Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Authors are strongly encouraged to prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the following guidelines. Submissions that do not meet these requirements may be returned to the authors for correction, which can delay the review and publication process.

General Submission Requirements

During the submission process, authors must ensure that their manuscripts adhere to the following conditions:

  • The manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by any other journal. If it has been submitted elsewhere, an explanation must be provided in the “Comments to the Editor” section.

  • The submission file must be in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or OpenOffice format.

  • The article should include the following sections:
    Title, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Analysis and Discussion, and Conclusion.

  • The manuscript must be written in English. The abstract should not exceed 300 words, and the complete manuscript should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including references, tables, and appendices.

  • For peer-reviewed sections, authors must ensure blind review compliance by removing identifying information from the manuscript file.

  • Figures, tables, and illustrations should be embedded within the text at appropriate locations and formatted according to the APA (American Psychological Association) style.

  • Non-compliance with these guidelines may result in the return or rejection of the submission.

Content and Structure

  • Length: Manuscripts should range between 5,000 and 10,000 words, inclusive of all sections (abstract, main text, references, and appendices).

  • Title and Author Information: The first page should include the full title, author(s)’ name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact details (email address of the corresponding author).

  • Abstract: The abstract should not exceed 500 words and must provide a concise summary of the study, including objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions. Include three to five keywords relevant for indexing and abstracting purposes.

  • Literature Citations: All references and in-text citations must follow the latest APA style. Authors are encouraged to use reference management tools such as Mendeley or EndNote for consistency.

  • Plagiarism Policy: Submissions must maintain a similarity index below 19%, with no single source exceeding 4%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned for revision.

  • Formatting: The journal’s editorial team will perform the final formatting before publication; however, authors must ensure adherence to the journal’s provided template during submission.

Important Note

These guidelines are specific to the Pakistan Journal of Linguistics (PJL) and may differ from those of other publications. Authors should always consult the journal’s latest submission guidelines to ensure compliance.