1. General Requirements for Manuscripts

The Asian Journal of Educational Sciences (AJES) establishes strict technical and formatting standards to ensure professionalism, consistency, and to facilitate both the preliminary editorial screening and the independent peer-review process. Manuscripts that do not comply with these general requirements may be returned to the authors by the Editorial Office for revision before entering the formal review process.

1.1. Language and Academic Tone

To support the journal’s goal of international integration and global accessibility, English is the only accepted language for all manuscripts submitted to AJES.

Language consistency: Authors may choose either American English or British English; however, the selected style must be used consistently throughout the manuscript, including spelling and punctuation conventions.

Language quality: The writing style must be academic, clear, coherent, and concise. The Editorial Office strongly recommends that authors who are not native English speakers seek assistance from native-speaking colleagues or professional proofreading services before submission. The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts with poor language quality that may hinder reviewers’ ability to understand and evaluate the scientific content.

1.2. Document Formatting and Length Limits

Manuscripts must be prepared according to the following technical specifications to ensure compatibility with the journal’s print format (19 cm × 27 cm):

File format: Manuscripts must be submitted in an editable Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). Submissions in PDF format are not accepted, except for supplementary materials when specifically requested.

Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, size 12 for the entire manuscript, including the reference list.

Margins and line spacing: The text should be fully justified with standard margins (2.5 cm on all sides). Line spacing should be set to 1.5 lines to allow adequate space for reviewers’ comments.

Page and line numbering: To facilitate accurate referencing during the review process, authors must include page numbers (bottom-right corner) and enable continuous line numbering throughout the manuscript.

Length limits: A standard research manuscript should not exceed 15 printed pages, equivalent to approximately 5,000-8,000 words, including the abstract, main text, tables, figures, and references. Manuscripts exceeding this limit will only be considered in exceptional cases (e.g., large-scale systematic reviews) and must receive prior approval from the Editor-in-Chief.

1.3. Submission File Organization

To ensure objectivity and strict adherence to the double-blind peer review principle (reviewers do not know the authors’ identities and vice versa), authors must prepare and upload two separate files in the submission system:

1. Title Page

This file contains all identifying information, including:

• Article title
• Full names of all authors
• Institutional affiliations corresponding to each author
• Detailed contact information for the Corresponding Author, including email address, phone number, and ORCID ID (if available)

2. Anonymized Main Manuscript

This file contains the full scholarly content of the article (Title, Abstract, Keywords, Main Text, and References) but must not include any information that could identify the authors or their institutions. Authors should also remove hidden metadata from the Document Properties in Microsoft Word before submission.

1.4. Abbreviations and Footnotes

Abbreviations: The use of uncommon abbreviations should be minimized. All abbreviations must be clearly defined the first time they appear in both the Abstract and the main text (e.g., Association of Southeast Asian Nations - ASEAN). The abbreviation may then be used in subsequent mentions.

Footnotes: AJES encourages authors to incorporate explanatory information directly into the main text whenever possible to maintain reading continuity. Footnotes should only be used when absolutely necessary to provide background information that would otherwise disrupt the logical structure of the text. Footnotes must not be used as a substitute for references.

2. Detailed Manuscript Structure

The Asian Journal of Educational Sciences (AJES) requires research manuscripts to follow a clear and logical structure to ensure coherence and facilitate the peer-review process. For empirical research articles, the manuscript should include the following sections:

2.1. Summary Information (Title, Abstract, and Keywords)

Title: The title should be concise, accurately reflect the core content of the research, and attract readers’ interest. It should not exceed 15 words and should avoid uncommon abbreviations or redundant phrases (e.g., “A study on…”).

Abstract: The abstract must be written as a single paragraph of 150-250 words. It should provide an independent overview of the study, including four essential elements: (1) Research objective or rationale; (2) Methodological approach and research participants; (3) Key findings; (4) Main conclusion or implications.
References, equations, and figures should not appear in the abstract.

Keywords: Provide 4-6 keywords, separated by commas. Keywords should accurately reflect the key variables, methods, or research context to improve discoverability in academic databases.

2.2. Introduction

The Introduction section should guide readers into the research context and answer the question: Why is this study necessary?

Research background: Present the practical or theoretical context that led to the development of the research idea (particularly encouraging connections with educational contexts in Asian countries).

Problem statement: Clearly describe the practical issue or theoretical contradiction that the study aims to address.

Research objectives and questions: Clearly state the overall objective, specific objectives, and research questions (or research hypotheses) that the article intends to examine.

2.3. Literature Review

Separating the Literature Review section allows authors to develop a strong theoretical foundation and demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the field.

Concepts and theoretical framework: Define key concepts and present the theoretical foundations (e.g., Constructivist Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, Technology Acceptance Model - TAM) used as analytical lenses for the study.

Review of related studies: Synthesize, analyze, and critically evaluate previously published research directly related to the topic. Authors should identify research trends, established findings, and areas of disagreement in the literature.

Research gap: Based on the literature evaluation, authors must clearly identify unresolved issues (theoretical, methodological, or geographical gaps) and demonstrate the novel contribution of the present study in addressing these gaps.

2.4. Methodology

The Methodology section should be described in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to replicate the study.

Research design: Clearly state the research approach (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) and justify the selection of the design.

Participants and sampling: Describe participant demographics, sample size, and the sampling method (probability or non-probability sampling).

Data collection instruments: Provide detailed information about questionnaires, interview protocols, tests, or measurement scales. Evidence of reliability (e.g., Cronbach’s Alpha) and validity should be clearly reported.

Data collection and analysis procedures: Describe the steps involved in data collection and specify the software used (e.g., SPSS, AMOS, NVivo) as well as the statistical or thematic analysis techniques applied.

Research ethics: Include a statement confirming informed consent from participants and the protection of participant confidentiality, particularly when research involves minor participants.

2.5. Results

The Results section should present findings objectively, logically, and systematically according to the sequence of research questions or hypotheses.

Combine text, tables, and figures/charts to illustrate data clearly and effectively, avoiding repetition of all numerical values from tables in the text.

This section should only report findings and should not include interpretation or comparison with previous studies.

2.6. Discussion

The Discussion section demonstrates the author’s critical thinking and scholarly contribution.

Interpretation of findings: Address the research questions directly based on the evidence presented in the Results section.

Comparison with the literature: Relate the findings to studies reviewed in Section 4.3, explaining whether the results support or differ from previous research.

Explanation of unexpected findings: If results contradict initial hypotheses, authors should provide well-reasoned scientific explanations.

2.7. Conclusion and Implications

Main conclusions: Provide a concise summary of the most important findings without repeating detailed data.

Implications: Present the specific contributions of the study, including:

Theoretical implications (contributions to educational knowledge)

Practical implications (recommendations for teachers, educational administrators, or policymakers)

Limitations and future research: Acknowledge limitations (e.g., sample size or research context) and propose directions for future studies.

2.8. Declarations

Funding: Authors should indicate whether the study received financial support. If funded, provide the name of the funding agency and grant number. If not, clearly state that the research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement: For studies involving human participants or personal data, authors should confirm that the research complied with relevant ethical standards and specify the approving ethics committee and approval reference if applicable.

Transparency: Authors should confirm that the manuscript presents an accurate and transparent account of the research and that all essential aspects of the study have been reported.

Competing Interests: Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research. If none exist, authors should state that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ Contributions: Authors should briefly describe the contribution of each author to the study (e.g., research design, data analysis, manuscript preparation). All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure of AI Use: If AI tools were used in preparing the manuscript, authors should disclose the tool used and its purpose. Authors remain responsible for reviewing and verifying all AI-assisted content.

3. Tables, Figures, and Equations

To ensure optimal print quality and online display, AJES requires authors to present visual elements in a clear, consistent, and scientifically structured format that strictly follows standard guidelines.

3.1. Tables

Numbering and Title: Tables must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals (e.g., Table 1, Table 2). The table title should appear above the table, written in sentence case and aligned to the left.

Formatting: AJES follows the APA table format. Tables should not contain vertical lines, and horizontal lines should be minimized; only the top border, bottom border, and the line below the column headers should be retained.

Content: The data presented in tables should be self-explanatory so that readers can understand the information without constantly referring to the text. Any abbreviations used in the table must be explained in a Note placed directly below the table.

3.2. Figures

Numbering and Title: Images, diagrams, and charts are collectively referred to as Figures and should be numbered consecutively (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2). The figure title must appear below the figure.

Resolution and Format: Figures must be of high quality, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Authors are encouraged to provide images in .JPEG, .PNG, or .TIFF formats.

Image copyright: If figures are reproduced or adapted from previously published sources, authors must provide evidence of permission for reuse and clearly acknowledge the original source in the figure note.

3.3. Mathematical and Statistical Equations

Equations must be prepared using an editable equation format, such as the Equation tool in Microsoft Word or MathType. Equations should not be inserted as images.

Standalone equations should be right-aligned and numbered consecutively in parentheses, for example (1), (2). Statistical symbols (e.g., N, M, SD, p, t) should be italicized according to standard conventions.

4. Citations and References

AJES follows the APA Style (7th Edition) of the American Psychological Association. Accurate citation practices not only respect intellectual property rights but also help ensure that articles are properly indexed and linked in international citation databases (such as Crossref and Scopus).

4.1. In-text Citations

Single author: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023) stated that…

Two authors: (Truong & Tran, 2025) or Truong and Tran (2025) emphasized the importance of university governance…

Three or more authors: Use “et al.” from the first citation: (Nguyen et al., 2024).

Multiple references in the same parentheses: Arrange alphabetically by the first author and separate them with semicolons: (Nguyen et al., 2024; Truong & Tran, 2025).

4.2. Reference List

The Reference List should appear at the end of the manuscript. All entries must be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author. For sources with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), the full DOI URL must be provided.

Journal Article

Truong, T. D., & Tran, Q. G. (2025). Developing university governance capacity for the administrative staff in the Mekong Delta region. Asian Journal of Educational Sciences, 1(1), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/ajes.2025.xx

Book

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the book (2nd ed.). Publisher.

Book Chapter

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.