Author Guidelines & Submissions

01 About the journal and scope

The Impact Journal is dedicated to advancing high-quality, rigorous, and impactful scholarly research across a broad range of academic disciplines. The journal promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific innovation, evidence-based practice, and knowledge dissemination to address contemporary global and local challenges. Its scope encompasses the following eight thematic areas:

1. Health and Medical Sciences

Covering clinical medicine, public health, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, biomedical sciences, epidemiology, maternal and child health, reproductive health, infectious and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, health systems, healthcare policy, and innovations aimed at improving individual and population health outcomes.

2. Business, Economics and Management Sciences

Encompassing macroeconomics, microeconomics, business administration, finance, accounting, banking, entrepreneurship, marketing, organisational management, human resource management, international trade, applied statistics, business innovation, and sustainable economic development. This area welcomes research promoting financial inclusion, private sector development, institutional performance, and evidence-based economic decision-making.

3. Engineering, Technology and Computer Sciences

Focusing on civil, electrical, mechanical, and environmental engineering; architecture; urban planning; infrastructure development; renewable energy systems; telecommunications; computer science; information technology; artificial intelligence; machine learning; cybersecurity; data science; software engineering; and digital transformation. This area promotes technological innovation and sustainable solutions to engineering, industrial, and societal challenges.

4. Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

Covering agricultural production, crop science, agronomy, veterinary medicine, animal health and welfare, livestock production, animal nutrition, agricultural biotechnology, fisheries, food science, food security, agricultural economics, and sustainable farming systems. This area encourages research that strengthens agricultural productivity, resilient food systems, animal health, and sustainable rural livelihoods.

5. Environmental Sciences and Climate Change

Encompassing climate change, climate adaptation and mitigation, environmental management, ecology, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, water resource management, land degradation, desertification, natural resource conservation, environmental pollution, disaster risk reduction, and environmental sustainability. This area welcomes research addressing climate resilience, environmental protection, and sustainable natural resource management.

6. Education and Behavioral Sciences

Covering educational research, curriculum development, teaching and learning, teacher education, educational leadership, educational policy, higher education, vocational training, educational technology, inclusive education, educational psychology, human behaviour, lifelong learning, and skills development. This area promotes research that advances educational quality, learning outcomes, human development, and institutional effectiveness.

7. Social Sciences, Humanities and Development Studies

Encompassing sociology, anthropology, social work, political science, public administration, international relations, peace and conflict studies, governance, public policy, history, philosophy, linguistics, literature, cultural studies, migration, social inclusion, community development, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. This area encourages interdisciplinary scholarship addressing social transformation, cultural understanding, institutional development, peacebuilding, social justice, and community resilience.

8. Law and Legal Studies

Covering constitutional law, civil and criminal law, international law, human rights law, commercial and corporate law, administrative law, environmental law, comparative law, legal theory, jurisprudence, judicial institutions, legal reform, and access to justice. This area welcomes doctrinal, empirical, theoretical, and comparative legal research contributing to the advancement of legal knowledge, the rule of law, effective legal institutions, and equitable justice systems.

Submissions must make a meaningful scholarly contribution, acknowledge relevant literature, report methods or reasoning transparently and distinguish evidence from interpretation. Manuscripts must not be under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. Disclose related publications, preprints, thesis versions and overlapping datasets in the cover letter.

02 Article types, lengths and review routes

Word counts exclude abstracts, references, tables and figures.

03 Submission package and manuscript preparation

Title page and author information

Provide a concise, informative title; author names in agreed order; department, institution, city and country for each author; corresponding author name and email.

Provide ORCID identifiers where available.

Identify the article type, main-text word count, abstract and keywords where applicable. Three to six keywords is a recommendation pending editorial approval.

Recommended submission formatting — editorial confirmation required

Submit an editable .docx manuscript, in a single-column layout, with clear headings, continuous page numbers, readable 11–12 pt font and 1.5 or double spacing. Do not attempt to reproduce the two-column typeset journal design: this is applied after acceptance. Number manuscript lines if requested by editors. Avoid unnecessary text boxes, complex page designs and embedded low-resolution figures.

Abstract and key findings

Original research uses Background, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Describe the question, design, setting or sources, analytic approach, key findings and implications; give effect sizes and confidence intervals where applicable. Review and protocol abstracts follow their article-type requirements. Do not claim results that are not supported by the manuscript.

For original research and reviews, include the four-part Key Findings box: What was known? What was done? What was found? What are the implications? Provide approximately 2–4 concise statements under each heading. For other article types, follow the template section map.

04 Original Research: Manuscript Structure by Thematic Area

The Impact Journal (TIJ) welcomes original research across eight thematic areas. Manuscripts should follow established scholarly conventions appropriate to the discipline, research design and article type. The structures below are informed by manuscript formats used by established international journals and adapted to the journal's submission requirements.

All original research manuscripts should begin with a title, abstract, keywords and Key Findings summary, followed by the main text, references, supporting information (where applicable) and required declarations. The suggested section headings are illustrative and may be adapted to the study methodology.

Expectations Across Manuscript Sections

Title: Provide a concise, informative title accurately reflecting the research topic, scope and study design where relevant.

Abstract: Provide a structured or unstructured abstract according to the discipline and study design. Structured abstracts should generally summarize the background, methods, results and conclusions. Unstructured abstracts should clearly communicate the research purpose, approach, principal findings and contribution.

Keywords: Include 3–6 relevant keywords reflecting the manuscript's principal concepts, discipline and methodology.

Key Findings: Original research manuscripts should include a concise summary organized under the following four headings:

• WHAT WAS KNOWN? [2–4 statements on the state of the evidence before this work.]
• WHAT WAS DONE? [2–4 statements on what this study added.]
• WHAT WAS FOUND? [2–4 statements carrying the headline results.]
• WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? [2–4 statements for policy, practice and research.]

Introduction / Background: Establish the significance of the topic, summarize relevant scholarship, identify the knowledge gap and clearly state the study aim, research questions or hypotheses.

Methods / Methodology / Analytical Approach: Describe the research design, setting, participants or sources, sampling, instruments, procedures, analytical methods, quality assurance and ethical considerations where applicable. Provide sufficient detail to support replication, verification or critical evaluation.

Results / Findings / Analysis: Present the principal findings clearly and systematically. Depending on the discipline, these may include statistical estimates, experimental outcomes, qualitative themes, technical evaluations, documentary evidence or legal arguments. Avoid unnecessary repetition of information presented in tables and figures.

Discussion / Interpretation: Interpret findings in relation to the research objectives and existing scholarship. Explain the contribution, consider alternative interpretations, acknowledge strengths and limitations, and discuss relevant scientific, theoretical, practical or policy implications.

Conclusions: Summarize the principal contribution and answer the research question. Conclusions should be supported by the findings and avoid unsupported generalizations.

Acknowledgments: Recognize individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria, where applicable.

References: Use the referencing style appropriate to the thematic area: Vancouver (Health and Medical Sciences; Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences); APA 7th edition (Business, Economics and Management Sciences; Environmental Sciences and Climate Change; Education and Behavioral Sciences; Social Sciences, Humanities and Development Studies); IEEE (Engineering, Technology and Computer Sciences); and OSCOLA (Law and Legal Studies). Apply the selected style consistently, ensure all citations and references are accurate and complete, and provide DOI links where available.

Supporting Information

Authors may submit supplementary materials that provide additional evidence, methodological details or resources supporting the manuscript. Supporting Information is required only when supplementary materials are provided.

Supplementary Tables: Additional data tables, statistical analyses, sensitivity analyses or detailed results, labelled S1 Table, S2 Table and so forth.

Supplementary Figures: Additional graphs, maps, diagrams, images or visual analyses, labelled S1 Fig, S2 Fig and so forth.

Supplementary Files: Questionnaires, interview guides, protocols, technical specifications, analytical code or additional documentation, labelled S1 File, S2 File and so forth.

Supplementary Datasets: Supporting datasets may be submitted where permitted by applicable ethical, legal, confidentiality and data-sharing requirements.

Submission Requirements: Cite supplementary items in the manuscript, provide descriptive captions and upload them as separate files. Essential findings must remain in the main manuscript.

Main Tables and Figures: Tables and figures forming part of the main manuscript should appear at appropriate locations within the text. Separate editable tables and high-resolution figure files should also be uploaded where applicable.

Declarations and Publication Requirements

Manuscripts must include the following statements where applicable:

• Ethics approval and consent to participate
• Consent for publication
• Competing interests
• Funding
• Author contributions
• Data availability
• Use of artificial intelligence tools

Important: These manuscript structures are illustrative, not mandatory templates. Authors may adapt section headings and organization to their discipline, research design and article type while maintaining clarity, methodological rigor, research integrity and compliance with the journal's author guidelines. Reviews, case reports, study protocols, commentaries and other article types may require different structures.

05 Guidance for other manuscript types

Systematic reviews

Specify protocol/registration, eligibility, databases, full search strategies and dates, duplicate screening, appraisal/risk of bias, synthesis and PRISMA 2020 flow diagram; explain departures from protocol.

Scoping reviews

Describe the review question, search, selection, charting framework and evidence map; provide PRISMA-ScR checklist and identify knowledge gaps without overstating causal or effectiveness claims.

Narrative reviews

Explain the literature identification and selection approach, critically synthesise evidence, acknowledge selection limitations and avoid implying a systematic search where none occurred.

Short communications

Present one complete, focused finding with sufficient methods and context; do not divide a full study into artificial fragments.

Study protocols

Present rationale, design, eligibility, recruitment, outcomes, analysis plan, ethics and registration where relevant; distinguish planned from completed work and follow SPIRIT for applicable clinical trial protocols.

Commentaries and editorials

Develop a clear evidence-informed argument, disclose relevant interests and avoid unsupported claims; editorials are commissioned.

Case reports / series

Follow CARE where applicable; provide timeline, assessment, intervention, outcomes, clinical lesson and written consent for publication.

Letters

Address a specific published contribution or relevant issue concisely, cite sources, disclose interests and remain professional.

06 Reporting standards and transparent methods

Select reporting guidance appropriate to the study design, not simply the disciplinary label. Examples: STROBE for observational studies; CONSORT for randomised trials; COREQ or SRQR for qualitative studies; PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-ScR for reviews; CARE for case reports; RECORD for routinely collected health data; STARD for diagnostic accuracy; TRIPOD for prediction models; SQUIRE for quality improvement; CHEERS for economic evaluation; ARRIVE for animal research. Use relevant discipline-specific standards elsewhere.

Describe missing data, sampling, power or sample-size rationale when applicable, assumptions, confounding, model selection, robustness checks and uncertainty. Report both positive and negative findings. For AI or computational work, describe dataset provenance, train/test separation, benchmarks, validation, fairness or bias considerations and reproducibility limitations as appropriate.

07 Tables, figures, references and supplements

Number tables and figures in order of first citation. Provide descriptive titles, clear notes, denominators, units, abbreviations and relevant statistical precision.

Submit editable tables, not screenshots. Use readable labels and avoid vertical rules where possible. Identify comparison groups, reference categories and adjusted covariates.

Supply vector graphics where possible or raster images at least 300 dpi at final print size; obtain reuse permissions for copyrighted content.

Label supplementary datasets, instruments, code, appendices and additional analyses clearly and cite them in the manuscript.

The Impact Journal (TIJ) is a multidisciplinary scholarly journal covering eight thematic areas. Authors are required to use a recognized referencing style appropriate to their respective disciplines. Vancouver style (ICMJE/NLM) is recommended for Health and Medical Sciences; APA (7th edition) for Business, Economics and Management Sciences; IEEE for Engineering, Technology and Computer Sciences; Vancouver for Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; APA (7th edition) for Environmental Sciences and Climate Change; APA (7th edition) for Education and Behavioral Sciences; APA (7th edition) for Social Sciences, Humanities and Development Studies; and OSCOLA recognized legal citation style for Law and Legal Studies. Regardless of the referencing style selected, authors must apply it consistently throughout the manuscript. All references must be accurate, complete, and verifiable, and every in-text citation must correspond to an entry in the reference list. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be provided as active links (https://doi.org/...) wherever available. Authors must also comply with any additional referencing requirements specified in the journal's manuscript preparation guidelines or communicated during editorial review and production.

08 Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

The Impact Journal is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, research ethics, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process. The journal expects authors, reviewers, and editors to adhere to internationally recognised principles of responsible research and scholarly publishing, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Required declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate approving committee, approval reference, consent or documented exemption, where applicable.

Consent for publication: address identifiable details, images and case material; obtain appropriate written consent.

Competing interests: declare financial, institutional, professional and other relevant relationships, or explicitly state none.

Funding: name funders, grant identifiers and any role in design, conduct, analysis, interpretation or publication.

Authors’ contributions: explain substantive roles; CRediT taxonomy may be used. All authors must approve the submitted version.

Data availability: provide repository, persistent identifier and conditions of access, or explain legitimate restrictions.

Acknowledgements and supplementary information: credit contributors who do not qualify for authorship and identify additional files.

Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

All manuscripts submitted to The Impact Journal must represent original scholarly work. Plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, and the unattributed use of another person's ideas, data, images, or intellectual contributions are unacceptable. Manuscripts must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal simultaneously. Authors must disclose related publications, preprints, and manuscripts that substantially overlap with the submitted work. The journal may use plagiarism-detection software and editorial assessment to identify potential overlap. Suspected cases will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature, extent, and context of the similarity. Confirmed misconduct may result in manuscript rejection or appropriate post-publication action.

Data Integrity and Research Misconduct

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, authenticity, and integrity of all research data, analyses, and reported findings. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation of results, misleading presentation of evidence, and inappropriate alteration of images or research data are strictly prohibited.

Any adjustments to research images, datasets, or analytical outputs must be scientifically justified, transparently reported, and must not misrepresent the original evidence. The journal may request supporting data, analytical documentation, or original images when necessary to verify research findings. Allegations of misconduct will be assessed fairly and confidentially, with appropriate opportunities for authors to respond.

Authorship and Contributor Responsibilities

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript. All listed authors must approve the final version, agree to its submission, and accept accountability for their respective contributions. Individuals who provide technical, administrative, financial, or other assistance without meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately. Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be accompanied by a written explanation and documented agreement from all affected authors. Authorship disputes should ordinarily be resolved by the relevant institutions, with the journal facilitating appropriate editorial procedures where necessary.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Transparency

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably influence, or be perceived to influence, the research or publication process. Authors must identify all funding sources, relevant grant numbers, and the role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions. Where no competing interests exist, authors must explicitly declare this. Failure to disclose relevant interests may result in editorial investigation and appropriate corrective action.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Research and Manuscript Preparation

The Impact Journal recognises that generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools may support scholarly activities, including language editing, manuscript drafting, data analysis, and the preparation of visual materials. Authors must transparently disclose material use of generative AI tools, specifying the tool used, its purpose, and the relevant stage of manuscript preparation or research. AI tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for scholarly work or meet authorship accountability requirements.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, appropriate attribution, confidentiality, and ethical acceptability of all submitted content, including material developed with AI assistance. The use of AI must not result in fabricated references, misleading findings, unauthorised disclosure of confidential information, or manipulated research evidence.

Ethical Approval, Informed Consent and Data Protection

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information, animals, or community-held knowledge must comply with applicable ethical, legal, institutional, and professional requirements. Where ethical approval is required, authors must provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board, approval reference number, and relevant consent procedures. Where approval was exempted or waived, the justification must be clearly stated.

Authors must protect participant privacy, maintain appropriate data confidentiality, and comply with applicable data protection obligations. Consent to participate in research does not automatically constitute consent to publish identifiable personal information, photographs, clinical images, or case descriptions. Specific consent for publication must be obtained where required. Research involving vulnerable populations must demonstrate appropriate safeguards, respect for participants, and culturally appropriate ethical procedures.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

The Impact Journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record.

Where errors are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction when the central findings remain reliable. An expression of concern may be published when serious questions regarding the integrity or reliability of an article remain unresolved.

Retraction may be considered where findings are unreliable because of major errors or misconduct, where publication is redundant, or where serious ethical violations undermine the validity or legitimacy of the work. All post-publication actions will be assessed according to the nature and severity of the concern, with reference to relevant COPE guidance. Published notices should be transparent, appropriately linked to the original article, and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Complaints, Appeals and Allegations of Misconduct

Authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders may raise concerns regarding editorial decisions, publication ethics, peer-review procedures, or suspected research misconduct. Complaints and appeals must be submitted in writing, accompanied by relevant evidence or a clear explanation of the concern. The journal will assess submissions fairly, confidentially, and without discrimination. Individuals directly involved in a disputed decision should not be solely responsible for determining the outcome of an appeal. Where appropriate, the journal may seek clarification from authors, reviewers, independent experts, or relevant institutions. Editorial decisions, investigations, and corrective actions will be documented. The journal will endeavour to resolve concerns in a timely and transparent manner while protecting confidentiality and procedural fairness.

Compliance with Publication Ethics Standards

By submitting a manuscript to The Impact Journal, authors confirm their commitment to responsible research and publication practices and agree to cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries concerning the integrity of their work. The journal may take proportionate editorial action where these standards are not met, including requesting clarification or correction, rejecting a manuscript, notifying relevant institutions, or issuing appropriate post-publication notices. The journal's publication ethics procedures will be informed by relevant COPE recommendations and applicable institutional, professional, and legal requirements.

09 Editorial assessment, peer review and revision

Submissions undergo administrative and editorial screening for fit, completeness, integrity and scientific or scholarly contribution. Manuscripts may be returned for correction or declined without external review. Review route depends on article category as shown in Section 02; expedited review does not waive scholarly standards.

Reviewers assess originality, methodological or analytical rigour, transparency, ethical compliance, clarity and relevance. Decisions may include acceptance, revision or rejection. Revised submissions should include a clean manuscript, a marked-up copy if requested and a point-by-point response identifying each change. Final editorial decisions remain with the journal.

Editorial confirmation required: peer-review anonymity model, standard response deadlines, appeals process, reviewer conflict rules and any publication timelines. No turnaround time is guaranteed in this guide.

10 Open Access, Copyright and Publication Fees

Open Access Policy

The Impact Journal (TIJ) is committed to promoting the accessibility, visibility and dissemination of high-quality scholarly research across its eight thematic areas.

The journal's applicable open-access conditions, including access to published articles and permitted uses of published content, are governed by its published open-access and licensing policies. Authors should review these conditions before submitting their manuscripts.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and that they hold the necessary rights to submit and publish the work. All authors must approve the submission and any applicable publication agreement.

Authors must obtain permission or demonstrate appropriate licensing for copyrighted materials reproduced or adapted from other sources, including figures, tables, photographs, illustrations and substantial extracts.

Copyright ownership, publication rights, permitted reuse and licensing conditions are determined by the journal's applicable copyright and publication agreements. The relevant terms will be made available to authors before publication.

Article Processing Charges and Publication Fees

Any applicable article processing charges (APCs), publication fees, waiver arrangements or other publication-related costs are subject to the journal's official fee policy.

Authors should consult the journal website or contact the Editorial Office for information about applicable charges before submission. Any fees must be communicated transparently in accordance with the journal's policies.

11 Required Submission Files and Upload Checklist

Authors should prepare the following files and supporting documents before beginning the online submission process. Each file should be uploaded under the appropriate category in the journal's submission system.

A cover letter and main manuscript are required for every new submission. Other files and supporting documents must be provided where applicable to the study design, article type and journal requirements.

Required Files

☐ 1. Cover Letter to the Editor-in-Chief

Submit a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief of The Impact Journal. The letter should include the manuscript title, article type, significance and originality of the work, and its contribution to the field.

Confirm that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal. Disclose any related publications, submissions or preprints. The corresponding author should submit the letter on behalf of all authors.

☐ 2. Main Manuscript (.docx)

Submit the manuscript in editable Microsoft Word format (.docx), using a single-column layout, 11–12-point font and 1.5 or double line spacing.

The manuscript should contain the title, abstract, 3–6 keywords, Key Findings where required, main text, references, relevant declarations, and tables and figure captions where applicable.

Organize the manuscript according to the selected article type and the appropriate structure for its thematic area, as described in the journal's manuscript preparation guidelines.

☐ 3. Title Page and Author Information

Provide the full names of all authors, institutional affiliations, corresponding author's email address and ORCID identifiers where available.

The title page may be included in the main manuscript or uploaded separately, depending on the editorial and peer-review requirements.

Additional Files and Documentation

☐ 4. Separate Tables (Where Applicable)

Include tables at appropriate positions in the main manuscript and upload editable versions separately. Number tables consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) and provide descriptive titles, explanatory footnotes and definitions of abbreviations where necessary. Tables must not be submitted solely as images.

☐ 5. Separate Figures (Where Applicable)

Include figures at appropriate positions in the main manuscript and upload high-quality versions individually, using clear file names such as Figure_1 and Figure_2.

Figures should preferably be provided in suitable vector formats or as high-resolution images of at least 300 dpi at final publication size. Figure legends should be included in the manuscript.

☐ 6. Reporting Guideline Checklist (Where Applicable)

Submit the relevant completed reporting checklist according to the study design, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, PRISMA-ScR, SPIRIT, CARE, COREQ or another recognized discipline-specific reporting standard.

Include any required flow diagrams or supporting reporting documentation.

☐ 7. Ethics and Consent Documentation (Where Applicable)

Clearly state the name of the approving ethics committee or review body, approval or reference number, and relevant informed-consent procedures in the manuscript.

Upload additional ethics approval or consent documentation only when specifically requested by the Editorial Office. Authors must protect participant confidentiality and avoid unnecessary disclosure of identifiable information.

☐ 8. Supporting Information (Where Applicable)

Submit relevant supplementary materials, including additional tables, figures, datasets, questionnaires, interview guides, study protocols, search strategies, analytical code, technical specifications or other supporting documentation.

Label supplementary items consistently, such as S1 Table, S1 Fig or S1 File, and refer to them in the main manuscript. Supporting Information should supplement rather than replace essential content.

☐ 9. Permissions for Reused Material (Where Applicable)

Provide evidence of permission or an appropriate licence for copyrighted material reproduced or adapted from previously published sources. All third-party material must be appropriately acknowledged.

☐ 10. Study or Review Registration (Where Applicable)

Provide the registry name, registration number and relevant link for registered clinical trials, systematic reviews, study protocols or other studies requiring registration.

☐ 11. Declarations and Disclosure Statements

Include applicable declarations concerning ethics approval, consent to participate, consent for publication, competing interests, funding, author contributions, data availability and the use of artificial intelligence tools.

Where a particular declaration does not apply, authors should follow the journal's instructions for indicating its non-applicability.

☐ 12. Author Approval and Submission Metadata

Confirm that all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript, agreed to the author order and authorized its submission.

Ensure that the manuscript title, abstract, keywords, author names, affiliations and corresponding-author information are consistent with the metadata entered into the online submission system.

Important: Incomplete submissions or missing required documents may result in the manuscript being returned to the corresponding author for correction before editorial assessment.

12 Before You Submit: Final Author Checklist

Before completing the online submission, authors should verify that their manuscript satisfies the following final quality, integrity and submission-readiness checks.

☐ Manuscript Compliance: The manuscript meets the journal's requirements for article type, word limit, abstract format, manuscript organization and the referencing style appropriate to its thematic area.

☐ Scholarly Quality: The research objectives, methodology or analytical approach, principal findings and contribution to knowledge are clearly and coherently presented.

☐ Accuracy and Consistency: Tables, figures, statistical results, citations, references and DOI links have been checked for accuracy, completeness and consistency.

☐ Research Integrity: The manuscript meets applicable ethical, consent, reporting, registration, transparency and disclosure requirements, including disclosure of related work, preprints and AI assistance where relevant.

☐ Authorship and Approval: All authors have approved the final manuscript, agreed on authorship and author order, and designated the corresponding author.

☐ Submission Readiness: All required files and supporting documents have been prepared, submission metadata are accurate, and the manuscript is ready for editorial assessment.

13 Submission Information and Editorial Correspondence

Online Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts submitted to The Impact Journal must be submitted electronically through the journal's official online submission system.

Authors must register or log in to their accounts, initiate a new submission, select the appropriate manuscript category, complete the required submission information and upload all relevant files.

Online Submission Portal: https://impact.uoh-edu.net/journal

Manuscripts submitted by email will not normally be considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

Submission Procedure

Authors should complete the following steps through the online submission system:

1. Register for an account or log in using existing credentials.
2. Select the appropriate journal section or manuscript category.
3. Review the submission requirements and complete the required declarations.
4. Upload the cover letter, main manuscript and applicable supporting files.
5. Enter the manuscript title, abstract, keywords, author details and other required metadata.
6. Review all uploaded files and submission information before confirming and completing the submission.

Authors should consult Section 11 for the required submission files and Section 12 for the final author checklist.

Initial Editorial Assessment

Following submission, manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their suitability for the journal, compliance with submission requirements, originality, research integrity and scholarly quality.

Manuscripts that meet the journal's initial requirements will proceed through the applicable editorial and peer-review process. Submissions that are incomplete, outside the journal's scope or insufficiently aligned with its requirements may be returned for correction or declined following editorial assessment.

Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

Manuscripts selected for peer review will be evaluated according to the journal's peer-review policies, taking into consideration scholarly originality, methodological or analytical rigor, clarity, significance and contribution to the relevant field.

Editorial decisions will be communicated to the corresponding author through the online submission system. Decisions may include acceptance, revision, rejection or other outcomes consistent with the journal's editorial policies.

Manuscript Revisions

Authors invited to revise their manuscripts should carefully address the comments provided by editors and reviewers.

Revised submissions should include an updated manuscript and a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed. Where a recommendation has not been incorporated, authors should provide a clear and reasoned explanation.

Revised manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system within the timeframe communicated by the Editorial Office. A request for additional time should be made before the revision deadline.

Editorial Correspondence

All correspondence concerning manuscript submissions, editorial assessment, peer review, revisions, publication decisions and other editorial matters should be directed to the Editorial Office of The Impact Journal.Editorial Email: editorinchief.impact@uoh.edu.so

Editorial Office: The Impact Journal (TIJ)

Authors should use the journal's online submission system for manuscript-specific communication wherever possible.

For technical difficulties or general editorial enquiries, authors may contact the Editorial Office through the official contact details published on the journal website.

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