Submission Guidelines

We welcome original, unpublished manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of knowledge, theory, and practice in the field of mindfulness and wellbeing in education. All submissions must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) Style, 7th edition, using in-text citations. Below are the detailed submission guidelines for authors.

1. Manuscript Requirements

• Length: 6,000–8,000 words (including references, tables, and appendices).

• Format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).

• Font & Spacing:

• Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.

• Double-space all content, including block quotations and references.

• 1-inch margins on all sides.

• Page Numbers: Include page numbers in the top right corner.

2. Title Page (Submitted as a Separate File)

Include the following:

• Full manuscript title (up to 15 words)

• Author name(s)

• Institutional affiliation(s)

• Corresponding author’s contact information (email and mailing address)

• A brief author bio (maximum 100 words per author)

Note: Do not include any identifying information in the main manuscript file to ensure blind peer review.

3. Abstract and Keywords

• Provide an abstract of 150–250 words.

• Include 4–5 keywords for indexing and search purposes. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic.

• Place the abstract on the first page of the main manuscript, following the title.

Note: Your article title, keywords, and abstract impact search engine results. For details on maximizing the number of people who see your work, visit How to help readers find your article online.

4. Manuscript Style and Structure

Follow APA 7th edition for:

• Headings and subheadings (use boldface for headings, no underlining).

• Citations and references (in-text citation format: Author, year).

• Tables and figures:

• Include each table/figure in the manuscript at the point of mention.

• Include a title and source note (if applicable) in APA format.

Artwork guidelines 
Illustrations, pictures and graphs, should be supplied in the highest quality and in an electronic format that helps us to publish your article in the best way possible. Please follow the guidelines below to enable us to prepare your artwork for the printed issue as well as the online version.

• Format: TIFF, JPEG: Common format for pictures (containing no text or graphs). 
  PNG: Preferred format for graphs and line art (retains quality when enlarging/zooming in). 

• Resolution: artwork require a resolution of at least 300 dpi 

• Color: Please note that images supplied in colour will be published in color online

Reporting Guidelines

·        Your manuscript should follow APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) for each type of method.

Bias-free language: Use inclusive, respectful, and bias-free language per APA guidelines.

5. References

• Begin on a new page at the end of the manuscript.

• Use hanging indent and alphabetical order.

• Format all entries in APA 7th edition style.

• Ensure all in-text citations have corresponding references and vice versa. Do not use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources.

6. Permissions

• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material (e.g., figures, tables, or lengthy quotes).

• Provide evidence of permissions upon submission.

7. Submission Process

• Complete the Submission Form and upload your manuscript.

• Include both the anonymized manuscript and the separate title page.

• All submissions will undergo peer review.

8. Ethical Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be original and not under review elsewhere.

• Disclose any conflicts of interest.

• For studies involving human participants, indicate IRB approval or equivalent ethical oversight. All papers reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved the study, or waived the requirement for approval, providing the full name and institution of the review committee in addition to the approval number. If applicable, please also include this information in the Methods section of your manuscript.

9. Post-Acceptance

• Authors of accepted articles may be asked to revise for clarity, formatting, and APA style compliance.

• Copyedited proofs will be sent for author approval before publication.

Contact Us

For queries regarding submission, please contact info@desitterpublications.com

de Sitter Publications and our editors are fully committed to ethical publication practice.

We act in accordance with the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and support the development, and practical application, of consistent ethical standards throughout the scholarly publishing community. 

de Sitter Publications

Research and Publishing Ethics Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

This policy outlines the ethical standards and responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and staff involved in the publication process at de Sitter Publications. It applies to all scholarly works submitted for consideration and is informed by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Our goal is to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability in all aspects of research dissemination.

2. Definitions

• Author: An individual who has made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, execution, or interpretation of the research.

• Editor: A person responsible for the evaluation, peer review, and decision-making regarding manuscripts.

• Reviewer: An independent expert invited to provide feedback on a manuscript’s quality, originality, and adherence to ethical standards.

• Misconduct: Actions that violate research and publishing ethics, including plagiarism, falsification, fabrication, and unethical authorship practices.

• COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics, whose guidelines inform this policy.

3. General Ethical Principles

• Integrity: Research must be conducted and reported honestly.

• Transparency: Conflicts of interest and funding sources must be disclosed.

• Respect: Human and animal research must comply with recognized ethical guidelines.

• Accountability: All parties are responsible for upholding these standards.

4. Policy Areas

4.1 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

4.1.1 Purpose and Scope
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, including generative language models, machine translation systems, image generators, and data analysis software, are increasingly available to researchers and authors. While such tools may support the research and publication process, their use must be carefully managed to uphold integrity, accountability, and transparency in scholarly communication.

4.1.2 Permissible Uses
AI tools may be employed by authors to support, but not replace, scholarly work. Acceptable uses include:

• Drafting assistance (e.g., grammar, style, or language refinement).

• Translation of non-English texts, provided that authors review and verify accuracy.

• Analytical support (e.g., data visualization, statistical modeling, or coding assistance), provided that human oversight and interpretation remain primary.

• Generating outlines, summaries, or other organizational scaffolding that authors subsequently develop and validate.

In all cases, the human author remains fully responsible for reviewing, editing, and ensuring the accuracy, originality, and ethical use of outputs derived from AI systems.

4.1.3 Prohibited Uses
The following uses of AI are not permitted:

• Listing AI systems as authors or co-authors. Authorship implies accountability, responsibility, and the ability to respond to critiques, which AI systems cannot fulfill.

• Submitting AI-generated manuscripts, figures, or datasets without substantial human contribution and oversight.

• Using AI-generated outputs without disclosure, or presenting such content as original human work.

• Relying on AI tools to make interpretive, conceptual, or ethical judgments, which must remain the role of human authors.

4.1.4 Disclosure Requirements
Authors are required to provide a clear disclosure statement within their manuscript whenever AI tools have been used. This statement must:

• Identify the specific AI tool(s) used, including developer, version, and access date.

• Describe the purpose and scope of use (e.g., “text refinement,” “data visualization support,” “translation of draft text”).

• Clarify how the authors reviewed, verified, and incorporated AI-assisted content.

This disclosure should appear in the Methods section (for research articles) or in the Acknowledgments section (for non-empirical work).

4.1.5 Citation and Referencing
Where relevant, AI tools must be formally cited in the reference list, following the publisher’s preferred citation style for software or datasets. For example (APA format):

• OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Aug 3 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/

4.1.6 Supplementary Materials
Where AI has contributed substantially to text generation, data analysis, or translation, authors may be asked to provide supplementary materials, including:

• The prompts used to generate outputs.

• The unedited outputs of the AI tool.
  This ensures transparency, reproducibility, and the ability of reviewers and readers to evaluate the reliability of AI contributions.

4.1.7 Accountability and Responsibility
Human authors retain full accountability for all content submitted for publication, regardless of whether AI tools were used in its production. Authors are responsible for:

• Fact-checking and verifying all AI-assisted content.

• Ensuring that AI contributions do not introduce plagiarism, bias, fabricated references, or other ethical breaches.

• Certifying, as part of the submission process, that AI use complies with this policy.

Failure to disclose AI use or misuse of AI systems may be treated as a breach of publishing ethics and could result in rejection, retraction, or other corrective action.

AI Disclosure Statements

Authors must provide a disclosure if Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools were used at any stage of manuscript preparation or analysis. The following examples are provided as templates and may be adapted to reflect the specific role of the AI tool in the research and writing process.

1. Language Editing or Grammar Support

“This manuscript benefited from the use of [Tool Name, Version, Developer] for grammar correction and language refinement. The authors reviewed and take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the text.”

2. Translation Assistance

“[Tool Name, Version, Developer] was used to translate draft material from [language] to [language]. All translations were subsequently reviewed and verified by the authors.”

3. Literature Summarization or Draft Support

“[Tool Name, Version, Developer] was employed to assist in summarizing relevant literature. The authors critically reviewed all AI-generated content and are responsible for the interpretation and integration of this material.”

4. Data Analysis or Coding Support

“The authors used [Tool Name, Version, Developer] to support data analysis (e.g., text mining, coding, statistical modeling). All results were verified and interpreted by the authors.”

5. General Statement for Mixed Uses

“The authors used [Tool Name, Version, Developer] for limited support in [e.g., text summarization, language editing, or data analysis]. The authors reviewed and validated all AI-assisted content and accept full responsibility for the final manuscript.”

Important Notes for Authors

• AI tools must not be credited as authors.

• Disclosure should appear in the Methods or Acknowledgments section of the manuscript.

• Authors remain fully accountable for verifying the accuracy, originality, and ethical use of any AI-assisted content.

• Editors may request the prompts or AI outputs as supplementary material to ensure transparency.

4.2 Animals in Research

• Research must comply with institutional and international animal welfare standards.

• Ethics approval must be documented.

• Authors must state efforts to minimize harm and justify the necessity of animal use.

4.3 Attribution

• Proper acknowledgment of sources is required.

• Use of copyrighted material requires written permission.

• All contributors must be recognized appropriately.

4.4 Authorship

• Authorship is limited to those with substantial intellectual contributions.

• All authors must approve the final manuscript.

• Practices such as ghost, guest, or honorary authorship are prohibited.

4.5 Citation Manipulation

• Citations must reflect genuine scholarly relevance.

• Excessive self-citation, coercion, or artificial citation inflation is unethical.

4.6 Clinical Trials

• Trials must be registered in a recognized public registry.

• Ethics approval and informed consent are mandatory.

• Reporting must comply with international standards (e.g., CONSORT).

4.7 Conflicts of Interest

• All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial or personal interests that may influence judgment.

• Disclosures must be included in publications.

4.8 Defamation and Libel

• Manuscripts must avoid unsubstantiated claims that could damage reputations.

4.9 Dignity at Work

• de Sitter Publications fosters a professional and respectful environment.

• Harassment, discrimination, or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

4.10 Editorial Independence

• Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit.

• Business or financial considerations will not compromise editorial integrity.

4.11 Fabricated or Falsified Data

• Misrepresentation of research data is strictly prohibited.

• Allegations of fabrication will be investigated and may result in retraction.

4.12 Grievance Procedure

• Authors, reviewers, or readers may submit complaints via [insert contact].

• Complaints will be reviewed promptly and fairly.

• Outcomes may include correction, retraction, or further investigation.

4.13 Historical Content

• Historical works may reflect outdated attitudes or terminology.

• Contextual commentary may be provided but original records will not be altered.

4.14 Image or Figure Manipulation

• Images may be adjusted for clarity but must not misrepresent results.

• Manipulated or fabricated visuals will lead to rejection or correction.

4.15 Informed Consent

• Human research requires documented informed consent.

• Authors must confirm participant understanding of risks, benefits, and purposes.

4.16 Jurisdictional Neutrality

• de Sitter Publications remains neutral in territorial or political disputes.

• Affiliations and place names are recorded according to author preference, unless misleading.

4.17 Plagiarism

• All submissions are screened for plagiarism.

• Unattributed use of text, images, or data will result in rejection or retraction.

4.18 Post-Publication Critiques

• Constructive critiques are welcome and subject to editorial review.

• Published corrections or responses will be linked to the original article.

4.19 Publication Charges

• Any publication or open access fees will be disclosed in advance.

• Waivers may be available to authors from under-resourced contexts.

4.20 Redundant Publication

• Authors may not publish substantially similar work in multiple outlets without disclosure.

• Duplicate submissions will be rejected.

4.21 Simultaneous Submissions

• Manuscripts must not be under consideration elsewhere at the time of submission.

• Authors must withdraw prior submissions before resubmitting.

4.22 Ethical Publishing and Research Integrity

• All parties must uphold ethical conduct throughout the process.

• Suspected misconduct will be investigated in line with COPE procedures.

• Outcomes may include correction, expression of concern, or retraction.

5. Procedures for Handling Misconduct

1. Initial Review: Allegations are assessed by the editor-in-chief.

2. Investigation: Evidence is gathered, and authors are invited to respond.

3. Resolution: Possible outcomes include correction, rejection, retraction, or referral to an institution.

4. Transparency: Outcomes will be documented and communicated clearly.

6. Review of Policy

This policy will be reviewed biennially by the Editorial Board to ensure continued alignment with COPE guidance and evolving best practices.

Effective Date: [9/9/2025]
Last Reviewed: [9/9/2025]
Approved By: Editorial Board, de Sitter Publications