Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

This is the author guideline for Asian Journal of Primary Education and Learning (AJPEL). Authors are required to read and follow these guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. Manuscripts that do not follow the journal template, focus and scope, citation style, and publication ethics may be returned to the authors before the review process.

All submitted manuscripts will be screened by the editorial team to ensure their suitability with the journal scope, manuscript format, originality, and academic quality. Manuscripts may also be checked using plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts with excessive similarity, poor academic structure, or content outside the journal scope may be rejected.

Language

Manuscripts submitted to Asian Journal of Primary Education and Learning (AJPEL) should be written in clear academic English. Authors are strongly advised to proofread their manuscripts before submission to ensure clarity, coherence, grammar accuracy, and academic readability.

Format and Length

Authors must prepare the manuscript using the official AJPEL manuscript template. The manuscript should be written in Microsoft Word format and follow the writing style, layout, font, spacing, and reference style provided in the template.

The manuscript should generally consist of approximately 10-15 Pages, including the main text but excluding references, appendices, tables, and figures. The manuscript should be written in a clear and concise academic style. Authors should avoid unnecessary theoretical explanation, excessive quotation, and irrelevant discussion.

Manuscript Structure

The manuscript should contain the following elements in order:

  • Title
  • Author names without academic degrees
  • Author affiliations, including institution, city, and country
  • Corresponding author email
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Method
  • Results and Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgment, if any
  • Declaration statements
  • References

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and relevant to the content of the manuscript. It should clearly reflect the main issue, object, or focus of the study. The title should not be too broad and should preferably contain no more than 16 words.

Author Identity

The manuscript must include the full names of all authors without academic degrees. The affiliation of each author should include the department or study program, institution, city, and country. The corresponding author must provide an active email address. The order of authors must be agreed upon by all contributors before submission.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, writing, or critical revision of the manuscript. All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission to Asian Journal of Primary Education and Learning (AJPEL).

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged in the acknowledgment section. Any form of honorary authorship, guest authorship, or ghost authorship is not permitted.

Abstract

The abstract should be written in one paragraph and contain approximately 200–250 words. It should briefly present the background, purpose, method, main findings, and implications of the study. The abstract should not contain citations, tables, figures, or unexplained abbreviations.

The abstract should provide a clear overview of the manuscript and help readers understand the contribution of the study. Authors are encouraged to write the abstract using an IMRaD logic, consisting of introduction, method, results, and discussion or implication.

Keywords

Authors should provide 4–6 keywords that represent the main concepts of the manuscript. Keywords should be written alphabetically, separated by semicolons, and should not simply repeat all words from the title.

Introduction

The introduction should clearly explain the background of the study, the importance of the topic, relevant theoretical or empirical context, previous studies, research gap, novelty, research objective, and contribution of the study.

The introduction should be written coherently from a general context to a specific research problem. Authors should avoid presenting only definitions or basic theories. The introduction should critically discuss recent studies and show how the submitted manuscript contributes to the development of knowledge in primary education and learning.

Authors are encouraged to cite relevant and recent references, especially journal articles published within the last five years. The use of primary references from reputable journals is strongly recommended.

Research Method

The method section should provide sufficient details to allow readers to understand how the research was conducted. Authors should describe the research approach, research design, research setting, participants or data sources, instruments, data collection techniques, data analysis procedures, and research validity or trustworthiness.

For qualitative studies, authors should clearly explain the research design, participant selection, data collection procedures, interview or observation process, document analysis, data coding, triangulation, and interpretation process.

For quantitative studies, authors should explain the population, sample, sampling technique, instruments, validity and reliability, data collection procedures, statistical analysis, and ethical considerations.

For mixed-method studies, authors should explain the design, sequence of quantitative and qualitative data collection, integration of findings, and rationale for using mixed methods.

Results and Analysis

The results and Analysis section should present the main findings clearly and systematically. Authors should avoid presenting excessive raw data. Tables and figures should be used only when they help readers understand the findings more effectively.

The Analysis should not merely repeat the results. It should interpret the meaning of the findings, relate them to previous studies, explain their contribution to primary education and learning, and discuss theoretical or practical implications.

For qualitative studies, authors may present themes, categories, narratives, and relevant participant quotations. For quantitative studies, authors should present statistical results clearly and explain their meaning. For literature-based studies, authors should synthesize findings from previous studies rather than merely summarize them one by one.

Conclusion

The conclusion should clearly answer the research objectives and summarize the main findings of the study. It should not repeat the abstract or present new data. The conclusion should also explain the implications of the study and may include limitations and recommendations for future research.

Acknowledgment

The acknowledgment section may include appreciation to individuals, institutions, research funders, or other parties who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship. This section is optional.

Declaration Statements

Authors are encouraged to include declaration statements when applicable, including:

  • Author Contributions: a brief explanation of each author’s contribution to the manuscript.
  • Funding Statement: information about research funding, if any.
  • Conflict of Interest: a statement declaring whether the authors have any conflicts of interest.
  • Ethical Approval: information about ethical clearance or research permission when the study involves human participants.
  • Data Availability: information about whether research data are available upon request or restricted for ethical reasons.

Tables

Tables should be created in editable table format, not as images. Each table must have a concise and informative title. Tables should be placed near the relevant text and must be referred to in the manuscript. Authors should ensure that tables are readable, not too large, and directly support the discussion.

Figures

Figures, diagrams, charts, and images should be clear, readable, and relevant to the manuscript. Each figure must have a title or caption and should be referred to in the text. Authors must ensure that figures do not violate copyright and are of sufficient resolution for publication.

References

References must follow the APA 7th edition style. Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote to ensure consistency and accuracy.

The manuscript should include at least 15 references. Most references should be recent, preferably published within the last five years. Authors are encouraged to prioritize journal articles, books, and other credible academic sources relevant to primary education and learning.

Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every source in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript. Authors must ensure the accuracy of author names, publication years, article titles, journal names, volume, issue, page numbers, and DOI links when available.

Similarity and Plagiarism

All manuscripts submitted to Asian Journal of Primary Education and Learning (AJPEL) may be checked for similarity. Authors must ensure that the manuscript is original and that all sources are properly cited. Manuscripts containing plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, or other forms of academic misconduct may be rejected or retracted.

Use of AI Tools

Authors who use artificial intelligence tools to support language editing, grammar checking, translation, or technical assistance must ensure that the final manuscript remains accurate, original, and fully accountable. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the content, data, analysis, citation accuracy, and ethical integrity of the manuscript.

Manuscript Template

Authors must use the official AJPEL manuscript template before submission. Manuscripts that do not follow the template may be returned to the authors for technical revision before entering the review process.

Submission Preparation

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript fits the focus and scope of AJPEL.
  • The manuscript follows the AJPEL template.
  • The manuscript is written in clear academic English.
  • The abstract, keywords, tables, figures, and references follow the journal format.
  • All citations and references follow IEEE citation style.
  • The manuscript has not been submitted to another journal at the same time.
  • All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.