This study focuses on the need for and direction of a standard for representing manuscript contents during submission to journals. We suggest that the achievement of a consensus on a standard format of author guidelines is critical to save time and maintain the motivation of authors particularly in the Age of Information.
There has been a recent and rapid development in the publishing industry. Various publishers have adopted distinct and unique instructions for authors to be used during the preparation and submission of manuscripts. These guidelines mostly differ obviously from that of other publishers. This circumstance necessitates the arrangement of manuscripts per the original guidelines of journals. However, the rejection of a manuscript by a journal or changing mind for submission of the manuscript for another journal mandates regulation of the manuscript again per the instructions of the new journal. This condition leads to significant loss of time as well as hindrance of scientific development. Thus, the development of standards and guidelines applicable for all journals may be useful to overcome this delay and accelerate scientific communication.
Only once an article has been finished following the scholarly norms and the journal's specific formatting and reference guidelines, it can be submitted. Interesting scientific work from a busy laboratory should be disclosed as soon as the results are available so that it may be read and appreciated by everyone in the field and the history of high-quality research can continue [6, 7].
The traffic rules are different in various countries of the world. If traffic rules were standard all over the world, how easy it would be to drive when you go abroad. Similarly, if the submission rules of scientific journals all over the world were standardized, writing would require less effort and would not confuse to adapt the paper across different journals in case of rejection or changing decision for submission to another journal. Thus, time and energy would be saved significantly. Standardization means creating uniform business processes across various divisions or locations.
Academics may face difficulties in getting their work published, especially if they must write in the English language and inside western society, both of which may be foreign to them. Authors must fulfill the rigors of their studies before being considered for publication, including the acceptability of the topic matter for a certain journal, concepts, literature, and instruments. These are questions of author accountability to readers, as well as editor and reviewer responsibilities to authors and, through them, to students and readers of submitted materials [7]. Establishment of universal guidelines for submission of manuscripts may aid in reaching these goals and overcome the difficulties for publication of papers.
The volume of digital information is growing as information technology advances and the internet becomes more widely used [5]. Unfortunately, most research articles are expected to be written in a traditional format, which some colleagues may not be familiar with. The implicit assumption is that this format is logical in the way it develops parts of the research process, such as the topic, conceptual framework, setting and sample, literature review, findings, discussion of findings, recommendations, need for additional study, limits, and references. Many colleagues in other cultures are confined to primarily quantitative studies, even when the issue does not lend itself to this style. While grammar and style are not the most crucial factors in a manuscript, they do have an impact on how the work is received by others.
Potential authors would be confused if there were multiple formats. In designing a standard, however, key factors such as interoperability, extension, applicability, and openness should be considered in addition to functional and technical needs such as formatting capability and logical structure [5].
The standard format must be capable of representing the vast majority of documents and be available to the vast majority of authors and publishers. However, currently, there is no optimal universal standard in terms of important issues, such as technical and functional features [5].
The referencing mechanism employed in each publication is different. The amount of detail required in references typically may confuse new and inexperienced researchers and authors, and most copy editors spend a significant amount of time acquiring the correct facts. References that are correctly used and written are evidence of an author's professionalism.
Editors of international journals must receive written work from a variety of countries; otherwise, the journal will not be deemed international. We gather information from a variety of sources not only for the sake of the journal but also for the benefit of the readers [7].
Achieving consensus on a common format for article submissions may make it easier for publishers to access information and collaborate with writers to promote content and increase submissions [8]. The standardization of format must involve both microstructural and macrostructural components. Macrostructural components include organşzation, content, and flow; while the microstructural level involves words, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation [9].
Adherence to the instructions for authors and provision of a word count, keywords, and a short title is mandatory for the vast majority of journals. To overcome a rapid rejection, the journal's page structure, figures, and reference style must be followed by the authors [10].
Notably, some journals offer format-free submission to meet the requirements of a different journal. Format-free submission implies you can submit your article without worrying about formatting it to fit the journal's requirements as long as you include everything needed for review and follow a consistent citation format [11].
Further and improved communication between publishers beyond commercial aspects is crucial to achieve these goals. Applicability and acceptance of our proposal are highly dependent on a positive attitude of collaboration and direct communication between counterparts.