Author Instruction

These guidelines outline the requirements for manuscript submission to ensure a smooth peer review and publication process. Please follow these instructions carefully to avoid delays.

1. Submission and Tracking of Manuscript

We use a submission system that can be accessed by registering an account through the Login button (top right).

Note: We require the authors to submit the manuscript by themselves.

Co-authors can also track the manuscript's progress by logging in using the same email entered during submission.

2. Manuscript Format

We encourage the author to use our universal template (download). All instructions are within the template, and it is easy to follow. The template is applicable for all journals of ETFLIN. 

Original Article must contain these sections: 

• Article Type
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Experimental Section (or Material and Methods/Methodology)
• Results
• Discussion (can be combined with results)
• Conclusion

Any structure is acceptable for other types of manuscripts as long as it contains: an Abstract, Introduction/Background, and Conclusion/Summary (a summary can be included within the discussion section). Also make sure that you use the heading styles to manage your sections.

Note:

• Authors may submit or suggest another type of manuscript format.
• Do not include any author information in the manuscript (for double-blind peer review). Failure to do so will result in the manuscript being sent back for revision.
• All declarations, such as funding details, ethical statements, data availability, acknowledgements, conflicts of interest, and so forth, need to be provided through the online submission system rather than being included in the manuscript.

3. Manuscript Content

3.1 Font and Style

If you use our template, then you can easily set up the font style. We use the Segoe UI font style with font size as follows:

• Title: 28 pt
• Section/header: 14 pt
• Subsection/subheader: 12 pt
• Sub of a sub-section: 11 pt and italic
• Content, references, and others: 11 pt

3.2 Flexible font size

• Abstract: 9 - 11 pt (depending on the number of abstract words)
• Table and Figure: <11 pt (depending on the clarity, blurriness, and table or figure size)
• Complex equation: <11 pt

3.3 Title

1. The title must be clear and represent the whole manuscript content.
2. The maximum title's length is three lines in the manuscript template.
3. We use 'Title Case' rules for the paper and section titles; check this good explanation and this APA style for sentence case rules. Example: Recent Advances in Herbal Effervescent Formulations: Challenges and Opportunities
4. Do not use uncommon abbreviations in the title.

3.4 Author name and affiliation

The full name of the authors should be entered correctly including first name, middle name, and last name. It is mandatory to provide the email address of all the authors during the online submission process. If possible, the ORCID ID of the authors may also be provided.

The authors should provide their full affiliation in detail and correct order, in the online submission system. The authors should provide all the necessary information regarding their Department, Faculty/School, College/University, City, PIN code, State, and Country. 

Example (author with one affiliation): Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 46353, Sumedang, Indonesia.

Example (author with multiple affiliations): Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 46353, Sumedang, Indonesia; Medical Informatics Laboratory, ETFLIN, Palu City 94225, Indonesia.

Please don't include titles, degrees, or statuses in the authorship information. While we hold the utmost respect for academic achievements, our goal is to promote equality in publishing, valuing the work of both young and senior researchers. These statuses could also change over time.

You can also input your ORCID ID (not the entire link, e.g., 0000-0000-0000-0000) in the authorship input during submission, and we will add your ORCID to the final version of the published PDF.

Note: Please use your institutional email. If you have multiple email, you can declare it after your affiliation. Use semicolon (;) as separator. 

3.5 Abstract

1. The abstract should be unstructured and not exceed 250 words. The abstract should briefly highlight the background, methods, main results, conclusions, and future scope of the study.
2. Do not include reference(s) in the abstract.
3. For non-English journals, authors must also provide an English version of the abstract.

3.6 Keywords

Provide 3-6 unique and diverse keywords. One keyword must not exceed three words, and using abbreviations in keywords should be avoided. Choose keywords that highlight the crucial aspects of your work, excluding those already mentioned in the article title or extensively covered in the abstract. Keywords play a significant role in enhancing the visibility of your work in search engines. Therefore, using unique and distinct keywords from the title and abstract allows for a broader and more specific search scope for your work.

3.7 Graphical abstract

The graphical abstract ought to present a smooth and coherent overview of the entire research process.

• Graphical abstract is not mandatory but it is highly encouraged (especially for research articles).
• The graphical abstract should have a minimum quality of 300 dpi.
• The preferred dimension is 16:9 aspect ratio.
• The graphical abstract can be submitted in either JPG or PNG file format.
• The graphical abstract should not be included in the manuscript.
• It should be submitted separately as a 'Graphical Abstract' type during the submission process.
• If a graphical abstract is not provided by the authors, the journal will randomly select a figure within the manuscript to be used as a graphical abstract for the HTML version. 

Although optional, our editor may find your graphical abstract appealing and choose it as the issue cover.

3.8 Figures

• The figure must be clear and labeled.
• All figures must be included in the manuscript file and positioned as mentioned in the text for the first time.
• The authors should use an image editing software/tool to edit the figures.
• The authors should use a software/tool, especially for figures containing multiple images, so that a single figure can be obtained. For example, when compiling 10 different chemical structures for Figure 1, do not adjust the 10 structures manually in the MS Word. Instead, use an image editing software/tool to compile the 10 chemical structures as a single figure. In the Figure, label the 10 structures as (A), (B), (C),..., (J).
• Figures should have a minimum quality of 300 dpi. Figures can be submitted in either JPG or PNG file format. Figures should be placed at the appropriate places in the manuscript. 
• Please use bold for the figure number, for example, Figure 1. Flowchart of the methodology.
• Ensure that you place a period (.) at the end of each caption for figures and tables.
• To ensure clarity of the text and image in the figure, it is crucial to maintain the original aspect ratio when scaling up a figure. Stretching or widening the figure on only one side may cause blurriness and, therefore, should be avoided.

3.9 Reproduction of figures

• To reproduce a figure (already published in a paper in any journal), copyright permission must be obtained.
• The copyright permission letter/data should be submitted as a supplemental data.
• If a figure is reproduced without permission, it will be considered plagiarism, and the authors will be asked to rectify it.
• A note like 'copyright has been obtained from Einstein et al.' must be included within the Figure legend.

3.10 Tables

• Tables must be created with the insert table feature of Microsoft Word.
• Please do not insert a table as an image.
• All borders must be visible.
• Tables should not have any background color unless necessary.
• The table header must be bold.
• The table number in the caption must also be bold. Example: Table 1. Molecular docking score for the targeted proteins.
• Ensure that you place a period (.) at the end of each caption for figures and tables.
• If a table extends beyond three pages, it must be submitted as a supplemental table in EXCEL format or another data table file. However, the supplemental table should still be mentioned in the text to maintain its relevance and clarity.
• The table note should be placed in the last row of the table with merged columns.
  
• Do not place images inside tables. Images should be presented as Figures.

3.11 Supplemental Data

• To ensure accessibility and ease of use, supplemental data can be shared as a file (ZIP or RAR) submitted with the manuscript or a permanent link to the data storage location. 
• For additional data in the form of programs or applications, we recommend using GitHub and provide the repository link in the Supplemental Data section.
• It is not acceptable to store the data on a personal cloud account like Gdrive or Onedrive.

3.12 Equations

• Equations must be created with the insert equation feature of Microsoft Word. Do not insert the equation as an image.
• Use and insert the appropriate symbol, do not replace it with letter or number. For example: Use epsilon symbol (ε) instead of letter E.
• Provide the term explanation for each symbol used in a equation as equation note or as a paragraph.

3.13 Decimal

Please use dots as a decimal marker, not commas.

3.14 Symbols and Units

1. All symbols in the manuscript must be written using their original symbols, which can be inserted through the Insert menu in Microsoft Word, rather than using regular alphabetic characters. For example, use symbols such as α, β, or ∑ instead of substituting them with similar-looking letters or words like alpha, beta, and others.
2. When referring to alphabetic letters used in equations (e.g., 𝑎, 𝑏, or 𝑥) in the text, these letters must be written in italicized format.
3. Units should follow the International System of Units (SI) to ensure standardization and consistency. For instance, use m for meters, s for seconds, and kg for kilograms. Avoid non-SI units unless absolutely necessary, and if used, provide their SI equivalent in parentheses.

3.15 Reference Style

We only accept the Vancouver style with parentheses (1), not bracket [1]. 

Authors are encouraged to use software such as Mendeley, Zotero, etc., to arrange the references. Mendeley and Zotero can be downloaded and installed. Once installed, they will appear on the 'References' tab on the Microsoft Word document.

3.16 Materials, Software, and Instruments

To ensure that the study can be replicated, detailed information about the materials, software, and instruments must be provided, either in a separate section or in relevant places. The information that needs to be included is the grade/version/purity/type, brand, company, and country. Additionally, authors can attach a Certificate of Analysis or similar documents for new materials as supplemental data that will be published alongside the manuscript.

3.17 Abbreviations

All abbreviations in the manuscript must be spelled out in full the first time they are used in the text. If not, a specific section should be provided to explain the full forms of all abbreviations.

4. Software to reduce grammatical errors

The use of Grammarly is encouraged to minimize grammatical errors. Grammarly can be downloaded, installed, and added to the Microsoft Word document.

5. Funding Information

Please include funding information in your submission using the designated input field. Provide the full name of the funding agency and the grant number.

Do not include funding information in the manuscript itself.

6. Authorship policy

In terms of planning the study design, data analysis, statistical analysis, software, executing work, writing, and editing, a significant contribution should be made by all contributing authors, such as the first author, co-authors, and corresponding authors. Authors are encouraged to get familiar with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

6.1 Corresponding author

The corresponding author will be responsible for communicating with the editors from the initial submission till publication. Depending on the requirement, there may be two corresponding authors. In the case of two corresponding authors, the asterisk '*' sign should accompany their names in the manuscript, and the initials of the authors should accompany their email addresses in the manuscript.

6.2 Change of authorship

During the review process, the corresponding author may request that the authorship be changed, providing appropriate reasons for the request. It is not permitted to add or remove authors once a submission has been accepted.

7. Plagiarism

If possible, authors are requested to submit a plagiarism report from commercial software (or from an accessible online server) as supplemental data. For all types of articles, the plagiarism percentage should be kept as low as possible (maximum upper limit 15% excluding references). Even if the plagiarism percentage remains below 15%, the authors may be further asked to reduce the plagiarism to increase the manuscript's authenticity.

8. Other Editorial Policies and Guidelines

Other details about our policies and guidelines can be accessed in these following links:

• Editorial policies
• Publishing policies
  
• Information for author/researcher