Submissions

Author Guidelines

Ethiopian Civil Service University

African Journal of Leadership and Development (AJOLD)

Guideline for Manuscripts

Manuscripts

Manuscripts are to be problem-solving research outputs done preferably in leadership and development areas focusing on public sector transformation, written either in English or, in cases where the theme of the study requires it, in Amharic. The title should be precise and clearly describe the content of the manuscript. A short running title of fewer than 160 characters is advisable. Never use abbreviations or formulas in the running title.

Articles are expected to be organized in the manner outlined below:

Title: Title must be short and descriptive. It should be easily understandable by readers and should reflect the motive of the research paper.

Authors Name, Affiliation, and Email Address: Please use the author’s first and last names. Do not include titles like Dr./Mr./ Prof. Etc. If necessary, please provide only your professional email address instead of your personal.

Abstract: Abstracts should be written as one paragraph, with a font size of 11 pt., single spaced, italicized, and at most 200 words. The abstract should be informative and a summary of the main body of work. The abstract should state succinctly the objective, methods used, results, and conclusions/recommendations of the paper. Use of abbreviations and citations is not advisable here.

Keywords: Include 3-5 most important terms that describe your research domain and specific problem area investigated. The objective here is to assist readers and researchers in searching for your works in bibliographic databases.   

Introduction: This is a brief section usually not more than a page. It should inform the reader of the relevance and major parts of your research. The introduction should further outline the core sections of the manuscript.

Literature Review: This section should provide a concise yet comprehensive review of relevant classic and contemporary theoretical and empirical literature pertaining to the problem area.

Methods/Approach: This section should describe the method and approach used in collecting and analyzing data.

Results: This is where the author describes the findings of the study based on the analysis of the data.

Discussion: Here, the author elaborates on particulars of relevant issues.

Conclusion: Conclusion is the section where the author presents the final extract of the research. Here, concisely elaborate on your final output.

Recommendation: This section is optional, but when included, outlines suggestions the author makes to improve existing realities.

Acknowledgment: The author is expected to give credit to all who made his/her work possible.

Reference: Every idea that is not yours and of quotable importance should be cited in the text. All sources cited in the text should appear in the reference list at the end. Please use APA (7^th edition) reference style for both in-text citations and bibliography.

Article formatting Style:

Font Type: Times New Roman

Journal Title Font Size: 16pt.

Author’s Name font-size: 11, bold and Italic

Author’s Affiliation Font Size: 9pt.

Abstract Font Size: 11pt., and italic

Keywords Font Size: 9pt.

Title Font Size: 14, Bold

Sub Heading Font Size: 12, bold

Table of Content Font Size: 12pt.

Table Heading Font Size: 11, bold

Figure/Table Caption Font Size: 11pt.

Line Spacing: 1.15

Page Margin: Normal

Writing Style

Authors should seek clarity and simplicity of expression. Avoid the use of long and complex sentences, and lengthy and too short paragraphs. Authors may seek to have their manuscripts checked by language experts before submission. The spelling may be either American or British but must be consistent throughout the paper. The file format should be supported by Microsoft Word and should be submitted in .doc format. The size should be between 20-25 pages in A4 size paper including references or 7000 to 8000 words, including references.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures in the manuscript shall be numbered with Arabic numbers in the order of appearance in the text. Graphs, flowcharts, drawings, and photographs are considered figures. Legends or captions for the tables and figures should be placed just above and below the image respectively, and consistently. All tables and figures are to be duly acknowledged and placed in appropriate places in the manuscript making the discussion easier for the readers.

Submission

Submit your manuscript via email ecsu.ajold@gmail.com. If the manuscript does not meet the requirements and/or the thematic scope of AJOLD, the editors reserve the right to reject it. Manuscripts submitted should be ones unpublished anywhere else and not considered for publication elsewhere.

Novelty and Plagiarism

Authors are expected to present an original piece written by them and should cite or mention in reference all ideas from external sources. AJOLD Editorial Board adheres to zero tolerance for plagiarism. Authors are expected to accept corrections and suggestions given by the panel of reviewers.

Peer Review Process

AJOLD follows a double-blind review process. The following indicative rules should guide the peer review process:

Upon submission of the manuscript for review, the Managing Editor’s Office shall run a plagiarism test (similarity-originality test) using licensed plagiarism detection software. The Board requires a maximum tolerable percentage of similarity test should not exceed 15%. Recommended plagiarism detection software, for the time being, shall be plagiarism Checker X Pro-paid Version and Plagiarism Detector-Paid Version. The University shall maintain the institutional licenses acquired for these or other similar but internationally recognized proprietary software.

The Managing Editor then forwards the manuscripts to relevant Editors/Associate Editors to offer their comments regarding preliminary issues (whether the manuscript falls within AJOLD scope, meets the Author Guidelines, meets language standards, etc.).

Each manuscript shall be reviewed by at least two competent reviewers.

Reviewers shall maintain the scientific standards and rules of reviewing ethics.

Manuscripts shall be blind reviewed; the identity of the author(s) shall be removed from the body of the text.

If the manuscript receives positive reviews from both reviewers, it shall automatically be considered for publication by the editorial board, depending on the positive results of further scrutiny.

When one reviewer rejects the manuscript and the other reviewer renders a positive evaluation, a third reviewer shall be solicited, and the average decision shall prevail.

It should be clearly noted that the final decision to publish is the prerogative of the Editorial Board in general and the Editor-in-Chief in particular.

The Managing Editor makes sure that reviewer comments are duly addressed by authors, and whenever feasible, follows through on manuscripts approved by reviewers.

Authors must submit their manuscripts in soft copies. Reviewers shall also receive manuscripts in soft copies. The review process should preferably utilize objectively verifiable review and comment schemes, including the MS Office Comment and Track Change tools. Authors shall ensure that objectively verifiable means are used when addressing reviewers’ comments.