Guide for Authors

1. Author's Notes before Writing an Article

1.1. Read the journal's code of ethics in the journal information section carefully.

1.2. Before entering into the review process, all manuscripts submitted to “The Journal of Geography and Sustainability of the Environment” will be checked with plagiarism detection software.

1.3. Considering the scope and the prospects of the journal which are reflected in journal information section (on the website) and the specialist nature of the journal, manuscripts which deal with issues related to sustainability of geographic space are accepted for review.

1.4. The names and details of the authors should be written accurately, and the corresponding author should take the lead in writing the manuscript.

1.5. The name of the author or authors along with the academic degree (phone number and email address and the author responsible for correspondence) should be written in the submission system in full form in the authors' profile section.

After registering the authors, no author will be added or deleted, and no changes will be made to the authors' profile. The authors' orchid code must also be provided.

1.6. The financial policy of the journal is as follows.
1.7. The Journal of Geography and Sustainability of the Environment announces publishes three types of articles. Thus, the authors are required to specify their article type in advance and structure their manuscripts accordingly.

1.8. The authors are required to submit their manuscripts solely through the journal website (http://ges.razi.ac.ir).

1.9. If the authors have a manuscript under review in this journal, they cannot submit other manuscripts to the journal until the decision on the first manuscript is announced.

1.10. Submitted manuscripts must be the result of the authors' academic research and should have not been published in any local or international journals or collection of articles. Until receiving a final decision on their manuscripts, the authors are expected to refrain from submitting their manuscripts to other journals for review or publication.

1.11. The language of the journal is Persian; however, an extended English abstract is required for all manuscripts. In addition, manuscripts written in English will also be reviewed. However, since the review and publication process of such articles may be too lengthy, it is recommended that the authors consult the journal editor before submitting their manuscripts.

1.12. The manuscripts must be written in clear, fluent, and grammatically correct language and words must be carefully selected. The organization of the texts' paragraphs and their writing should accord with the spelling and editing conventions of Persian language.

1.13. Subject to the journal standards, the manuscripts must not exceed 15 pages in length including the text, figures, tables, maps, references, and English abstract.

1.14. Manuscripts drawn from students' theses and dissertations are published under the joint authorship of the supervisor and the advisor of the thesis and the student. The supervisor should be checked as the corresponding author of the manuscript.

1.15. The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information presented in the manuscript in terms of academic standards and legal considerations.

1.16. In line with international publication standards, The Journal of Geography and Sustainability of the Environment has adopted peer review and open access policies. Thus, the journal employs a double blind review process.

2.  Author's Notes for Writing an Article

2.1. Article Structure

The structure of an article is determined by its type. Three types of articles are published in this journal which include research, review, and short articles. For research, review, and short articles, the maximum number of words amount to 5000, 25000, and 2500, respectively. The number of references required for research, review, and short articles are 30, 50, and 5, respectively. In terms of maximum number of tables and figures, there are restrictions on short articles alone. A total of 3 tables or figures could appear in short articles.

All manuscripts should include an abstract, keywords, a main text, and references; however, the textual content will differ in line with the article type. The research articles should include introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. However, the main text of the review articles does not have a definite structure. Yet, statement of the problem, and organization of the discussion and conclusion should follow a logical and well-defined order. The main text of the short articles does not include the typical sections such as introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion; however, they should include statement of the problem, and the observations should be described in a regular and consistent manner in the form of results and discussion.

In the text, the sentences, paragraphs and even the headings of the article must be coherent and consistent. This should be observed especially in the introduction and discussion sections. The statement of the problem in the introduction section is very important. In their own style and drawing on the theoretical background and literature, the authors are required to convince the audience of their article about the significance and innovation of their research. In the discussion section, drawing on the background and literature, complementary observations, others' experiments, statistical analyses, and rational interpretations, the authors are required to discuss the validity and the reliability of the study and if possible, demonstrate how far the study conclusions could be generalized to other environments and in which areas they could be applied.

In manuscripts drawn from theses, the authors must avoid reporting research or null hypotheses in the discussion or conclusion sections and try to pursue the research goals throughout the whole article.

2.2. The Writing Style of Each Heading of The Article

In general, each heading is made up of specific concepts which are used for specific purposes. The authors should attempt to avoid mix up of the issues throughout the whole article. Under each heading, they are required to address the relevant issues and avoid writing in excess to fill up the space.

2.2.1. Abstract

The abstract mainly includes the research problem, the method, and the results, and it should be void any introductory materials.

2.2.2. Keywords

Keywords section contains three to five important words related to the research variables or the research problem. Through these words, the authors direct other researchers to their article when they search through the internet.

2.2.3. Introduction

In the introduction, the theoretical background and literature are presented in a coherent, integrated, and continuous way so that in the end the research problem or the subject of investigation is clarified. The purpose of the authors in writing this section of the article is not to cite a chain of isolated and unrelated quotes, but to narrate a flow of events and identify a gap in the literature.

2.2.4.  Methods and Materials

The authors of the research should avoid stating the basics and definitions of the research method and instead explain in detail how they collected and analyzed the data to realize the purpose or objectives of the research (or address the gap stated in the introduction). These explanations should be so accurate that any reader, if needed, be able to execute them step by step and arrive at the same conclusion that the authors had attained. The scope of the study can also be mentioned in this section; however, the authors may, if necessary, add a separate heading titled "the scope of the study" to provide detailed explanations and place itin its appropriate place which is normally ahead of materials and methods.

2.2.5. Results

In the results section, information which is directly relevant to the objectives of the study should be stated. Discussion of the research method, background, or any other subject which would distract the readers’ attention from the research problem should be avoided. If the research results are too extensive, the authors should classify them into separate categories and explain them under appropriate headings. Appropriate tables and figures should be used in the results section and the statistical results should be appropriated into the field of geography.

2.2.6. Discussion

The discussion section is usually at risk because of its difficulty level and the need for deep and perhaps time-consuming reflection. In this section, based on further observations, theoretical background of the field, review of previous research and experiments, as well as the statistical analyses or any other analysis the authors find appropriate, the authors   must demonstrate how much the results of the research are close to reality. In the text of the article, it is not enough to report that the research results were in line with other research. It is the authors' analyses rather than thier claim which verifies the research findings are in line with other research. in other words, the authors should try to show, by comparing various studies, what divergences and convergences exist between these studies and theirs and why.

2.2.7. Conclusion

Conclusion is the last section of the article. It is not an abstract or a repetition of the research results; rather, in this section, the authors draw on arguments presented in the discussion section and state the overall conclusion of the study. In other words, when the results of the study pass through the evaluation filter of the discussion section, the range of their effectiveness and implications is determined and thus the conclusion section is the best place for the authors to present the conclusion they obtained from the study and state the level of its effectiveness. If, on the basis of the experience gained from the study, the authors believe that their research and its generalizability could have been improved or new models and solutions could have been developed if certain measures were taken, they can offer their suggestions for further research in the conclusion section.

2.2.8. Acknowledgements

If, in the conduction of the study or writing the report of the study, the authors have received financial or other kinds of support from particular organizations, institutions, or individuals, they can express their appreciation and acknowledge their support in this section.

2.2.9. References

The Journal of Geography and Sustainability of the Environment has adopted American Psychological Association (APA) style for citation or reference. The journal's style manual could be downloaded here. In this style, for in-text citations the authors first mention the name of the author or authors and then the year of publication, and if the quotation is direct, the page number is also provided. Depending on the tone of the author's expression, reference may be made at the beginning or end of a sentence or a paragraph.

Persian references must be translated into English and be included in the English references. Each such reference should be indicated by the phrase (in Persian) for originally Persian sources. For each article cited, the writers must also include a doi.

2.2.10. Extended Abstract

Extended English and Persian abstracts should be presented at the end of the manuscript. They should include at least 700 words and at most 1000 words. These abstracts should include a summary of the introduction, materials and methods, results and discussion, conclusion, and the keywords.

2.3.The Format of The Article

2.3.1. The typesetting of the article should be done in Word (2003 or 2007) on A4 page size. There should be a three-centimeter margin on the right and left sides of the pages. On the top and the bottom of the pages, four- and two-centimeter margins are required, respectively. The line spacing should be one centimeter (single spacing).  

2.3.2. It is required that the Persian and the English texts of the article be typed in B Nazanin 13 and Times New Roman 11fonts, respectively. The abstract text should be typed in B Nazanin 10 bold type font with a two-centimeter indentation on each side. The article title should be written in B Titr 14 font and the other headings in B Nazanin 14 boldtype font. Titles of the tables, figures, and diagrams should be typed in B Nazanin 10 boldtype font;  the Persian text of the tables and their subtitles should be written in B Nazanin 10 font and the English subtitles should appear in Times New Roman 10 font. The Persian and the English references should be typed in B Nazanin 12 and Times New Roman 11 fonts, respectively. The numbers which appear within the tables also need to be written in Farsi script. 

2.3.3. In Persian and English texts, the numbers should be written in Persian and English scripts, respectively.

2.3.4. In the text, the Persian equivalent of the English terms should be written and the original English term should be provided in the footnote at first mention.

2.3.5. The use of English or Farsi abbreviations is permitted in the text of the article; however, the full English or Farsi equivalents should be provided in the footnote at first mention.

2.4. Figures and Tables

In drawing the tables, curves, figures, and images, the following points are required.

2.4.1. In drawing the maps, all the principles of cartography should be observed. The coordinates, scale, guide, and directions of the map, and especially the titles of key land features of the map should be provided in a readable manner so that their resolutions are not reduced even if the map is minimized or scaled down.

2.4.2.The figures could be presented in color or in black and white with appropriate and favorable quality (with a resolution of 300 dpi). The number and the title of the figure should be written below the figure.

2.4.3. Images should be clear and their textual content must be readable. Their scale should also be mentioned. For the images or figures which have been adapted from other sources, citation of the source is required.

2.4.4. The font type and size for map guides, texts, and diagrams should be selected in a way that, after scale down of the map, it would be readable for printing.

2.4.5. The diagrams should be drawn in a simple format, the numerical guide to the diagrams should be in Farsi script, and multidimensional diagrams should be avoided.

2.4.6. All the titles, numbers, units, and scales in tables, figures, and other sections of the article should be in Persian script. The units used should also be in the metric system.

2.4.7. If tables, equations, references, or textual content of tables are presented in the image format, the editing assistants of the journal will not be able to edit the texts. Thus, it is required that these parts be typed rather than be copy-pasted as images.

3. Article Submission

3.1. The authors must make sure that the above principles covering code of ethics, journal scope and objectives, as well as the journal writing conventions are properly observed especially in the case of section headings.

3.2. The authors are required to enter the journal website at http://ges.razi.ac.ir and sign into their own personal page. A username and a password are required for signing in to the personal page. If the authors haven't already signed up to the journal website, they can simply enter the sign up page through the "Login" button (located at the top right corner of the page) and provide the required information and receive their username and password in the email they provided during registration. If the authors would like to change their username or password, they can do so in their own personal page. The authors should keep in mind that they always need these two words to log in to their accounts. Thus, they have to be careful not to forget them.

3.3. From the article submission bar, select the 'Submit New Article' option and fill in the required information in the eleven slots which appear on the page. The required information include article type, article title, author or authors, abstracts, keywords, topics, supplementary explanations, suggested reviewers, manuscript files, letter to the editor, and completing submission of the article.

3.4. In the 'Add Files' section, you need to upload two word files: title page with authors' names, and manuscript text without authors' names.

In the first file (title page with authors' names), full details of the article and the authors are provided which includes authors' names in Persian and English (the corresponding author is identified by an asterisks); the authors' last degrees, academic rank, and affiliation in Persian and English; full details of the corresponding author including address, telephone number, fax number, and email in Persian and English; the name of the institution which funded the research or the article (if desired).

In the second file (manuscript text without authors' names), the article is uploaded in the appropriate structure based on the article type. in the first page, the authors must provide the title of the article along with a Persian abstract (minimum 250 and maximum 300 words) and Persian keywords (maximum six words). On the second page, full title of the article is written in English along with an English abstract (minimum 250 and maximum 300 words) and English keywords (maximum six words).

3.5. In 'Letter to the editor' section, the authors should mention which research activity the article is the result of (classroom activity, dissertation, research project, etc.).

4. Following the article publication process

4.1. After the editor approves the article and sends it for review, the corresponding author could visit his/her personal page in the journal website and if he/she observes a delay in the review process (more than one month), he/she could inquire about the article review process by e-mail or telephone.

4.2. When the article is accepted for publication, it undergoes preparation for publication and is registered in 'Articles ready for publication' list in the journal website. At this point, the corresponding author could obtain the publication-ready article file and proofread it. If changes or modifications were required in the text, the corresponding author should notify the journal. After the article is published, no changes can be made to the article.

4.3. After the article is published, the article information is posted on the corresponding author's personal page and the author can view the status of his/her article as 'electronically published'.

4.4. The Journal of Geography and Sustainability of Environment reserves the right to reject or accept articles, to edit the submitted articles, and not to return the submitted articles.

4.5. Rejected or withdrawn articles will be removed from the journal's archive collection after three months, and the journal will have no responsibility in this regard.