Author Guidelines

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submit Your Paper Overview Author Guideliness Editorial Team Indexing and Metrics Reviewers Call for Paper and News

Before you start

For queries relating to the status of your paper pre-decision, please contact the Editor or Journal Editorial Office. For queries post-acceptance, please contact the Supplier Project Manager. These details can be found in the Editorial Team section.

Author responsibilities

Our goal is to provide you with a professional and courteous experience at each stage of the review and publication process. There are also responsibilities that sit with you as the author. Our expectation is that you will:

  • Respond swiftly to any queries during the publication process.

  • Be accountable for all aspects of your work, including investigating and resolving any questions about accuracy or research integrity.

  • Treat communications between you and the journal editor as confidential until an editorial decision has been made.

Research ethics for authorship

  • Include anyone who has made a substantial and meaningful contribution to the submission (anyone else involved in the paper should be listed in the acknowledgements).

  • Exclude anyone who hasn’t contributed to the paper, or who has chosen not to be associated with the research.

In accordance with COPE’s position statement on AI tools, Large Language Models cannot be credited with authorship as they are incapable of conceptualising a research design without human direction and cannot be accountable for the integrity, originality, and validity of the published work. The author(s) must describe the content created or modified as well as appropriately cite the name and version of the AI tool used; any additional works drawn on by the AI tool should also be appropriately cited and referenced. Standard tools that are used to improve spelling and grammar are not included within the parameters of this guidance. The Editor and Publisher reserve the right to determine whether the use of an AI tool is permissible.

If your article involves human participants, you must ensure you have considered whether or not you require ethical approval for your research, and include this information as part of your submission. Find out more about informed consent.

Bright's Policy on AI Usage

Bright’s overarching principles of AI usage:

  1. Authors and peer reviewers are responsible and accountable for the accuracy and integrity of their work.

  2. AI tools and technology must be used responsibly and transparently.

  3. AI tools and technology should not replace human involvement in the publication process but instead supplement it.

Copywriting (creating, drafting, or writing) any part of a submission using generative AI tools and technology to generate new material is not permitted.

Copy-editing (correcting, editing, formatting, modifying, or refining) all or part of an author’s own original existing work using generative AI tools and technology to improve its structure and the clarity of the language and grammar is permitted, ensuring users adhere to the overarching principles above.

Bright’s full policy, including examples of use cases, can be found on our Publishing Ethics page.

Research and publishing ethics

Our editors and employees work hard to ensure the content we publish is ethically sound. We follow the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and flowcharts.

Key points include:

  • Manuscripts must be original and not published before in the same or similar form. Exceptions (pre-prints, conference papers) are outlined in pre-print and conference policies. Substantial prior publication must be declared upon submission. Crossref Similarity Check may be used.

  • Your work should not be under consideration elsewhere.

  • Conflicts of interest must be declared upon submission.

  • By submitting, you guarantee your work does not infringe existing copyright.

  • If writing about a company/individual/organisation in detail with non-public information, or featuring named/interviewed employees, obtain permission using the consent to publish form (see permissions guidance). Consent must be given by the named individual (or representative), a board member, or HR representative.

  • Ensure adherence to national/international research ethics guidelines and disciplinary standards. For research involving human participants, obtain informed consent and state: why the research was conducted, anonymity, data storage/use, and risks. Confirm informed consent in the submission.

  • Provide an ethical statement where appropriate, including: name and location of the reviewing committee/board, approval number, date of approval, and guidelines followed, plus consent details. Ensure anonymity is not compromised. Submissions lacking required statements/consent may be returned or rejected.

Third party copyright permissions

Before submission, secure written permission to use third-party material. We cannot publish articles with permissions pending. Required rights:

  • Non-exclusive rights to reproduce the material in the article or book chapter.

  • Print and electronic rights.

  • Worldwide English-language rights.

  • Rights for the life of the work (no time restrictions).

We are members of STM and participate in STM permissions guidelines (reciprocal free exchange in some cases). If permission is not needed under STM, highlight this at submission. See the publishing permissions guide for details.

Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines

As a signatory, we encourage you to:

  • Cite and fully reference all data, program code, and methods.

  • Include persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs) for datasets and code.

  • Follow data protection, privacy, and ethical procedures when citing data.

Prepare your submission

Manuscript requirements

Format Article files in Microsoft Word. PDF may be submitted alongside Word but not alone. LaTeX acceptable if accompanied by a PDF. Acceptable figure formats listed below.
Article length / word count Between 3,000 and 11,000 words including all text (abstract, references, table/figure text, appendices). Allow ~250 words for each figure or table.
Article title Provide a concise title.
Author details List all contributing authors in ScholarOne in publication order. Each author needs an account with email (institutional preferred), full name, and affiliation (at time of research). List only significant contributors as authors; others in acknowledgements.
Biographies & acknowledgements Optional. Upload as a separate Word file. Bios max 100 words per author.
Research funding Reference all external funding in acknowledgements and describe the funder’s role.
Structured abstract Include: Purpose; Design/methodology/approach; Findings; Originality. Optional: Research limitations/implications; Practical implications; Social implications. Max 250 words including keywords and classification.
Keywords Up to 12 short, appropriate keywords. Editorial team may align terms for consistency and visibility.
Article classification

Paper types include: Applied Research Paper; Theoretical Paper; Book Review.

Categories include (choose best fit): Research paper; Viewpoint; Technical paper; Conceptual paper; Case study; Literature review; General review.
Headings Concise, with clear hierarchy (first level bold, subsequent levels italic).
Notes/endnotes Use only if necessary. Number consecutively in square brackets; list and explain at the end.
Figures
  • Submit electronically; colour or B&W accepted. Highest possible resolution.
  • Accepted formats: .ai, .eps, .jpeg, .bmp, .tif.
  • Figures from other apps: supply in original format and paste into a blank Word doc or submit as PDF.
  • Number consecutively (Arabic numerals) with clear captions.
  • Photographs numbered as Plate 1, 2, 3, etc., with captions.
  • Captions must include credit/acknowledgement/attribution; acknowledge if owned by author(s).
Tables Type and submit in a separate file. Mark table positions in the main text. Number tables in Roman numerals (I, II, III...). Title each table. Use superscripts/asterisks with footnotes as needed.

References

Use a recognised IEEE style. Bright's IEEE style notes:

  • Single author: [1]

  • Two authors: [1], [2]

  • Three or more authors: [1]–[3]

  • Use p.(n) or pp.(n–m) for page references; write page ranges in full (e.g., pp. 175–179).

  • After a colon or dash in a title, the following letter is lower case.

  • Use “Ed.s” for multiple editors.

  • Provide a numbered reference list in the order of citation; include DOI where available.

Formatting examples:

  • Books:
    [1] R. Harrow, No Place to Hide. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

  • Book chapters:
    [2] F. A. Calabrese, “The early pathways: theory to practice – a continuum,” in Creating the Discipline of Knowledge Management, M. Stankosky, Ed. New York, NY: Elsevier, 2005, pp. 15–20.

  • Journals:
    [3] M. T. Capizzi and R. Ferguson, “Loyalty trends for the twenty-first century,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 72–80, 2005.

  • Conference proceedings (published):
    [4] S. Wilde and C. Cox, “Principal factors contributing to the competitiveness of tourism destinations at varying stages of development,” in Proc. CAUTHE 2008, Griffith Univ., Gold Coast, Qld, Australia, pp. 115–118, 2008.

  • Conference papers (unpublished):
    [5] D. Aumueller, “Semantic authoring and retrieval within a wiki,” presented at the Eur. Semantic Web Conf., Heraklion, Crete, May–Jun. 2005. [Online]. Available: http://dbs.uni-leipzig.de/file/aumueller05wiksar.pdf (accessed Feb. 20, 2007).

  • Working papers:
    [6] P. Moizer, “How published academic research can inform policy decisions: the case of mandatory rotation of audit appointments,” working paper, Leeds Univ. Business School, Univ. of Leeds, Leeds, U.K., Mar. 2003.

  • Encyclopaedia entries:
    [7] Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Psychology of culture contact,” vol. 1, 13th ed., London and New York, NY, pp. 765–771, 1926.

  • Newspaper articles:
    [8] A. Smith, “Money for old rope,” Daily News, Jan. 21, 2008, pp. 1, 3–4.

  • Archival/unpublished sources:
    [9] S. Litman, “Mechanism & Technique of Commerce,” unpublished manuscript, Simon Litman Papers, Record Series 9/5/29 Box 3, Univ. of Illinois Archives, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

  • Electronic sources:
    [10] S. Weida and K. Stolley, “Developing strong thesis statements,” [Online]. Available: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/1/ (accessed Jun. 20, 2018).

  • Data:
    [11] A. Campbell and R. L. Kahn, American National Election Study, 1948, ICPSR07218-v4, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07218.v4 (accessed Jun. 20, 2018).

Formatting examples

  • Books: Surname, initials (year), title of book, publisher, place.

  • Book chapters: Surname, initials (year), “chapter title”, editor (Ed.), title, publisher, place, pages.

  • Journals: Surname, initials (year), “article title”, journal, volume issue, pages.

  • Conference proceedings (published/unpublished): Include editors, venue, publisher, pages, or URL and access date as appropriate.

  • Working papers, encyclopaedia entries, newspapers, archives: Provide full details per type.

  • Electronic sources: Include persistent URL and access date.

  • Data: Surname, initials (year), title of dataset, repository, persistent URL, access date.

Submit your manuscript

Double check your manuscript

  • Confirm fit with the journal’s aims and scope.

  • Comply with research and publishing ethics.

  • Clear all required permissions.

  • Follow all formatting requirements.

  • Ensure anonymity for double anonymous peer review:

    • Refer to your own prior work as “previous research has demonstrated”, not “our previous research has demonstrated”.

    • Do not cite your unpublished work in the references.

    • Upload acknowledgements and biographies as separate files.

    • Remove author names from the manuscript and from figures/captions.

See Think.Check.Submit for a helpful submission checklist.

The submission process

  • Submit via the journal’s Bright Journal System site (accessed from the Bright website) by the corresponding author only.

  • Do not submit by email or through third-party agents.

  • Create a separate author account for each journal (or reuse existing Bright login).

  • Add your ORCiD ID during submission.

  • Visit the ScholarOne support centre for help.

What you can expect next

After submission you will receive an automated confirmation email with a manuscript number. If you suspect fraud, contact the journal editor.

Post submission

Review and decision process

  • Initial editorial check for scope/quality; the editor may decline or unsubmit.

  • Suitable submissions are sent to at least two independent referees for double anonymous peer review.

  • Decisions: accept, minor revision, major revision, or decline.

  • Article transfer service may be offered if declined; transfer includes accounts, manuscript, and reviewer reports. You must complete resubmission in the receiving journal’s system.

  • Target: first decision within 60 days (varies by journal). You will receive automated status updates, or you can log in to check status.

Manuscript transfer service

If participating, editors may recommend transfer to a better-fit Bright journal. If you accept, your paper and reviewer reports are transferred automatically; you confirm resubmission in the new journal’s ScholarOne.

If your submission is accepted

Copyright

Accepted authors receive a link to a licence form. Check accuracy and return electronically. If you cannot assign copyright, discuss with the content editor (contact details in the Editorial Team section).

Proofing and typesetting

  • After licence receipt, the article enters production (checks, copyediting, typesetting).

  • Proofs are sent to the corresponding author to correct typographical/grammatical errors or author details. Rewriting is not accepted at this stage.

  • Finalised page proofs are published online as the Version of Record (EarlyCite) with DOI and full citability; later assigned to an issue.

How to share your paper

See the author rights page for reuse and sharing guidance. For visibility tips, see how to promote your work.

Correcting inaccuracies

Errors may result in withdrawal or a correction notice. See article withdrawal and correction policies.

Need to change the author list? See the FAQs below.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a submission fee for the journal? The only fee is the APC for gold open access, payable after acceptance (unless sponsored). Never at submission. If you receive a payment request not matching this, contact support@mbicore.com. Read about APCs.
How can I become a reviewer? Contact the journal editor with your CV (see the Editorial Team tab for contact details).
Which volume/issue will my accepted paper appear in? Papers are typically added by date of publication. To inquire, contact the content editor (see Editorial Team tab). You will be notified by email when assigned.
Who do I contact about my submission? Email the journal editor (contact details on the Editorial Team tab). If you suspect a fraudulent email, verify with the content editor.
Is my paper suitable for the journal? If still unsure after reading aims and scope, email the editor with your title and structured abstract.
How do I change the author list after submission? Authorship and order should be agreed before submission. We operate a right-first-time policy; no changes once submitted. If you made an error, email the Journal Editorial Office (see Editorial Team tab).

Note: External resources mentioned above include: 
COPE guidelines, Crossref Similarity Check, ORCiD, ScholarOne, Editage, Think.Check.Submit, Bright Publishing Ethics and Open Research pages, and repositories such as commons.datacite.org and re3data.org.