc.) are not acceptable.
  • Use a single-column page format with no specific page margins or line spacing requirements.
  • The main body of the manuscript should be structured into four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion. Use bold capital letters for these section headings.
  • Manuscript length can vary, but the main body should be a minimum of 5,000 words, excluding the abstract, tables, references, appendices, etc.

Structure

The manuscript should contain the following elements in the specified order:

  1. Title (maximum of 10 words)
  2. Full names of all authors
  3. Affiliations of all authors (Department/Division, Institution, Address, City, and Country)
  4. Email of the corresponding author
  5. Abstract
  6. Keywords (4-6 words)
  7. Introduction
  8. Methods
  9. Results and Discussion
  10. Conclusion
  11. Acknowledgements (if there are any)
  12. References

Authorship

  • Include the full names of all contributing authors in the correct order for publication.
  • Provide the correct email address for the corresponding author.
  • Each author's full name should be presented in the format they wish to appear in the publication.
  • Authors must meet the criteria for authorship, which include substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, acquisition or analysis of data, drafting or critical revision of the manuscript, and approval of the final version for publication.

Abstract

  • The abstract should be a single paragraph of a maximum of 350 words.
  • Present a cohesive summary, starting with a brief introduction to the research background.
  • Include the research problem, purpose, methodology, results, and implications for theory and practice.
  • Emphasize the main conclusion and the implications of the research, rather than providing detailed numerical results.

Introduction Section

  • Provide a comprehensive introduction that highlights the existing body of knowledge in the field of English education, from a broader scope to a more specific area.
  • Discuss previous publications and their contributions to the field, identifying research gaps.
  • Emphasize the novelty and rationale of the proposed research, supported by at least five recent key literature sources.
  • Refer to a minimum of 20 references, preferably citing primary references from internationally reputable journals and conference proceedings published within the last 10 years.
  • Avoid excessive detailing of basic theoretical grounds already established in the field.

Methods

  • Provide detailed and structured descriptions of the methods, techniques, and approaches used in the study to allow for reproducibility.
  • For novel methods, provide a thorough explanation.
  • For well-established methods, provide a brief description and refer readers to relevant sources.
  • Indicate participant details, including demographic data and rationale for their selection.
  • Describe the experimental design, procedures, surveys, interviews, observations, etc., in sufficient detail.

Results and Discussion

This section combines results and discussion:

  • Focus on presenting and discussing the main results.
  • Avoid extensive presentation of raw or detailed computational data. Summarize results in a concise and meaningful manner.
  • The discussion should interpret the significance of the main findings and provide insights beyond what is shown in tables and figures.
  • For hypothesis testing research, explain how the results relate to the hypothesis and discuss implications with previous studies.
  • Mention the software used and indicate the availability of computer code, if applicable.

Conclusion

  • Address the research objectives and provide the main findings.
  • Emphasize the research implications for the field of English education and the broader audience.
  • If the findings are preliminary, suggest future research directions.

Headings

Use a hierarchical heading structure without numbering or bullet points.

Main headings, second-level subheadings, and third-level subheadings should be formatted as follows:

  • Main heading: Written in bold capital letters.
  • Second-level subheading: Written in bold and italic text.
  • Third-level subheading: Written in italic text.
  • Lower-level subheadings may be numbered or bulleted.

Citations and References

  • Strictly follow APA 7th citation style.
  • Check the completeness, accuracy, and consistency of your references.
  • Include DOI (Digital Object Identifiers) whenever available.
  • Use a minimum of 20 references in total, with at least 60% of them being recent primary references.

Use reference manager. We are highly encouraging authors to use Zotero or Mendeley.

Tables and Figures

  • Create tables in tabular format rather than as images.
  • Provide descriptive and concise table captions.
  • Place tables as close as possible to the relevant text.
  • Ensure that superscripts or asterisks in tables are explained as footnotes.
  • Follow a similar approach for figures, ensuring they are clear and readable.
  • Use appropriate software to create figures or copy them from the source.
  • Maintain proportional font size in figures.