Submissions

Author Guidelines

General
These instructions for authors give guidelines concerning the requirements of articles, copyrights and manuscript submission. Failure to adhere to these guidelines can seriously delay or even cancel the handling of your contribution to the Electronic Journal on Environment and Sustainability (e-JES).
When writing an article to be submitted to e-JES use the template for e-JES papers. This template is avaiblable from the course site in yOUlearn (password required!)

1.1 Scope and mission e-JES

The electronic Journal on Environment and Sustainability (e-JES) is a student-based open access e-journal with scientific and professional articles on the multidisciplinary field of environment and sustainable development. The e-Journal is addressed to scientists, professionals and (prospective) students in a broad range of disciplines and interested in environmental and sustainability issues.
Its mission is to provide a medium for students in bachelor and master programs on environment and sustainability to publish about their (research) project. It addresses a wide range of issues and strives for interdisciplinarity. The editorial board welcomes articles on research projects written by students in the field of environment and sustainability in a broad sense. Contributions to the e-journal are preferably multidisciplinary or even interdisciplinary, but may also be written from an ecological, economic, social, political, technical, policy or managerial perspective.
The editorial board of the e-JES encourages authors to address in their contributions one or more of the following topics:
• How does this study contribute to a better understanding of sustainability?
• In which sense could sustainable development gain from the outcomes of this study?
• At which scale (local, regional, national, global) does the study contribute to sustainability?
• What are the innovative aspects of this study?
• Who are the target groups of this study?

The e-JES is an international journal covering many disciplines. Contributions should therefore be written clearly and simply to make them accessible for readers from other disciplines. Most readers are from the Netherlands. Articles written in English should therefore be accessible to persons that do not have English as their native language.

1.2 Article categories

The e-JES distinguishes between two types of articles:

• scientific articles (scholarly).
• professional articles (practical).

Scientific article

Target group of scientific articles
Scientific articles are written by researchers in a specific field of science, and are aimed at the forum of researchers. Scientific articles aim to contribute to a further development of science / theories for the specific topic or research area the article addresses. It is intended to contribute to increasing the body of academic knowledge. They serve to communicate the results of scientific research. They usually build upon former research and insights, and relate the new research results to these. The description of the research should be precise, so as to allow others to repeat the experiment or research to check the validity of the outcomes. Scientific articles have an emphasis upon the research process, methodological accountability and reference to previous research.

Requirements of a scientific article
A scientific article submitted to e-JES should meet the following requirements (if these requirements cannot be used for the publication at hand, authors can deviate from this; deviations have to be motivated to the editorial board):

1. Length
The text of the article (excluding abstract and reference list) should not exceed 5.000 words.

2. Structure
The article should contain the following structural elements: title, abstract, key words, introduction, methodology section, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements (when appropriate), reference list, appendices (when appropriate).

3. Title
The title should accurately reflect the content of the article. It describes the subject and what aspect of the subject was studied. The title should attract people to read the article, and it should be informative, concise, specific and clear. Phrases as ‘a study of”, “a literature review of”, ”a research on” or ‘an investigation of’ should be avoided.
The title should not be more than about 15 words.

4. Abstract
The abstract summarizes the main reason to undertake the study, the main results and the most important conclusions. It should be stand-alone: not refer to the main text and not contain references. The abstract is not a description of the entire article; it should be a short version of the essential parts of the article. Furthermore, the abstract is not an introduction to the article. Authors should avoid phrases as “are presented’, “is discussed”, “is concluded” or “is described”.
The abstract should not exceed 250 words.

5. Keywords
A list of 4–6 keywords should be given in alphabetical order. The keywords should identify important subjects covered by the article which are not listed in the title.

6. Introduction
The introduction should explain why the study was undertaken. Usually, it describes the problem statement, the research objective and research questions. Also, the introduction reviews how the problem statement relates to literature and findings from other studies. The introduction further lists the hypotheses (if any) and mentions the variables studied in the research.

7. Methodology section (materials and methods)
This section explains how the study was performed, which theories and frameworks were used, and which assumptions were made. Also, it describes how the results were analyzed, for example the statistical methods applied.

8. Results
The results section describes what was found in the research.

9. Discussion and conclusion
Here, it is discussed what the results mean for the problem studied, and what patterns can be distinguished in the results. In other words, the results are interpreted and relations are examined. Also, it discusses how the findings relate to views found in literature and findings from previous studies. The conclusions section could also pay attention to the implication of the findings for the scientific field, policy making or other relevant fields.

10. Acknowledgements
In this section persons or institutes which contributed to the research or the writing of the article are acknowledged. When appropriate, additional information concerning research grants is given. Acknowledgements should be limited to collegial and financial assistance. The author should approve the content and wording of the acknowledgements of help or criticism by those who are acknowledged.

11. References
At the end of the text there should be a list of references in alphabetical. Multiple references of the same author(s) should be placed in chronological order.

12. Appendices
The appendices may contain background information or calculations for statements made in the article itself.

13. Language
Scientific articles should be written in [UK] English.

Professional article

Target group of professional articles
A professional article is aimed at persons which are interested in the topic from the point of view of their professional activity. A professional publication is intended to disseminate (new) knowledge and to stimulate the application of it. Professional articles describe the application of new or existing knowledge and theories to a (real life) problem in an interesting manner. For these articles it is important to describe those aspects of the research that will be of interest to the readers. The text should be written in such a way that it also can be understood by those without previous knowledge about the subject.

Requirements of a professional article
A professional article submitted to e-JES should meet the following requirements (if these requirements cannot be used for the publication at hand, authors can deviate from this; deviations have to be motivated to the editorial board):

1. Length
The text of the article should not exceed 2.000 words.

2. Structure
Professional articles are generally not bound by a specific structure. The article should at least contain the following structural elements: title, introducing text, results, implications for the professional field, and when appropriate some key references.

3. Title
See the requirements for a scientific article.

4. Introduction
Describe shortly the professional knowledge / skills that are the subject of the article and the rationale of the work and the strategies and methods used.

5. Results
Don’t give a complete overview of the result, but confine to those results that are directly relevant to the audience of professionals.

6. Implications for the professional field
This is an important part of the professional article. This section should address the practical conclusions from the results and give recommendations for the use of the knowledge in the professional world. It should point out how the knowledge might improve the practice it is addressing. What is the applicability in practice to its intended audience?

7. References
As professional articles focus more on application of the findings in practice and less on furthering scientific knowledge, references to other (scientific) work generally is somewhat less important. However, referring can be necessary.
References should meet the requirements as mentioned in the requirements for scientific articles.

8. Language
Professional articles should be written preferably in Dutch.

1.3 Review and editing process

Articles are peer-reviewed by a fellow student and /or your research supervisor.

• Manuscripts are reviewed by student-reviewers  and/or the research supervisor and examined by the editorial staff. The comments of the reviewers and editorial staff will be returned to the author, also for rejected manuscripts.
• The author is expected to process any comments received from the reviewers and the editorial staff in a serious way. After that, the author should submit the revised article for editing.
• Re-submitted manuscripts are subjected to copy-editing. The findings of the copy-editing are returned to the author.
• The author revises the manuscript based on the findings from the copy-editing, and prepares the manuscript for final submission.
• The manuscript for final submission will be considered to be the definitive version of the article. The author must ensure that it is complete, grammatically correct and without spelling or typographical errors.

1.4 Copyright

Permission from host organizations
Authors are responsible, if applicable, for obtaining permission from host organizations where the research was executed to publish about the research. A digital letter / e-mail confirming permission from the host organization should be handed in together with the submission of the article.

Use of materials from others
The articles should relate to other work and viewpoints existing for the subject at hand. Sources that are used in writing the article should be acknowledged, to prevent accusations of plagiarism (plagiarism means that you pretend, either intentionally or not, that the work or ideas you are writing about are your own, while they are of someone else). Copyright protects the rights of authors from others claiming the credits of the author’s work. Copyright protects the form of something, not the idea (Malmfors et al., 2000).

Authors are not allowed to copy texts, tables or diagrams literally. Under copyright laws, it is illegal to copy or reproduce something in an unmodified manner (Malmfors et al. , 2000). Authors can use the ideas or information someone else has written about, as long as you rephrase it, and use a reference to the source. When an author wishes to make substantial extracts or to reproduce tables, plates or other illustrations, he should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright.

Copyrights of articles published in e-JES
Copyrights of the articles published in e-JES remain at the author(s). After publication of an article in e-JES authors are free to have the article published elsewhere, whether or not in an adapted form. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to inform the publisher of another periodical, textbook or website that the article already has been published in the e-JES. Important to note is that e-JES is a student based journal and its aims are educational, not commercial.

1.5 Instructions for manuscript submission

Submission process
• Only submissions from students participating in the Virtual Masterclass Scientific and Proffessional Publishing on Environment and Sustainability can be accepted.
• Manuscripts must be original and unpublished.
• e-JES uses an Open Journalling System (OJS) of submitting articles and keeping track of the review, editing and publishing processes. Articles should be submitted as an electronic file using this OJS. Always keep a backup copy of the file at your computer for your personal reference.
• All correspondence, including decisions of the editorial board and requests for revisions, will be done through the OJS.

General submission guidelines
• The following guidelines mainly concern the formal acceptance of papers for publication in e-JES. Although the structure may differ between a scientific article and a professional article, the submission guidelines remain the same. Scientific articles should be submitted in British English, whereas professional articles may be written in British English as well as in Dutch.
• The article should be written in Microsoft Word, including text, page numbers, tables, legends, references and figures (see also the format requirements) . The Article template of e-JES should be used.
• If applicable, a digital letter / e-mail confirming permission from the host organization should be handed in, as a separate file, together with the submission of the article.
• To avoid unnecessary errors please use the spellchecker function in Microsoft Word.
• Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscript checked by an (English speaking) fellow student prior to submission.

Format requirements
When writing your article you should use the template for e-JES papers.
This template is available from (password required!) the course site in yOUlearn

Style requirements
• Use the active voice as much as possible, rather than the passive voice. Say: “We concluded that…” rather than “It was concluded that…”
• The use of specialized terms should be avoided. When essential, they can be used but only when explained concisely.
• Footnotes or endnotes are not allowed.
• Abbreviations are discouraged. When using abbreviations, write them out in full the first time they are used, except for units of measurement.
• Citations are quite determinative for the quality and reliability of a publication. The publication of papers in the e-JES requires a systematic in the format that should be used for citations. Together with the format for the reference list (see here under ‘reference list’), they represent a quite important part of the paper. Failure to adhere to these guidelines can seriously delay or even cancel the handling of your contribution to the e-JES.

Reference list
All sources included in the References section should be cited in the body of the paper. The same way, all sources cited in the paper should be included in the References section, except for the personal sources.
References should be listed in alphabetical order of the first author.
The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of the authors’ names and dates are exactly the same in the text as in the reference list. Also please check whether all the references mentioned in the text are included in the reference list, and vice versa.

Hereby we give several examples of format for the reference list. Please also check format requirements.

• Journal article:
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and judgements of vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.
• Book:
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Web document on university program or department Web site:
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA style essentials. Retrieved May 18, 2000, from Vanguard University, Department of Psychology Web site: http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
• Stand-alone Web document (no date):
Nielsen, M. E. (n.d.). Notable people in psychology of religion. Retrieved August 3, 2001, from http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm
• Stand-alone Web document (no author, no date):
Gender and society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2001, from http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html
• Journal article from database:
Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at the drug abuse-maternal aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-522. Retrieved May 20, 2000, from ProQuest database.
• Abstract from secondary database:
Garrity, K., & Degelman, D. (1990). Effect of server introduction on restaurant tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 168-172. Abstract retrieved July 23, 2001, from PsycINFO database.
• Journal article, Internet-only journal:
Bergen, D. (2002, Spring). The role of pretend play in children's cognitive development. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 4(1). Retrieved February 1, 2004, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/bergen.html
• Article or chapter in an edited book:
Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker (Ed.), Religion and mental health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford University Press.