ABOUT

The Journal of Indigenous Languages of Zambia

The Journal of Indigenous Languages of Zambia (JIL) is a peer-reviewed intra-disciplinary journal that aims to present scholarly research and writings on language use and trends among the indigenous peoples of Zambia. The journal is purposely published on the principles of open-source and open-access (which means no submission and processing fees are charged to authors, and no subscription fees are charged to readers). This is purposely done to foster greater inclusivity among writers, and to achieve wider audience coverage among readers. In this way, we are literally giving a mouth to unheard indigenous communities, to tell their story, their way.

Through the JIL initiative, we hope to create an indigenous language academic community that can set its own agendas, create its own content, provide its own arguments and establish beneficial standards of reference in indigenous language authorship.

In its initial stage, the JIL journal is published on once every quarter as an online journal. Individual articles are then published as web articles on the journal website. The web articles are also categorized into to specific areas of study, research, or language for ease of reference.

JIL areas of study include:

  • Indigenous language information (data)
  • Cultural information of indigenous languages
  • Indigenous culture
  • Linguistic analysis of indigenous languages
  • Language trends and usage shifts
  • Indigenous language literature
  • Visual and performing arts

Although JIL is published in English, we strongly encourage and gladly accept articles that are written entirely in local languages, in which they will be published as such, while making available a translated copy of the same in English for reference purposes. We also welcome submissions of works that have been previously published in English or indigenous language(s) to be published online and/or featured in a JIL issue, while strictly upholding the standard of ethical behaviour regarding copyrighted material.

To make submission, go to the Submit page

To join our community of writers, go to login and register

The Journal of Indigenous Languages was launched by Fluent Zambia, a local non-profit organization that works to promote and preserve local languages through digital documentation.

JIL is entirely a non-profit initiative. No submission or processing fees are charged for any of the articles published in this journal. This journal is published by Fluent Zambia, with support from the Aotearoa-Zambia Fund.

Authorship 

1.1 Author information

Each author/creator must provide a 100-150 word biography. Indicate the author(s) full name, current position, and general interests. If you are within a year of a prestigious award or funding, feel free to mention it. This bio will be included in the final publication if accepted. 

Overview statement (150-words or less): An overview statement for readers to understand your position or standpoint in relation to the research topic and the community being studied to be embedded in the introduction of the article. We ask for author/researcher’s social identity, location, affiliation and cultural background, and how these influence their research and findings.

Our preference is to publish Indigenous scholarship and scholarship that assists emerging Indigenous scholars to raise their research profile through co-authoring papers with known scholars. 

Speaker bios are being collected for publication

1.2 As part of the submission process for JIL, you will be required to indicate that you are submitting your original work, have the rights to the work, and are submitting the work for first publication in JIL. You must submit work that is not up for consideration for publication elsewhere and/or has not already been published elsewhere, and you obtained and can supply all permissions for the reproduction of any copyright work not owned by you (images, graphs, etc.).

1.3 Papers should only be submitted for consideration once all contributing authors consent. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors. The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This means all those who have:

(i) Made a substantial contribution to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data concept or design of the work;
(ii) Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
(iii) Approved the version to be published,
(iv) Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public
responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Note: A student is usually listed as the principal author of any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

All parties contributing substantially should be listed as authors. Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. First authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the individuals’ relative scientific or professional contributions, regardless of their status.

1.4 Acknowledgements

Any contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgments section. Examples include an Elder who has provided guidance, community members who collaborated in meaningful ways, a person who provided technical help, or a supportive colleague. 

Author Responsibilities

Authors have the following responsibilities towards their articles:

Confidentiality

Authors should hold all communication between themselves and the journal in confidence. Authors will generally maintain contact with the Journal Editor or a member of the Editorial Board for any communication about the article throughout peer review and (if accepted) the publication process. Authors should observe the journal’s peer-review policy, especially on the anonymity of authors and reviewers.

Originality

Authors should submit their original work. They should provide a statement attesting to the originality of the study or research they are submitting for consideration. Authors are required to have full right to the work they have submitted. If the work in copyright, they must obtain all the necessary permissions and be able to present these on submission.

Permissions

It is the author’s responsibility to follow journal or publisher guidelines to reuse any copyrighted material and provide proper attribution. This includes the author’s own work if the copyright was ever transferred to a publisher or journal. Authors should contact the journal or publisher of the source material or consult the “permissions” information that can be found on many of their web sites. Permission should be granted in writing and the authors should retain this documentation. The editor may request a copy of this notification as well.

Disclosures

Authors have a responsibility to be forthright when complying with journal submission requirements. This entails disclosure about the originality of the content, a statement of an author’s actual contribution to the study, and financial and conflict of interest disclosures.

Many journals require authors to disclose sources of funding for the work. Authors should disclose all sources of funding (government, corporate, other) and any products or services (such as materials and equipment, statistical analysis, and scientific writing) provided by third parties in the course of the research, analysis, or reporting.

Note: JIL Journals will not publish names of commercial entities that offered ‘paid-for’ services like copyediting, proofreading, graphic design, or any commercial service for which authors paid.

Multiple Submissions

It is not acceptable for authors to submit the report of a study to several journals at the same time, including a manuscript undergoing peer review that has not been formally rejected by the original journal to which the manuscript was submitted. Authors who do not follow this standard may find that editors reject their papers as a violation of policy. In addition, this practice can be a violation of copyright.

If authors want to submit their article to another journal while it is under review elsewhere, they must send formal notification to the editor of the journal where it is under review, requesting that their article be withdrawn from further consideration. ALL coauthors must agree with this request and must demonstrate their agreement by signature in the withdrawal letter. Authors should request and receive formal acknowledgment of withdrawal from the journal editor before submitting their manuscript elsewhere. They should retain a copy of the withdrawal acknowledgement.

Data Sharing

Data sharing is the practice of making data used in scholarly research available to other researchers. Authors should not make data they are collecting in their research available to other authors before their research/work is accepted and published. After the work is published, other authors may have access to the data in their research. For funded research, authors should be aware of the data sharing responsibilities imposed by those funding their research. The goal of this policy is to promote reproducibility and availability of underlying data sets. At the beginning of a study the authors should consider where they will submit their data and should consider the journals they may want to submit their study and review the data sharing policies for each journal.

Human Subjects Research

Authors conducting research that involves human subjects must conduct the study according to the approved protocol and acceptable research standards, including obtaining informed consent of study subjects. Journal editors will require a ‘consent to participate’ form signed by the subject or participant, and a ‘consent to publish personal data’ form/statement signed by the participant.

Co-Authorship

Articles should only be submitted with the consent of all contributing authors. The lead author or the author assigned to submit on behalf of other authors should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the manuscript are listed as authors.

AI-Assisted Authorship

Authors are required to disclose whether they used artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) in writing or generating the submitted work. In such cases, authors should include a few sentences in the acknowledgements sections, explaining how they used AI or AI-assisted technologies. For example, if AI was used as a writing or editing assistant, or if AI was used for data collection, analysis, or figure generation, authors should describe this.

However, chatbots (such as ChatGPT) should not be listed as authors because they cannot be held responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the work. Humans, as authors, are responsible for this, and for checking that the use of AI assisted models does not compromise the authenticity of their work. Authors should carefully review and edit the result because AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Additionally, authors should not use AI generated citation in their paper, even if they used AI-assisted writing.

Publishing Policies

2.1 Publication ethics

JIL supports the highest standards in scholarly publishing. We adhere to practices ensuring transparency in the publishing process and editorial decisions. We expect that authors’ contributions to the Journal have been subjected to ethical review when appropriate and research conducted honestly and ethically. 

2.2 Plagiarism

JIL takes issues with plagiarism, copyright infringement, or other breaches of best practices in publication most seriously. Offences of this nature will be dealt with swiftly. We seek to protect the rights of our authors, and we will investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of JIL against malpractice. Submitted articles may be reviewed using duplication-checking software. If an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work, including third-party copyright material without permission, with insufficient acknowledgment, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: 

(i) publishing a correction
(ii) retracting the article
(iii) taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author’s
institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies
(iv) Taking appropriate legal action 

2.1.2 Prior publication

If previously published, it is not generally acceptable for publication in JIL. However, certain circumstances allow previously published material to be considered for publication. Please contact the Editor Laura Forsythe if you have questions about your previously published article, poem, or artwork. 

2.2 Contributor’s publishing agreement 

Before publication, JIL requires the author as the rights holder to sign the JIL Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement.

2.3 Creative Commons Licences

JIL publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard licence for the Journal is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial No-Dervis (CC BY-NC-ND),

(i) Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use
(ii) NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes
(iii) NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.


Authors may use and reuse material published in JIL, but only for non-commercial purposes and with appropriate acknowledgment. Meaning Authors can

(i) Share print or electronic copies of the article with colleagues;

(ii) use all or part of the article, without revision or modification, in personal compilations or other publications of their own work;

(iii)  publish the article on their personal Web page; and

(iv)  archive an electronic copy of the final, peer-reviewed manuscript in an institutional repository.

(v) Manuscripts archived within an institutional repository may be made freely available to the public via the internet on the official publication date in the Journal.

For permission to reprint all or part of an article published in JIL, contact submit@jilzm.icu.  

Peer Review Process

All submissions considered for publication for JIL are double-blind peer-reviewed. The Editor reviews all manuscripts to determine suitability for potential publication in JIL. Some papers are rejected without peer-review owing to not meeting the standard required or being outside of the scope of the journal. Once a manuscript has passed editorial review, it is sent out to at least two peer reviewers through a double-anonymized peer review process. Material submitted to JIL remains confidential while under review, with the author’s identity being removed and the peer reviewers’ identity also protected. Peer review is expected to take 4 to 6 weeks, depending on reviewer availability. Corresponding authors are notified of editorial decisions after peer review and are provided with reviewer and editor feedback. 

An editor may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, alternative members of the Board will manage the peer review process, and the submitting Editor will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

On Acceptance and Publication

If your paper is accepted for publication in JIL after the double peer review, you will first be asked to complete the JIL contributor’s publishing agreement. Once signed, your article will be prepared for publication and can appear online in the next semiannual edition. Please note production work will not occur on your submission until the publishing agreement has been received.

3.1 Production 

The Editor will inform you of your article, poem, book review, or community features’ progress throughout the process. Following copy-edit, lead authors or creators will be sent a proof and should be returned promptly. Contributors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all information, including names, affiliations, sequence, and contact details, are correct. 

3.2 Online Upload of Publication

One of the many benefits of publishing your research in an open-access journal is the speed of publication. It will be completely free to view and download for all at this time with a DOI.

3.3 Open Access Policy

This Journal provides open access immediately once the issue is published making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. 

3.4 Promoting Your Article

Publication is not the end of the publishing process. You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited by doing the following;

(i)              Update your email signature

(ii)            Update your Website to include the article

(iii)          Update your Research Gate and other research platforms

(iv)           Share your article on LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

(v)             Share with your department

(vi)           Share it with friends, colleagues, and participants

Retractions

4.1 JIL considers retractions in cases where pieces have evidence of unreliable data or findings, data fabrication, Identity fraud, plagiarism, gross ethical breaches, duplicate publication, or other reasons. We may consider an expression of concern notice if an article is under investigation. All retraction notices explain why the article was retracted.

JIL does not charge article processing fees for publication, and authors should only submit through this site. JIL does not use third-party intermediaries to solicit submissions or to communicate with authors. 

Overview

This journal is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to adhere to internationally accepted ethics of publishing, including the use of copyrighted material (see the author responsibilities section). The following is a detailed outline of applicable guidelines for the publication of any material in this journal.

Summary

  • Accessibility: Open-source, open access
  • Publication Language: (1) English (2) All indigenous Zambian languages
  • Preprints: Acceptable
  • Author Responsibilities: Research/Attribution/Permissions/Sponsorship

Publishing Fees

There are no (i) submission fees (ii) processing fees (iii) publishing fees for publishing any article in this journal or on the journal website. No payments should be made by any author or contributor to any individual for any service that the said individual renders in whatever capacity he/she may serve in the line of publication of this journal. Neither the reviewers, proofreaders, editors, layout designers, web editors/publishers, site admins, nor any member of the editorial board should demand, request, expect, or accept a fee (explicitly or implicitly offered) from any author/contributor (nor their sponsor) for the publication of any material on this journal, neither on the JIL website nor in its quarterly release edition.

As a rule, all processing and publishing expenses are borne by the Journal Editorial Committee through funding availed to Fluent Zambia, the founding organization that runs the journal.

However, authors are responsible to pay for their own research costs as well as any fees demanded from them for the use and/or reuse of copyrighted material.

Article Sponsorship/Funding

Fluent Zambia does not provide sponsorship or funding to authors to enable them finance their work, neither do we solicit funding or sponsorship on behalf of writers. Authors who desire to have their research work funded, or whose research incurs a degree of financial liability due to scope, logistics, or participant remuneration requirements have personal responsibility to secure funding or sponsorship for their work.

Fluent Zambia will only assume financial responsibility at the time when the completed research work/writing is submitted for peer-review and eventual publishing.

Article Assessment

Mandatory Requirements

Before making any submission for review, authors must evaluate their manuscript in line with the following submission requirements:

  • The article must be within the scope of the journal’s field(s) of interest
  • The manuscript must be the author’s original work, and they must have the rights to the work
  • If an author presents work that is not owned by them, they must obtain and present all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any such copyrighted works, be it data, information, figures, illustrations, tables, lengthy quotations, or other material previously published elsewhere.

Articles that do not meet the above mandatory requirements will be rejected upon assessment.

Approach to Writing

The primary aim of JIL Zambia journals is the documentation and preservation of indigenous languages of Zambia.

The preferred approach to achieving this aim is a scholarly/educational style of writing. In order to achieve scholarly acclaim, it is required that articles are written in academic format, citing academic reference and providing critical, descriptive, and analytical perspectives, However, it is also preferred that articles are written with the goal to teach aspects of indigenous languages to various audience, including natives, and those not scholarly inclined. Therefore, authors should ensure that:

  • Article content encapsulates both native and scholarly perspectives.
  • Articles strike a balance between academic and semi-academic writing

Doing the above will ensure that articles attain a high level of native-reader engagement, while still achieving scholarly documentation.

Article Length

As a rule of thumb, articles should range between 2-4 pages, written in Times New Roman, font size 12, and spacing 1.5, in single column and default margin layout. Exceptions will be made to this rule of thumb. All articles should include a title, abstract of maximum 150, keywords/tags, acknowledgments, and references. In some cases, authors will need to provide a glossary for their articles.

Areas of Interest

JIL Journal articles will focus on the following areas of interest related to indigenous languages:

  • Indigenous language data
  • Linguistic analysis of indigenous languages
  • Language trends and usage shifts
  • Indigenous Zambian culture
  • Cultural information of indigenous languages
  • Translation of indigenous language literature
  • Visual and performing arts

Articles should offer insights and interpretations about indigenous languages, preferably insights that have not previously been published or had minimal circulation and may also require fresh insights to merit republication.

Preprints and Theses

Authors must not submit any work for JIL Journals if that same work is under consideration for publication by another journal. If the manuscript is drawn from an academic thesis, the author must present it as a stand-alone article rather than a modified thesis chapter. Further, the author must have full rights to the work, or must obtain permissions of reuse from the rights owner.

Other Article Types

Commentaries
Authors and critics are welcome and strongly encouraged to present insightful commentaries on any of the information published in the JIL journals. JIL will also accept critiques of work that was published in other journals, books, or other literary works provided that both the critique and the works under review pertain to indigenous languages of Zambia. Critiques will generally be a maximum of two pages long, but this is a rule of thumb, and exceptions will be made as needed. The same text formatting criteria will apply to commentaries as does to routine journal articles (title, abstract, references, Times New Roman, font 12, 1.5 spacing, single column layout).

Feature Articles

JIL will also publish feature articles that are not of a scholarly nature, but provide vital insight into the life, culture, and situation status of a specific indigenous-language group. Such articles are meant to celebrate individual or community efforts that foster cultural or linguistic continuity within indigenous groups, or to highlight threats to the survival or preservation of such.

Article Format

Recommended File Format

The recommended file format for articles is Word. Authors do not need to save their documents in PDF, nor should they encrypt their Word documents for fear of unintentional textual changes. The document will be reviewed in track change mode, and the author will review the final draft (reviewed and approved) before it is published. There is no standard or recommended template for JIL articles. Authors are at liberty to write from a blank Word document. Authors need only ensure that they show clear titles, headings and sections. If the article is very complex or presents multiple or progressive levels of argument or analysis, authors must ensure that the work is outlined in a logical manner, clearly demonstrating the progression of argument.

Title

Article titles should be concise, direct, descriptive, and informative (should accurately reflect the intent and contents of the manuscript). It is recommended that titles contain keywords that will also be used for indexing and SEO optimization. A title length no exceeding 15 words would be in good taste.

Abstract

All articles should include a simple, clear, and summative abstract of a minimum of 150 words, nested between the title and main body. The abstract should clearly state the purpose of the paper, research conducted, findings, and conclusions as the need may be.

Keywords & Tags

The author should provide at least of keywords, and these should be listed under the abstract. The keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic, and should be chosen from among the words used in the article’s main body. Keywords will also be used as tags in the web version of the article, as they assist in search engine indexing.

Infographics (Charts, Tables, & Other Artwork)

Artwork may refer to graphs, charts, maps, pictures, photographs, tables, figures, etc. As a rule, any artwork used must be the author’s original work (created by the author) or the author should obtain all necessary permissions for the use of copyrighted artwork. If the author develops their own artwork, attention must be given to things like pixel size, image/artwork complexity, display conditions, and legibility. In any case where the author is not sure how to handle a particular type of artwork, they should consult the editorial board by email, at submit@jilzm.icu.

Consent to Participate

If an author’s research or article includes participants, the author must include a signed consent form for each participant, indicating that the participants were informed and they consented to being participants in the research. The author should indicate whether the consent was written or verbal.

Consent to Use of Personal Data

If the article requires publication of a participant’s personal data (name, age, image, video, or anything by which a participant could be easily identified), the author must attach a consent statement signed by the participant, confirming that they consented to the publication of their personal data. If a participant is not able to sign the consent statement due to age, health, or physical limitations, the participant’s legally authorized representative should sign the consent. JIL Journals will not accept ‘verbal consent’ for the publication of a participant’s personal data.

Disclosure of Interest

Generally, authors must include a disclosure of conflict of interest (COI) when submitting their articles.  Any perceived, actual, or potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the journal editors, collaborators, research participants, sponsors, and readers. Examples of JIL approved disclosure statements can be found here.

If no conflict exists, your statement should read: ‘The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article’.

Acknowledgement of Funding

If an author’s work was funded, their article should include a statement acknowledging all such funding and sponsorship. The funding statement should be written as a separate statement under the disclosure statement. For examples of funding statements, please follow this link.

Reference Styles

JIL Journals follow the APA reference style. Authors are encouraged to become familiar with APA referencing in order to conform their manuscripts to this general standard. The following principles must be applied when referencing:

  • In-text citations must have a corresponding citation in the reference list
  • Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year as the in-text citation

We do not encourage authors to make adjustments to the references after a peer-reviewed copy is made available to them, as this poses the risk of textual errors and mismatches. However, if it becomes necessary to update the references, the author must ensure that all copies are updated and checked carefully to ensure uniformity of text.

Acknowledgments

It is not a requirement to attach an acknowledgement statement as there is no section in the journal layout for acknowledgments. However, in the case where the author received academic assistance from certain experts or contributors who merit being mentioned, such names should be included along with any vital information relevant to the field of study, for example their profession. These details will appear in the article history section of the web version of the journal.

If an author received ‘paid-for’ assistance in writing, editing, or proofreading their article by a commercial entity (individual or company), they may make this known in the acknowledgements section. However, JIL will not publish the names of such commercial entities, as this conflicts with our principle of non-profit, open-source, and open-access publishing.  

Third-party Submissions

The editorial board reserves the right to decide whether to accept third-party submissions or not. Authors wishing to make submission on behalf of others must write to submit@jilzm.icu, clearly stating the parties involved and why they want to make a third-party submission.

‘Unprintable’ Material

Unprintable material may refer to videos, image galleries, motion picture, audio files, or complex multipage datasets that are impractical or impossible to publish in print. Authors wishing to publish such material as stand-alone content or as additional material supplementary to the article text are welcome to provide such material. The supplemental material will published in the interactive online version of the article, or while reference will be made to it in the printable version of the journal.

Editorial Assistance

The editors of the JIL Journals will offer free writing advice and editorial assistance to authors upon request. Authors are encourage to seek out such assistance as needed.

Making Submissions

Before attempting to make a submission, authors must ensure that they have an active account with JIL Zambia.

JIL Journal Account

Editors, authors, contributors, and reviewers must have an account and become members of the Journal of Indigenous Languages of Zambia (JIL) in order for them to create, manage and publish any content in the JIL Journals. To become a member, please go to the registration page at https://jilzm.icu/register/ and open an account. After creating an account, authors can then use that account to make submissions.

When making submission, authors must indicate the following regarding their article:

  • that this is their original work
  • that they have rights to the work
  • that this is for first publication in this Journal (not published before elsewhere)
  • that it is not being considered for/has not already been published elsewhere
  • that they have obtained permission to reproduce copyrighted work that is not theirs

Logged-In Submission

Once logged in, the author making submission will be led to a submission page where they will enter some information in mandatory fields. The mandatory field will collect information like the name of the author(s), contributor(s), article title, article category, and article overview.

Article Overview

The article overview is a brief description of the article, it area of focus, objective of the article, and why the author(s) think it is important. This overview should be no more than 150 words.

Attachments

After entering information in the mandatory fields and filling in the article overview, the author making submission will then be prompted to attach his/her article files. The following are typical files that the author will attach:

  1. The Article (this is a mandatory attachment as it is the main document)
  2. Supplementary Material (this is optional; see “Unprintable Material” section above)

After attaching the files, the author will then press the submit button. A confirmation message will pop-up instantly on the screen, while an acknowledgement email will be sent later.

Alternate Submission Method

As an alternative to the ‘log in and upload’ method of submission, authors can send their articles directly via email to submit@jilzm.icu. Their email should have the heading: Article Submission, followed by the name of the author, or lead author if the article was co-authored.

Example: Article Submission, Jane Doe

All email-based submissions should include the following attachments:

  1. Introductory Letter – This should be a one-page letter in which the submitting author will write (1) his/her name and names of co-authors or contributors, if any (2) title of the article (3) an overview of the article. As mentioned earlier, the overview should be a paragraph no more than 150 words in length, explaining the purpose of the article, the area of focus, and why the author thinks it is important.
  2. The Article – The author will attach the article in its MS Word format.
  3. Supplementary Material – The author will also attach any stand-alone material like complex tables, graphs, and datasets that cannot be inserted into the article’s main body but contain supplementary information (see “Unprintable Material” section above).

Important Note:

  • For artwork that can be inserted into the main text of the article, we strongly recommend that the authors insert it themselves as they would like it to appear.
  • Any artwork that is intended to appear at the end of the main text or main body should be labelled as 1, 2, 3… in the order in which it is intended to appear.

Article Checklist

Before clicking the send or submit button, please confirm that your article has the following:

  1. Page Count: Maximum 4 pages
  2. Font: Times New Roman,
  3. Font Size: 12
  4. Line Spacing: 1.5
  5. Article Title
  6. Name of Author, co-author(s) and/or contributors
  7. Article overview
  8. Keywords
  9. Disclosures (COI, funding acknowledgments)
  10. Attachments

Peer Review Policy

Initial Evaluation

After receipt of the manuscript following submission, the article will undergo initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in the above guidelines, it will be returned to the author for amendments and resubmission.

It is also at this point that the manuscripts may be rejected without peer review if it is out of the scope of the journal.

Peer Review

After passing the initial evaluation, the manuscript will then be peer reviewed. After submission, the author can log in at any time to check the status of their manuscript. When the peer review is completed, the author will be notified by email and a peer-reviewed copy will be sent to them for verification.

As stated earlier, peer-reviewed copies should not be adjusted or updated with new information, unless is it necessary and the article will be in error if published in that form.

Peer Reviewers

The Editorial Board members are the primary peer reviewers of all JIL Journal articles. On occasion, articles will be reviewed by non-board professionals who are suitable experts in certain fields pertaining to the material or issues raised in the article.

When an editorial board member writes an article, he/she will present it in his/her capacity as an author, and other editorial board members will peer review it.

Principle of Anonymity

The JIL Journal operates on an anonymized peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author and, the author’s name from the reviewer. However, reviewers may, at their own discretion, opt to reveal their name to the author, especially if it is necessary to seek clarification on any aspect of the article under review. In such communication, both the author and the reviewer will avoid influencing each other’s opinions regarding the work.

Each article will be reviewed by two reviewers who will work independently and anonymously until the article reaches revision or acceptance stage. Reviewers are assigned to articles, and authors cannot recommend who should review their work.

The Review Process

Each reviewer makes comments and recommendations to the author within the body text and then send it to the Editor. The Editor then reviews the recommendation and makes the final decision on what will be the final content of the article. It may be necessary for the Editor to meet both reviewers together to seek clarification on some aspects of their review or to harmonize the content of their review.

If the decision is to accept the peer-reviewed article, the Editor will forward it to the formatter and publisher for publishing. At the point, the editor will inform the author(s) of the decision.

If the decision is to revise the article, the editor will send it back to the author for revision. The author will see the reviewer comments and recommendations as a basis for making adjustments to their work. After implementing those adjustments, the author may resubmit their work directly to the Editor for review. If the Editor is satisfied that the adjustments are in conformity with the peer-reviewer recommendations, he/she will forward it for publication.

The Editorial Board

The JIL Journal has an Editorial Board and Review Committee who serve the journal as external peer reviewers. Member of the Board and Committee are active researchers in the field and selected based on strict criteria, ensuring they possess the necessary expertise and experience. Peer reviewers are selected from this pool of experts to, with occasional reviewers being invited to review complex material related to their field of expertise. This ensures a comprehensive and robust peer review process, aligning with our commitment to publish the credible research. Care is also taken not to invite any Board or Committee Member who has any potential conflict of interest with any author of the paper.

Post-publication Review

JIL Journals encourages post-publication reviews from all sections of readers, starting with the Editorial Board Members and Reviewer Committee Members.

Complaint and Appeals

Authors are most welcome to lodge in their complaints regarding the peer review of their articles, or any perceived post-publication violations of their work. All complaints and appeals are reviewed on merit to foster integrity. You can view our complaints and appeals policy here.

Plagiarism

JIL Journals takes the issue of copyright infringement, plagiarism and any breach of publication ethics and practice very seriously. If it is established that an author has breached these principles, they will be banned from publishing in the JIL Journals.

 After Acceptance

Author’s Publishing Agreement

Before publication, we require the author to sign the “Author’s Publishing Agreement”. This Agreement entails that the author retains copyright to the work, but grants JIL Journals sole and exclusive rights to publish their work.

Publication

Online-First publication: This enables us to publish final articles online immediately, without waiting for assignment to a future issue of the Journal. This usually significantly reduces publication lead-time. Eventually, all online-first articles will be released in the printable issue of the JIL Journal.

Queries and Clarifications

We trust that the above guidelines will be helpful in addressing any questions you may have. However, should you need more information, clarification, or personalized assistance, please contact us via email at journal@jilzm.icu, or go to our website www.jilzm.icu, and use any of the details on the Contact page to get in touch with us.

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