Submissions

Submission Preparation Checklist

Submissions will be accepted for consideration only when they comply with the following conditions:

• The manuscript must be an original work and must not duplicate or reproduce any previously published material, including the author’s own prior publications.
• The manuscript is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any other journal or publication outlet, except for the S and T Journal.
• The manuscript has not been published or accepted for publication in any other journal.
• The manuscript contains no material that is abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, fraudulent, or otherwise violates any laws or ethical standards.

Authors are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards and adhere to established best practices in scholarly publishing. The following practices are strictly unacceptable:

• Data falsification or fabrication, including inappropriate image manipulation;
• Plagiarism, including duplicate or redundant publication of one’s own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment; and
• Misappropriation of another person’s work, ideas, or data.

The journal takes all instances of research or publication misconduct seriously. Any suspected ethical or integrity violations will be investigated and addressed in accordance with accepted research ethics and publication policies.

All manuscripts may be subject to integrity screening, including the use of third-party tools and services, to detect issues such as plagiarism, image manipulation, data falsification, or papermill-generated content.

How to Submit

All articles should be submitted electronically in MS Word format via the official website of the journal  https://st-journal.mmsu.edu.ph/index.php/stjournal/about/submissions 

Articles should be accompanied by the certification of originality/confirmation of consent to publish (RD-FRM-015) duly signed by all authors. The form is downloadable at research.mmsu.edu.ph/downloads.

Article Type

The journal publishes original research articles that contribute novel and significant insights to the field. Full-length Research Articles should present original findings, propose innovative approaches, methodologies, or tools, or provide resources that advance scientific understanding and practice.

As a general guide, Research Articles typically include 4–6 figures and/or tables and a main text of no more than 7,000 words, excluding the abstract, figure legends, tables, and references. Each article should contain 30–50 relevant citations reflecting current and foundational literature in the field.

Authors may also submit supplementary materials to support and enhance the main article. Supplementary files should be clearly referenced in the text and submitted as separate documents.

Manuscript Preparation: Format, Structure and Style

Presubmission and Language Editing

Before submitting your manuscript, authors are strongly encouraged to ensure that it fully complies with the journal’s formatting, structural, and stylistic requirements. 

• The manuscript is original and has not been published before or is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
• The submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
• The submission file is in Word (.docx) format.
• The submission includes a Certification of Originality/Unpublished Work and a Confirmation of Consent for Publication RD-FRM 15 signed by all authors.

If you are not confident in the quality of your English, you may consider using a reputable third-party language editing service to help ensure that your manuscript is clearly understood by editors and reviewers.

Please note that language editing is optional and does not guarantee acceptance of your manuscript. All submissions, including those that have undergone professional editing, will still be subject to the journal’s standard peer review process.

Cover Letter

Authors are required to include a cover letter when submitting their manuscript. The initial decision on whether and how to handle a manuscript will be based, in part, on the information provided in this letter.

• The cover letter should not simply duplicate the manuscript abstract. Instead, it should
  clearly state the significance and originality of the work in advancing understanding of the discipline in the broadest possible context;
• Explain how the study contributes to new knowledge, approaches, or future research opportunities in the field;
• Provide a concise rationale if any potential reviewers are being disqualified, noting that the editors will only consider such exclusions if the reasoning is clearly and appropriately justified; and
• Indicate whether the authors request inclusion of more than one corresponding author in the publication, along with a sound and material justification. Requests lacking sufficient justification will not be considered.
• Specify which of the five sections or thematic areas of the journal the authors would like their submission to be directed to.

Formatting

1. Articles should not exceed 30 pages, including tables, figures, references, and the abstract.  It should be typed in MS Word, using the prescribed template, single-spaced, on A4 paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides, in Times New Roman at 11 points.
2. Illustrations, figures, and tables should be placed just after they were cited.  They should be numbered with arabic numerals and should carry brief descriptive titles. 
   • Tables should have at least three columns.  Columns that show no significant variations should be omitted.  
   • Titles should be clear and column headings should be brief with units of measurements in parentheses.  
   • Only the first letter of the first word of titles and headings should be capitalized; the rest should be presented in lower case unless in the case of proper nouns; and no period should be placed at the end of titles. Type size of tables should not be reduced to accommodate data.  
   • Symbols and abbreviations should be defined below each table.  
3. Figures may include line drawings, photographs, graphs, or computer-generated plots that effectively illustrate key findings. Where applicable, magnification should be indicated using a scale bar rather than numerical magnification alone. Each figure should be prepared to a size that does not exceed one full manuscript page and must maintain high visual quality and readability. Photographs and other raster images should be submitted in JPEG, TIFF, or PNG format, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (and up to 600 dpi for optimal print quality). All pages, except the first page, should be numbered at the bottom center of the page, including those with tables and figures.
4. Footnotes in the text should be avoided. Ancillary information should appear in the text set off in parentheses.
5. The International System or metric units of measurement should be used. The following abbreviations are acceptable:  h, min, s, yr, mo, wk, km, m, cm, mm, kg, g mg, ml, etc. without periods.  Use l for liter and % instead of percent.  Designate temperature as in 27oC.  For names of months, use three letters without the period as “Jan, Mar, Apr,” etc.  Symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms should be defined when they are used first.  Abbreviate units of measurement only beside numerals otherwise, spell out the units.  Write the unit and numeral without space (4m, 15m2).  For numbers, write out one to nine unless they are followed by a unit of measurement (e.g., two species, 3 cm). Day, month, and year should be written as “11 May 2006.”