Guide for Authors

Guide for Authors

Authors are requested to read these guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript to any journal published by Ptolemy Scientific Research Press (PSR Press). These instructions are intended to help authors prepare manuscripts in a complete, clear, and publication-ready format.

Authors should also consult the aims, scope, and specific instructions of the journal to which they intend to submit, because individual journals may have additional requirements.

Submission of a manuscript to a PSR Press journal confirms that:

• the work is original;
• the manuscript has not been published previously;
• the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal;
• all listed authors have approved the submitted version;
• all required permissions, declarations, and ethical approvals have been obtained where applicable.

General Submission Requirements

Authors should submit manuscripts that are complete, carefully prepared, clearly written, and suitable for peer review. The manuscript must fall within the scope of the selected journal and should make a clear academic, scientific, technical, or scholarly contribution.

Before submission, the corresponding author should ensure that:

• the manuscript is original and not under review elsewhere;
• all authors have approved the final submitted version;
• the manuscript follows the journal’s required format;
• all figures, tables, equations, references, and supplementary files are complete;
• all required declarations are included;
• the corresponding author’s contact details are correct;
• ethical approvals, permissions, or consent statements are included where required;
• any use of third-party material has been properly acknowledged and permitted.

Diamond Open Access Policy and Article Types

PSR Press follows the Diamond Open Access publishing model. Under this model:

• published research is freely available to readers;
• readers are not required to pay subscription charges;
• authors are not required to pay article processing charges for standard publication;
• scholarly knowledge is made accessible to researchers, students, institutions, and the wider academic community.

The aim of Diamond Open Access is to support equitable scholarly communication. This model helps authors share their research more widely and allows readers to access academic work without financial barriers.

Depending on the scope of the selected journal, PSR Press may consider the following article types:

• original research articles;
• review articles;
• survey articles;
• short communications;
• case studies;
• methodology articles;
• editorials;
• letters to the editor;
• opinion articles;
• book reviews;
• conference papers or proceedings articles;
• meta-analyses;
• special issue articles.

Authors should check the relevant journal page before submission to confirm which article types are accepted.

Initial Submission and Editable Files

For the initial submission, authors are encouraged to submit the complete manuscript as a single PDF file.

The PDF should include:

• title page;
• abstract;
• keywords;
• main text;
• figures;
• tables;
• equations;
• references;
• acknowledgments;
• declarations;
• appendices or supplementary material, where applicable.

The initial PDF file should be prepared clearly enough for editors and reviewers to evaluate the manuscript without difficulty. Figures and tables should be placed close to their first mention in the text unless the journal requires them at the end of the manuscript.

If a manuscript is invited for revision or accepted for publication, authors may be asked to provide editable files for editing, typesetting, proofreading, and final publication.

Authors may be asked to submit:

• TeX or LaTeX source files;
• editable tables;
• high-resolution figure files;
• bibliography files, where applicable;
• supplementary files;
• final PDF version;
• any additional files requested by the editorial office.

Authors should ensure that the editable version matches the reviewed or accepted PDF version.

Figure and Table Requirements

Figures should be clear, readable, and suitable for publication. Authors should provide figures as high-quality separate files.

Acceptable bitmap formats may include:

• BMP;
• JPEG or JPG;
• GIF;
• TIFF;
• PNG;
• Photoshop files.

Acceptable vector formats may include:

• EPS;
• Adobe Illustrator;
• Excel;
• WMF;
• PowerPoint;
• FreeHand;
• CorelDraw;
• PDF-based vector artwork.

Authors should ensure that:

• all figure labels are readable;
• figure numbering is consecutive;
• each figure has a clear caption;
• each figure is cited in the main text;
• the same figure number is not used twice;
• figure files match the figures described in the manuscript;
• reused figures have proper permission and citation;
• color requirements are clearly indicated where necessary.

Line drawings, graphs, mathematical diagrams, and technical illustrations should preferably be submitted in vector format. Photographs and image-based figures should be submitted at high resolution.

Tables should be prepared as editable text, not as image files. Each table should have a concise title and should be numbered consecutively.

Authors should ensure that:

• each table is cited in the main text;
• each table has a clear title;
• column headings include units where applicable;
• footnotes explain abbreviations, symbols, or special conditions;
• data in the table are consistent with the main text;
• tables do not unnecessarily duplicate information already shown in figures.

Very large tables may be submitted as supplementary material if they interrupt the readability of the main article.

Manuscript Structure and Title Page

A standard manuscript should normally include the following sections:

• title page;
• abstract;
• keywords;
• introduction;
• materials and methods, methodology, theoretical background, or preliminaries;
• results;
• discussion;
• conclusion;
• acknowledgments;
• funding statement;
• competing interests statement;
• data availability statement, where applicable;
• ethical approval statement, where applicable;
• author contributions, where applicable;
• references;
• appendices or supplementary material, where applicable.

For theoretical, mathematical, review, or humanities-style articles, section titles may be adjusted according to the nature of the work. However, the manuscript should remain logically organized and easy to follow.

The title page should include:

• full title of the manuscript;
• full names of all authors;
• institutional affiliations of all authors;
• email address of the corresponding author;
• complete contact details of the corresponding author;
• ORCID iDs, where available;
• short running title, if required by the journal.

The manuscript title should be precise, informative, and concise. Authors should avoid unnecessary abbreviations, unexplained symbols, and mathematical formulas in the title where possible.

Authorship, Abstract, and Keywords

All listed authors should have made a meaningful contribution to the work. Authorship should be limited to individuals who contributed substantially to the conception, design, analysis, interpretation, writing, revision, or approval of the manuscript.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

• all authors have approved the submitted version;
• all author names and affiliations are correct;
• no eligible contributor has been omitted;
• no person has been included as an author without proper contribution and consent;
• any authorship change is communicated to the editorial office with proper justification.

Each manuscript should include a clear and concise abstract. The abstract should summarize the purpose, approach, main findings, and conclusion of the work.

The abstract should:

• not normally exceed 300 words;
• briefly state the research problem or objective;
• summarize the method or approach;
• present the principal findings;
• state the main conclusion;
• avoid unnecessary citations;
• avoid undefined abbreviations;
• use minimal mathematical notation.

The abstract should be understandable without reading the full article.

Authors should provide relevant keywords after the abstract. Keywords help readers, indexing services, and search engines identify the subject of the article.

Keywords should be:

• specific to the manuscript;
• relevant to the field;
• useful for indexing and discoverability;
• not overly general;
• not merely a repetition of the title.

Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion

The introduction should be clear and focused. It should explain the background of the study, the research problem, the reason for the work, and the contribution of the manuscript.

A good introduction should:

• introduce the subject area;
• summarize relevant previous work;
• identify the research gap or problem;
• explain why the study is needed;
• state the aim or objective of the manuscript;
• briefly indicate the contribution of the work.

The introduction should not be unnecessarily long. It should prepare the reader for the main work without becoming a full literature review unless the article itself is a review paper.

For empirical, experimental, computational, or applied studies, the method section should describe the procedures clearly enough for the work to be understood, evaluated, and, where possible, reproduced.

This section may include:

• study design;
• data sources;
• materials;
• experimental procedure;
• mathematical model;
• computational method;
• software or tools used;
• sampling method;
• variables and measurements;
• statistical methods;
• ethical approvals, where applicable.

For mathematical papers, this section may be replaced by:

• preliminaries;
• definitions;
• notation;
• lemmas;
• propositions;
• theoretical formulation;
• proofs.

The results section should present the main findings of the study clearly and logically.

Authors should ensure that:

• results are presented in a clear order;
• numerical values are checked carefully;
• tables and figures support the text;
• the same information is not repeated unnecessarily;
• claims are supported by the presented results;
• results are not exaggerated.

The discussion should interpret the results and explain their significance. It should not simply repeat the results.

The discussion may include:

• interpretation of major findings;
• comparison with previous studies;
• explanation of agreements or differences;
• theoretical or practical implications;
• strengths of the work;
• limitations, where relevant;
• recommendations for further research, where appropriate.

The conclusion should provide a clear final statement about the main contribution of the manuscript. It should answer the objective or research question stated in the introduction.

The conclusion should:

• summarize the main contribution;
• state the importance of the findings;
• avoid introducing new results;
• avoid adding new references;
• avoid unsupported claims;
• be concise but meaningful.

Mathematical Content, Language, and Style

For manuscripts containing mathematical content, authors should ensure that all mathematical material is carefully formatted and consistently presented.

Authors should:

• define all symbols before use;
• number only those equations that are cited later;
• format equations consistently;
• check all variables and assumptions;
• present long derivations clearly;
• use consistent notation throughout the manuscript;
• state theorems, lemmas, propositions, corollaries, and proofs clearly;
• avoid overly complex notation where simpler notation is possible.

Manuscripts should be written in clear academic English. Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have the manuscript reviewed by a professional language editor or a qualified English-speaking colleague before submission.

Authors should use:

• clear academic language;
• formal tone;
• consistent terminology;
• correct grammar and punctuation;
• precise technical expressions;
• consistent spelling style.

Unclear, informal, or poorly edited manuscripts may be returned for correction before peer review.

References and Citation Style

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are complete, accurate, and properly cited.

Authors should ensure that:

• every reference in the reference list is cited in the text;
• every in-text citation appears in the reference list;
• references are complete and accurate;
• author names are spelled correctly;
• article titles are complete;
• journal titles are complete;
• volume, issue, and page numbers are included where available;
• DOIs are included where available;
• book publisher and place of publication are included where required;
• duplicate references are removed;
• uncited references are removed.

Citations in the text should be numbered consecutively in square brackets, for example:

[1]
[2,3]
[4–6]

The reference list should be arranged in the order in which sources are cited in the manuscript. References may be written in an APA-based form while using numbered in-text citations.

Examples:

Agbokou, K., Gneyou, K., & Tcharie, K. (2020). Investigation on the temporal evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic: Prediction for Togo. Open Journal of Mathematical Sciences, 4, 273–279.

Meziani, L. (2021). Foundations of Mathematical Analysis and Semigroups Theory. Ptolemy Scientific Research Press, Lahore, Pakistan.

Acknowledgments, Funding, and Competing Interests

All acknowledgments should be included near the end of the manuscript, before the references.

The acknowledgment section may include:

• research support;
• institutional support;
• technical assistance;
• language editing assistance;
• conference presentation information;
• advice or comments from colleagues.

Authors should not acknowledge individuals without their permission.

Authors should disclose all sources of financial support related to the research.

If funding was received, authors should include:

• name of the funding agency;
• grant number, where applicable;
• role of the funder, where applicable.

If no funding was received, authors may write:

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

A competing interests statement must be included in every manuscript, even when the authors have no competing interests to declare.

If there are no competing interests, authors may write:

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Competing interests may include:

• financial relationships;
• personal relationships;
• employment;
• consultancy;
• advisory roles;
• stock ownership;
• patent interests;
• institutional affiliations;
• any other situation that could influence or appear to influence the work.

Data Availability, Ethical Approval, and Consent

Where applicable, authors should include a data availability statement explaining whether the data supporting the findings of the study are available.

Possible statements include:

• The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
• The data used in this study are publicly available at the source cited in the manuscript.
• No new data were generated or analyzed in this study.
• Data sharing is not applicable to this article.

For studies involving human participants, animals, clinical material, patient records, surveys, interviews, or sensitive data, authors must include appropriate ethical approval and consent statements.

Authors should provide:

• name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board;
• approval number, where available;
• statement of informed consent, where required;
• statement confirming compliance with relevant ethical standards.

For case reports or clinical images, authors should protect patient privacy and obtain consent where required.

Use of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Tools, and Supplementary Material

Authors may use digital tools or artificial intelligence tools for language improvement, formatting, grammar checking, or technical assistance where appropriate. However, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical quality of the submitted manuscript.

Authors should note that:

• AI tools should not be listed as authors;
• AI tools should not replace expert judgment;
• AI-generated text or suggestions must be checked carefully;
• use of AI tools should be disclosed where required by the journal;
• all facts, references, calculations, and interpretations must be verified by the authors.

Supplementary material may be submitted when additional information supports the manuscript but is not essential to the main text.

Supplementary material may include:

• additional tables;
• additional figures;
• datasets;
• proofs;
• algorithms;
• software code;
• appendices;
• multimedia files;
• extended methodological details.

Supplementary files should be clearly named and cited in the manuscript.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author should confirm that:

• the manuscript title is precise and informative;
• all author names, affiliations, and contact details are complete;
• the corresponding author is clearly identified;
• the abstract does not exceed 300 words;
• all necessary keywords are included;
• the manuscript is within the journal’s scope;
• all figures are included and have captions;
• all tables are included and have titles;
• all figure and table citations match the submitted files;
• all equations are correctly formatted and numbered where needed;
• all references cited in the text appear in the reference list;
• all references in the reference list are cited in the text;
• the competing interests statement is included;
• the funding statement is included;
• the acknowledgment section is included, if applicable;
• ethical approval and consent statements are included, if applicable;
• permissions for reused material have been obtained, if applicable;
• the manuscript has been checked for grammar, spelling, and clarity;
• the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere;
• all authors have approved the submission.

Peer Review, Revision, and Final Files

Manuscripts submitted to PSR Press journals are normally assessed through an editorial and peer-review process. The review process is single-blind, which means that reviewers know the identity of the authors, but authors do not know the identity of the reviewers. At least two review reports are required before a peer-review decision is normally made. Reviewers are usually given eight weeks to complete their review reports.

The process may include:

• initial editorial screening;
• scope and format check;
• similarity or plagiarism check;
• assignment to an editor;
• external peer review, where appropriate;
• author revision;
• final editorial assessment;
• acceptance, rejection, or further revision decision.

The purpose of peer review is to evaluate the originality, clarity, technical quality, academic contribution, and suitability of the manuscript for the journal.

If revision is required, the corresponding author should submit the revised manuscript through the journal’s online submission system or according to the instructions provided by the editorial office.

The revised manuscript should not be submitted as a new manuscript. Authors should use the revision option or revision link provided by the journal.

A revised submission should include:

• revised manuscript file;
• point-by-point response to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments;
• clean copy of the revised manuscript;
• marked or highlighted copy showing changes, if requested;
• updated figures, tables, or supplementary files, if applicable;
• updated declarations, if changes were made.

The response letter should address every editor and reviewer comment carefully. Authors should explain what changes were made and indicate where the changes appear in the manuscript. If authors disagree with a reviewer’s suggestion, they should respond politely and provide a clear academic explanation.

Authors should submit revised manuscripts within the required time.

Revision deadlines are normally as follows:

• first revision: within 28 days;
• second revision: within 14 days;
• additional extension: may be requested in advance.

If additional time is needed, the corresponding author should contact the editorial office before the deadline. If the revised manuscript is not submitted within the required period and no extension has been approved, the manuscript may be treated as a new submission.

After acceptance, authors may be asked to submit final publication files.

These may include:

• final TeX or LaTeX source file;
• final PDF file;
• editable tables;
• high-resolution figures;
• bibliography file;
• supplementary files;
• author declarations;
• copyright or license confirmation.

Authors should ensure that all final files are complete and consistent.

Proofs, Copyright, Permissions, Withdrawal, and Contact

Before publication, authors may receive page proofs for checking. Proofs should be reviewed carefully and returned within the time specified by the editorial office.

At the proof stage, authors should check:

• author names and affiliations;
• title and abstract;
• equations and symbols;
• figures and tables;
• references;
• page layout;
• typographical errors.

Only minor corrections should be made at the proof stage. Major changes to the content may require editorial approval.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Published work is licensed under a Creative Commons license. This allows the article to be used, distributed, and reproduced in any medium, provided that:

• the original work is properly cited;
• the authors are appropriately credited;
• the source of publication is acknowledged;
• the license terms are followed.

This policy supports the dissemination of knowledge while protecting proper authorship and citation.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use any copyrighted material reproduced or adapted from another source.

This may include:

• figures;
• tables;
• photographs;
• maps;
• diagrams;
• long quotations;
• previously published data;
• other protected content.

If permission is required, authors should obtain it before submission and provide proper acknowledgment in the manuscript.

Authors who wish to withdraw a manuscript must contact the editorial office with a clear reason. A manuscript should not be withdrawn without formal communication with the journal.

Authors should not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it is under consideration by a PSR Press journal. Duplicate submission is considered unethical.

For questions about manuscript preparation, submission, revision, or publication requirements, authors should contact the editorial office of the relevant journal.