Submissions

Author Guidelines

Author’s Guideline

Formatting Style of the Manuscripts

Contributors should consider the following specific requirements in order to prepare their manuscript for submission to the Journal. 

• Title Page of the manuscript
• The following should appear on the title page:

• The full title of the manuscript  

The title should be short, not more than 15 words, attractive and straight forward directed at the general reader. Contributors are encouraged to avoid lengthy, systematic names and complicated ideas from their titles. Non-standard abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols should not be used at all in a title.

• Author’s name(s), full-address and institutional affiliation of the authors(s)

The author(s) of a manuscript should give his/her/their full name(s). To give due acknowledgment to all authors contributing to the work, those who have contributed to the research should be listed as co-authors. The names and affiliations of the authors are omitted in sending the manuscript to reviewers. Upon submission of the manuscript, the corresponding author attests to the fact that those named as co-authors have agreed to its submission for publication and accepts the responsibility for having properly included all (and only) co-authors. If there is a difference in the level of contribution of the co-authors, the corresponding author should provide a statement specifying the contribution of each co-author. Besides, the corresponding author signs a copyright license on behalf of all co-authors.

The title page should also include the academic and/or other professional affiliations and the complete mailing address (including the telephone number and email) of the author(s). Affiliations should be indicated at the bottom of the title page with an asterisk if it is a single author; and by numerical superscripts against each name if more than one author. Conflict of interests and funding (if any) shall also be considered.

Conflict of Interest

Journal article submissions are assigned to the chief editor in an effort to minimize possible Conflict of Interest (COI). Conflict of interest may occur when the author/s have financial, profit-making, legislation, relationship with other organizations, or with the people working with them, that could influence the publication process.

Personal Conflicts of Interest

Potential COI in relation to submitted paper could contain:

• Professional practice 
• Employment
• Grants & Sponsorship 
• Charge 
• Patents & Royalties
• Share ownership

Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Likewise, if the author/s is conscious of his/her/ their employer having any financial interest in conflict with the subject matter/ resources the author/s elucidate in the article, author/s should provide additional detail- of cover letter to the editor-in-chief to avoid any accountability of the Journal.

• Abstract (Italics)

The abstract should summarize the content of the paper. It should provide a clear and precise description of what the study is about, including the problem, objective, method, major finding, conclusion, and recommendations. Do not make references nor display equations and abbreviations in the abstract. The abstract should not exceed 250 words, including keywords. It should be italicized, written in single line space, with a single (one) paragraph in 12 font size.

• Keywords

The key-words should be placed under the abstract. About 3 to 6 key-words or phrases can be stated in alphabetical order, separated by a comma.

• Introduction

The introduction section should explain the nature of the problem, previous related works on the topic and the purpose and contribution/s of the paper. Hence, this introduction section may also contain theoretical and empirical evidences in order to put the major problem or topic of the study into context, show existing knowledge gaps in the area, derive objectives, and emphasize major contributions of the study.

Research Methodology

• Description of the Study Area and Population

It is optional based on the nature and type of the study. Hence, it is not mandatory for all contributions. Authors may use the last one or two paragraphs of the introduction section to describe the study area, population, and even duration of their study, and it may contain a brief explanation about the location of the study area, physical setting, climate, population, social, economic and cultural aspects of the study area. Map of the study area can also be included; if the author believes it is important.

•  Materials and Methods

The research methods used for the study should be stated in this section. The research approach, research design, sampling techniques, Sampling frame, Sample Size determination (if any), Data Sources, Data Types, methods of data collection, tools for data collection, and method of data analysis should be included here.

• Conceptual Framework

Conceptual framework can be depicted in the form of figures (e.g., flow charts, diagrams, etc.), in the form of written statements or both. The conceptual framework should be a brief description of the study that depicts major variables and their relationship as a reflection of the analyses within the context of the study. It is optional based on the nature of the study. It is not mandatory for all papers.

• Results and Discussion

This section includes the results or findings of the study supported by discussion. It contains data presentation, data interpretation and/or discussion substantiating the result of the study with other relevant literature, theory, and empirical evidence. Authors may use narrations, descriptions, tables, graphs, charts, statistical models, formulas, etc., to write this section depending on the type of data and research approach employed in their study. In this section, authors are expected to show their unique and/or new contributions to knowledge by comparing their findings with existing literature.  

• Conclusion and Recommendations

The conclusion statement should include major conclusive ideas of the paper. However, do not replicate the abstract within the conclusion section. The conclusion may magnify major findings of the study and its implication as well as the importance of the work for practical application of knowledge and extension of ideas.

Recommendations (though not always mandatory for all disciplines) of the study should be stated following the conclusion with brief statements. The recommendation may deal with suggestions of remedial options for intervention by concerned bodies/ policy implications to manage investigated issues within the study.

• Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments appear in a separate paragraph after the conclusion section; but before the references; and should be as brief as possible.

• References and Citation  

This section deals with in-text citation and referencing techniques should use American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style.

• In-text Citation

APA is commonly used in most social science researches. Accordingly, EJGD shall use the APA method of referencing.  Ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present on the reference list (and vice versa). Personal communications are not recommended on the reference list; but may-be mentioned in the text and indicated in footnotes. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication. Direct quotations should be as short as possible and should be reproduced exactly in all details (spelling, punctuation, and paragraphing) as the original. Short quotations (four or less than four lines) should run in-to the text and enclosed in quotation marks. Similarly, long quotations (five or more than five lines) should be set off from the text in a separate paragraph indented (five spaces from the left) and single-spaced between lines. Quotations marks are omitted.

In-text citation shall be made as follows:

• Use et al. when citing a work by more than three authors.

Example: The nexus between environment and development, as Rony et al. (2016) states that…

• The letters a, b, c, and so on should be used to distinguish citations of different works by the same author/s in the same year.

Example: FAO (2010b) recommends that

• Only the first name of Ethiopian authors should be cited in the text.

Example: Demel Teketay should be cited as (Demel, 2016)

• Essential notes should be indicated by consecutive superscript numbers in the text and in the footnotes.
• Authors of all references cited in the text and other supporting materials should be listed alphabetically in a section entitled References.
• Ethiopian names should be written in full in the References, and the order should be: first (given) name followed by the third name.
• Honorific titles such as Prof., Dr., W/ro, W/rt, Ato, Mr. Mrs. Commander, etc., should be avoided in citation and references.

References and referencing style

This heading is not assigned a number.

A reference list must be included using the following information as a guide. Only cited text references are included. All references must be arranged in alphabetical order by the last name of the author, except for the Ethiopian authors, then chronologically per author. Publications by the same author in the same year should be listed by year, followed by the letters

Example:

1. b. c. etc. (e.g. 2002a. 2002b, 2002c.). Some examples of referencing for different published and unpublished sources are illustrated below:

Journal article

Author(s), year of publication (in parenthesis), the title of the article (sentence case), the full name of Journal (in italic), volume, issue number (in parenthesis), and page numbers in fully separated from volume number with a colon. Where page numbers are not known, articles should be cited by DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

Examples:

• Gemedo Dalle., Brigitte, L., and Isselstein, J. (2005). Plant Biodiversity and Ethnobotany of Borana Pastoralists in Southern Oromia, Ethiopia. Economic Botany, 59(1): 43-65
• Tamire Geda and Mengistu Seyou. (2013). Zooplankton community grazing rates in a small crater Lake: Lake Kuriftu, Ethiopia. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science 36(1): 1-18.

Book

Author(s), year of publication (in parenthesis), title of the book (bold font), publisher and place of publication (city/town)

Examples:

• Perrott, E. (1982). Effective Teaching: A practical Guide to improve your Teaching. Longman Inc: New York.
• Nair, P. K. R. (1993). An Introduction to Agroforestry. Kluwer Academic Publishers: London.

Proceedings

Author(s), year of publication (in parenthesis), the title of the publication in italics, name of the proceedings (bold font), pages, place (city/town, country)

Examples:

• Sebsebe Demisse and Edwards S. (2006). The Diversity of Vegetation Types, Agricultural Systems and Their Crops in Ethiopia.Proceedings of the Workshop on Facilitating the Implementation and Adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Ethiopia, pp 92-107, Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, Melkassa, Ethiopia.
• Eshetu Derso, Teame Geberzgi and Girma Adugna (2000). Significance of minor diseases of Coffee arabica in Ethiopia. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Control of Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) in Ethiopia, pp. 35-46, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Thesis

Author(s), year of publication (in parenthesis), title of the thesis, type (M.A., MSc. MPhil or Ph.D.), University, Country.

Example:

Mwavu, E. N. (2007). Human Impact, Plant Communities, Diversity and Regeneration in Budongo Forest Reserve, North-western Uganda. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Web references

The full URL and the date of retrieval/access should be provided. Any further information, if known (e.g., DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given.

Example:

Toni, R.L. and Culvert, L.L. (2003). Safer Hospital Stay and Reducing Hospital-Born Infections. Health Scout News. http://www.healthscout.com, (accessed January 9, 2010).

Other Important Rules

• Length of the Manuscript

Manuscript should not exceed the following specifications, including the abstract and the references. The abstract should be provided on a separate page.

• Research Article- 8,000 Words
• Review Article- 7,000 words
• Featured Articles- 6,000 Words
• Research Notes- 4,000 Words
• Book Review- 3000 Words
• Commentaries- 2000 Words

Format for Manuscript Submission

                   The format for manuscript submission is given as hereunder

• Heading

The headings and sub-headings starting with "1. Introduction"; appears in upper- and lower-case letters and should be set in bold and aligned flush left. All headings from the Introduction to Acknowledgements are numbered sequentially using 1, 2, 3, etc. Subheadings are numbered 1.1, 1.2, etc. If a subsection must be further divided, the numbers 1.1.1, 1.1.2, etc., will be used.

The font size for formatting the entire manuscript is 12 points, and the font style is Times New Roman with 1.5-line space. But only the heading should be given in bold-face. Do not underline any of the headings, or add dashes, colons, etc. Margin Size should be 1.25” for the left and the right and 1” for the top and bottom.

• Indentations and Equations

The first paragraph under each heading or subheading should be flush left, and subsequent paragraphs should have a five-space indentation. A colon is inserted before an equation is presented, but there is no punctuation following the equation. All equations are numbered and referred to in the text solely by a number enclosed in a round bracket (i.e., (3) reads as "equation 3"). Ensure that any miscellaneous numbering system you use in your paper cannot be confused with a reference [4] or an equation (3) designation.

• Tables and Figures

To ensure a high-quality product, diagrams and lettering must be either computer-drafted or drawn using India ink.

1. Tables

• Tables and graphs should be of reproducible quality. They should include only comprehensive captions and not duplicate material presented in the text. Moreover, they should be given short titles, and properly labeled, and carefully drawn. All sources should be placed under the table. Furthermore, each table must have a caption at the top and fully showing the content with the table numbered in Arabic numbers (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, etc.). A source with year and key (if any) of the table should be written at the bottom of the table
• Table captions appear centered above the table in upper and lower case letters. When referring to a table in the text, no abbreviation is used, and "Table" is capitalized.

2. Figures

• Figures should contain numerals as captions at the bottom of or below the figure. Figure numerals and colon should be in bold and the caption in the normal case. Each figure must be fully cited if taken from another source; and referred to in the body of the article. Colored figures shall be used only if it is very important.
• Figure captions appear below the figure, are flush left, and are in lower case letters. When referring to a figure in the body of the text, the abbreviation "Fig." is used. Figures should be numbered in the order they appear in the text. Permission to use Third-Party Materials should be included.

Appendices

• Authors can append all those materials relevant to the manuscript (if Applicable)

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