Author Guidelines
Each journal's Aims and Scope determines whether a manuscript is suitable. Authors should review the relevant journal requirements before submitting.
Article types and abstract
- Research articles, review articles, case studies, short communications, technical notes and opinion articles may be considered according to journal scope.
- Abstract: 150–250 words, with 4–6 keywords.
- Confirm article-specific word limits on the journal page.
Files to prepare
1. Title pageInclude manuscript title, short title (up to 50 characters), author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs where available, corresponding author's contact details, contributions, funding, conflicts of interest and acknowledgements.
2. Anonymous manuscriptRemove author names, affiliations and identifying details from the manuscript and file properties for double-blind review.
3. Cover letterBriefly explain the significance of the work and why it suits the journal.
File formatWord .doc/.docx; Times New Roman 12 point; double spacing; 2.54 cm margins; numbered pages and lines; numbered headings.
Figures, references and declarations
- Number figures and tables and provide clear captions. Images should be at least 300 dpi.
- Obtain permission for third-party material where required.
- Use the reference style specified by the journal, such as APA 7th, Vancouver or IEEE. Ensure all citations appear in the reference list and include DOIs where available.
- Include funding, conflicts of interest, ethics approval and consent where applicable, data availability and author contributions.
Authorship and AI tools
Authors must make genuine intellectual contributions, approve the final version and accept responsibility for the work. Guest, gift and ghost authorship are not accepted. Changes to authorship after submission require a written request and agreement from all authors.
AI tools cannot be authors. Disclose relevant use of AI for writing, editing, translation or analysis in the Methods or Acknowledgements. Authors remain responsible for accuracy and integrity.
Preprints and submission
Follow the preprint policy stated by the relevant journal. Submit through the designated portal or editorial contact. The manuscript may undergo initial screening, similarity checks, double-blind peer review and an editorial decision.
Confirm word limits, preprint rules, submission portal, editorial email and review timelines before publishing them. Timelines should not be presented as guarantees.
Reviewer Guidelines
Accept a review only when the subject matches your expertise, no relevant conflict of interest exists and you can meet the agreed deadline.
Confidentiality and independence
- Do not share or discuss confidential manuscripts.
- Do not use unpublished ideas or data for personal advantage.
- Do not upload confidential manuscripts into public AI tools.
- Do not contact authors directly or attempt to identify them during double-blind review.
- Declare conflicts of interest and decline if impartiality may be affected.
What to assess
- Originality and contribution to the field.
- Appropriateness of methods and reliability of data.
- Whether results support the conclusions.
- Clarity, organisation and references.
- Research ethics, approvals, consent and data handling.
How to write a report
- Summarise the manuscript briefly.
- Identify major concerns that need addressing.
- List minor issues such as language, figures and references.
- Recommend acceptance, minor revision, major revision or rejection.
- Provide confidential comments to the editor when necessary.
Be fair, specific and respectful. Critique the work, not the authors. Report suspected plagiarism, fabricated data, duplicate publication or unethical research to the editor.
Editor Guidelines
Editorial responsibilities
- Check scope, quality, completeness and research integrity.
- Invite qualified reviewers without relevant conflicts of interest.
- Follow up on delayed reviews and find replacements when necessary.
- Issue clear decisions explaining the basis and requested changes.
Fairness and independence
Decisions must be based on scholarly quality and relevance, not author identity, country, beliefs or ability to pay. Editors with a personal, professional or financial conflict should disclose it and transfer the manuscript to another editor.
Confidentiality and records
Keep manuscript content, reviewer identities and editorial decisions confidential. Do not use unpublished material for personal research. Maintain records of decisions and their reasons.
Ethical concerns
Assess concerns seriously, examine similarity reports and consult the Chief Editor when appropriate.
Chief Editor Guidelines
Leadership
- Define and periodically review the journal's Aims and Scope.
- Appoint and review editorial board members and verify affiliations.
- Support consistent standards and reliable publishing operations.
Decisions and appeals
Oversee final editorial decisions and ensure appeals are handled fairly. If the Chief Editor made the original decision, an uninvolved senior editor should review the appeal wherever possible.
Editorial independence and integrity
Commercial interests must not determine acceptance or rejection. Declare conflicts of interest, coordinate investigations of suspected misconduct and assess whether corrections, expressions of concern or retractions are appropriate.
Ethical Guidelines
Research integrityResearch must be genuine and accurately reported. Fabrication, falsification and misleading image manipulation are serious concerns.
AuthorshipAuthors must contribute meaningfully and accept responsibility. Guest, gift and ghost authorship are not accepted.
Conflicts of interestAuthors, reviewers and editors should disclose relevant financial, personal or professional interests.
People and animalsObtain required ethics approvals and consent, follow applicable rules and protect participant privacy.
Data and imagesRetain original data, share it where appropriate and avoid altering images in ways that misrepresent findings.
AI toolsAI cannot be an author. Disclose relevant use. Reviewers and editors must protect confidential material from public AI tools.
Publisher independence
Payment, advertising and commercial interests must not determine editorial decisions.
Reporting a concern
Anyone may report suspected misconduct with supporting evidence. Reports should be handled confidentially and assessed fairly. Possible outcomes include no action, correction, an expression of concern, retraction or referral to an institution.
Contact: crystalscientificpublishers@gmail.com
Open Access & Copyright Policies
Open access
Confirm whether each journal makes articles freely available immediately after publication and whether publication costs are covered by APCs.
Licence and copyright
The source policy proposes the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). If adopted, it permits sharing and adaptation, including commercial reuse, with appropriate credit, a licence link and an indication of changes.
The source document proposes that authors retain copyright and grant the publisher the right to publish accepted articles under the applicable licence. Ensure your actual agreements and article notices reflect the arrangement.
Third-party material and self-archiving
- Authors must obtain permission for third-party material where required and credit its source.
- Authors may share published articles in ways permitted by the applicable licence and policy.
Do not claim DOI assignment or participation in archiving and preservation services until the relevant arrangements are active and verifiable.
Article Withdrawal Policy
How to request withdrawal
- The corresponding author emails the editorial office with the manuscript ID and reason.
- All authors must agree, with written confirmation.
- The publisher confirms the withdrawal in writing.
Withdrawal by stage
State the rules for withdrawal before peer review, during review and after acceptance but before publication. Any administrative charge must be clearly stated and consistent across the website and invoice.
Published articles ordinarily remain part of the scholarly record. Serious concerns after publication should be handled under the Retraction and Correction Policy.
Refunds and investigations
Explain the amount and timeframe for any eligible refund. An ongoing research-integrity investigation may require further assessment before withdrawal is confirmed. Authors should not submit the same manuscript elsewhere while it remains under review here.
Confirm your withdrawal-fee rule, refund terms and processing timeline before publishing this policy.
Retraction & Correction Policy
ErratumCorrects an error introduced by the publisher.
CorrigendumCorrects an author error that does not undermine the main conclusions.
Expression of concernSignals significant concerns while an investigation is underway.
RetractionIdentifies work that is no longer reliable.
When retraction may be considered
- Fabricated or falsified data.
- Serious plagiarism or copyright violations.
- Major errors that undermine findings.
- Duplicate publication without disclosure.
- Unethical research or missing required approval.
- Authorship or peer-review manipulation.
- Material undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Investigation and notices
Review evidence, give authors an opportunity to respond and contact institutions where appropriate. Notices should explain the issue and link to the original article. Corrections should be identified on the article page. Retracted articles should be clearly marked unless exceptional legal or safety circumstances require otherwise.
Honest mistakes do not automatically imply misconduct. Authors should report material errors promptly.
Article Processing Charges & Fee Policy
Transparent charges
- State clearly whether a submission fee applies. The source policy specifies no submission fee and no peer-review fee.
- If an APC is charged, list the amount and currency for each journal and explain when it becomes payable.
- Disclose applicable taxes and any additional charges.
- Payment must never influence editorial decisions.
What fees may cover
The source document lists editorial handling, similarity checking, peer-review management, copy editing, typesetting, DOI registration, online hosting, indexing work and long-term preservation. Keep only services actually provided. Do not imply that indexing in a particular database is guaranteed.
Payment, waivers and discounts
State when invoices are issued, the payment deadline and accepted methods. Explain whether publication follows payment and approval of the final proof. If offered, describe how authors may request waivers or discounts and confirm that waiver decisions are separate from editorial decisions.
Refunds and future changes
Explain refund rules for publisher errors and eligible withdrawals. State how future fee changes will be announced and how existing submissions will be treated.
Before publishing, add verified APC amounts and currencies, payment methods, due dates, waiver contact, refund terms and any notice period. Do not leave example prices on the live site.
Fee enquiries: crystalscientificpublishers@gmail.com
Plagiarism & Research Ethics Policy
Types of misconduct
- Plagiarism of words, ideas, data, images or results.
- Inappropriate reuse of previously published text.
- Duplicate publication or overlapping submissions without disclosure.
- Fabrication or falsification of data and results.
- Misleading image manipulation.
- Guest, gift or ghost authorship.
- Citation manipulation or peer-review manipulation.
- Research conducted without required approval or consent.
Similarity screening
Similarity software can identify matching text, but a score alone does not establish plagiarism. Editors should assess sources and context, including references, standard phrases, methods text and properly quoted material.
If misconduct is suspected
- Before publication, authors may be asked to explain the concern. An unsatisfactory response may lead to rejection.
- After publication, the Retraction and Correction Policy applies.
- Institutions or funders may be contacted where appropriate.
Authors should cite sources accurately, retain original data and disclose related work. Reports should include article details and supporting evidence.
Name only the similarity-checking software you actually use. Publish fixed percentage thresholds only if formally adopted and consistently applied.
Report concerns to crystalscientificpublishers@gmail.com.
Complaints & Appeals
Appealing an editorial decision
Contact the editorial office within the stated appeal period. Include the manuscript ID, the decision, clear reasons and supporting evidence, such as a factual error or concern about the review process. Simply resubmitting the work is not an appeal.
Where possible, an editor not involved in the original decision should assess the appeal. Possible outcomes include upholding the decision, inviting revision or arranging additional review.
Other complaints
Complaints about service, delays, fees or staff should be sent to the designated contact. The publisher should acknowledge the complaint, investigate fairly, communicate the outcome and provide an escalation route for unresolved concerns.
Confirm the complaints email, appeal deadline, response targets and responsible senior contact before publishing.
General enquiries: crystalscientificpublishers@gmail.com
