Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to the International Journal of Research in Vocational Studies (IJRVOCAS) must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The manuscript must contribute to vocational studies, technical and vocational education and training, applied professional education, workforce development, industry-oriented learning, or related applied research fields.

All manuscripts must be written in English and prepared using clear academic language. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality, accuracy, ethical compliance, and quality of their manuscripts.

2. Types of Manuscripts

IJRVOCAS accepts the following manuscript types:

• Original Research Article: Empirical studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches.
• Review Article: Systematic reviews, bibliometric reviews, scoping reviews, integrative reviews, or critical literature reviews.
• Conceptual Paper: Theory-based manuscripts developing concepts, models, propositions, or frameworks.
• Methodological Paper: Manuscripts introducing or applying research methods, analytical tools, or decision-making models.
• Short Communication: Concise manuscripts reporting preliminary findings, emerging issues, or practice-based insights.

3. Manuscript Length

The word count excludes references, tables, figures, and appendices.

4. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles should generally include:

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Introduction
5. Literature Review / Hypothesis Development, if applicable
6. Research Methods
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. Conclusion
10. Acknowledgments, if any
11. Funding Statement
12. Conflict of Interest Statement
13. Author Contributions
14. Data Availability Statement
15. Declaration on the Use of Generative AI
16. References
17. Appendices, if any

Review articles may include Introduction, Review Method, Results or Thematic Findings, Discussion, Conclusion, and References.

5. Title Page

The title page should include:

• Full manuscript title
• Full names of all authors
• Institutional affiliations
• Corresponding author’s email address
• ORCID ID, if available
• Funding information, if applicable

The title should be concise, informative, and reflect the main focus of the study.

6. Abstract

The abstract should be written in one paragraph and contain 150–250 words. It should summarize the background, purpose, method, main findings, and implications of the study. The abstract should not include citations, tables, figures, or undefined abbreviations.

7. Keywords

Authors should provide 4–6 keywords. Keywords should be specific, searchable, and relevant to the manuscript.

Example:

Keywords: vocational education; workforce development; competency-based learning; green skills; professional competence; digital learning

8. Formatting Requirements

Tables and figures should be placed close to the relevant text and numbered consecutively.

9. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must be clear, readable, and relevant.

Table titles should be placed above the table.

Example:

Table 1. Demographic Profile of Respondents

Figure titles should be placed below the figure.

Example:

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

All tables and figures must be cited in the text before they appear.

10. Citation and Referencing Style

IJRVOCAS uses the IEEE citation style for in-text citations and references.

In IEEE style, citations are indicated by numbers in square brackets and numbered according to the order in which they appear in the text.

Examples:

Vocational education plays an important role in strengthening workforce readiness [1].

Digital transformation has significantly influenced vocational learning environments [2], [3].

Several studies have emphasized the importance of green skills in sustainable workforce development [4]–[6].

11. References

References must be listed at the end of the manuscript in numerical order according to their first appearance in the text.

Authors should prioritize recent and high-quality scholarly references. At least 80% of references should come from journal articles, conference proceedings, academic books, or book chapters. Authors are encouraged to cite literature published within the last 10 years, unless older sources are foundational.

Where available, authors should include DOI information.

Journal Article

Format:

[1] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, “Title of article,” Title of Journal, vol. xx, no. x, pp. xx–xx, year, doi: xx.xxxx/xxxxx.

Book

Format:

[2] A. A. Author, Title of Book, xth ed. City, Country: Publisher, year.

Book Chapter

Format:

[3] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, “Title of chapter,” in Title of Book, A. Editor and B. Editor, Eds. City, Country: Publisher, year, pp. xx–xx.

Conference Paper

Format:

[4] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, “Title of paper,” in Proc. Name of Conference, City, Country, year, pp. xx–xx, doi: xx.xxxx/xxxxx.

Website

Format:

[5] Organization Name, “Title of webpage,” Website Name, year. [Online]. Available: URL. [Accessed: Day-Mon-Year].

12. Research Ethics

Manuscripts involving human participants, surveys, interviews, experiments, classroom interventions, workplace observations, or institutional data must comply with applicable ethical standards.

Authors should state whether ethical approval was obtained from an institutional review board, ethics committee, or relevant authority. If ethical approval was not required, authors should clearly explain the reason.

Example:

This study was conducted in accordance with relevant ethical guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained from [Name of Institution / Committee], approval number [xxx].

or:

Ethical approval was not required for this study because [provide reason]. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all participants.

13. Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained.

Example:

Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and their right to withdraw at any time.

14. Plagiarism and Similarity

All submitted manuscripts must be original and free from plagiarism. Manuscripts may be checked using plagiarism detection software.

The similarity index should normally be below 10%, excluding references and commonly used methodological terms. Manuscripts with excessive similarity, unattributed copying, duplicate publication, or suspected plagiarism may be rejected or returned to authors for revision.

15. Use of Generative AI

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools or AI-assisted technologies, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grammarly AI, QuillBot, or similar tools, if used in preparing the manuscript.

Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, references, data, analysis, findings, and conclusions of the manuscript.

Example disclosure:

The authors used [name of AI tool] to support language editing and manuscript refinement. The authors reviewed, verified, and approved all AI-assisted content and take full responsibility for the final manuscript.

If no AI tools were used:

The authors declare that no generative AI or AI-assisted tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

16. Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors must disclose any potential conflict of interest.

Example:

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

or:

The authors declare the following potential conflict of interest: [explain briefly].

17. Funding Statement

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support.

Example:

This research received no external funding.

or:

This research was funded by [Name of Funding Agency], grant number [xxx].

18. Author Contributions

For manuscripts with more than one author, the contribution of each author should be clearly stated.

Example:

Conceptualization: Author A and Author B; Methodology: Author A; Data Collection: Author B; Formal Analysis: Author A; Writing—Original Draft: Author A; Writing—Review and Editing: Author A and Author B; Supervision: Author B.

19. Data Availability Statement

Authors should provide a data availability statement where applicable.

Examples:

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

The data are not publicly available due to privacy and confidentiality restrictions.

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in [repository name/link].

20. Supplementary Materials

Authors may submit supplementary materials where necessary, including research instruments, questionnaires, interview protocols, raw data, data processing files, statistical outputs, additional tables, figures, or appendices.

Supplementary materials should support transparency, reproducibility, and credibility.

21. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted through the IJRVOCAS online submission system. Before submission, authors should ensure that:

• The manuscript fits the aims and scope of IJRVOCAS.
• The manuscript is written in English.
• The manuscript follows the required structure and formatting.
• All citations and references follow IEEE style.
• Tables and figures are properly numbered and cited.
• Ethical approval and informed consent statements are included, if applicable.
• Conflict of interest, funding, author contribution, data availability, and AI declaration statements are included.
• The similarity index is within the acceptable range.
• All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

22. Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts will undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts may be returned or rejected at this stage if they:

• Do not fit the aims and scope of the journal
• Lack originality or academic contribution
• Have serious methodological weaknesses
• Do not follow the author guidelines
• Contain excessive similarity or plagiarism concerns
• Are poorly written or unclear
• Lack required ethical or declaration statements
• Do not use the required IEEE citation and reference style

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will be sent for peer review.

23. Final Note

By submitting a manuscript to IJRVOCAS, authors confirm that the manuscript is original, ethically prepared, properly cited, and approved by all authors. Authors also agree to follow the journal’s editorial policies, peer review process, publication ethics, open access policy, and licensing terms.