1. REGISTER: First-timers to the CDD Journal must register first by clicking here.

2. CREATE YOUR PROFILE: Once you have registered, complete your profile through the My Account page here. Log in to the website and click on the icon next to your login name to drop down the My Account link.

3. FORMAT YOUR MANUSCRIPT: Before submitting your manuscript, make sure to follow all formatting guidelines and requirements. See formatting guidelines below.

4. SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT: When you are ready to submit your manuscript, log in to the website and choose Submit Manuscript from the drop down list.

   • You will be asked to fill-in required information about your paper (see formatting guidelines and requirements).
   • Once you’ve accomplished the online form, you will be asked to declare any potential Conflict of Interest (COI). (For more information on COI, check out the Policies section.)
   • Finally, you will be asked to upload your files. It should be a zip file containing your manuscript (.doc and .pdf versions) and, if applicable, high resolution images used in your manuscript. 

Submission to the Journal is an online process. Please read the guidelines carefully and adhere to the prescribed formatting below.

 

I. GENERAL FORMAT

The Journal subscribes to the APA 6th edition format, particularly for headings, citations, and references. These are further detailed in the corresponding sections.

 

Word count

 

The maximum word count of 5,000 words excludes the title, abstract, highlights, keywords, and references. The following are included in the word count: figure captions, table titles, and table contents.

 

Line Numbers

 

Use continuous line numbers in the manuscript. It should start at the title and end on the last line of the references section.

 

Font and spacing

 

Use 12 pt. Times New Roman as the font size and style (including headings), and set the line spacing at 1.0 pt.

 

Headings

 

Submissions should adopt the following heading formats to subdivide the sections of the paper:

Level 1 – Centered, bold, title case

Level 2 – Left flush, bold, title case

Level 3 – Left flush, bold, italicized, title case

Level 4 – In text with period, bold, sentence case

Level 5 – in text with period, bold, italicized, sentence case

Example:

Level 1 Heading

Level 2  Sub-Heading

Level 3  Sub-Heading

Level 4 sub-heading. Lorem ipsum dolor sit met, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.

Level 5 sub-heading. Lorem ipsum dolor sit met, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.

 

II. MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE

Preliminaries

Title

Be concise and informative. The title is often used in information-retrieval systems and should be no more than 25 words in length.  Using abbreviations or words that serve no purpose is discouraged. Should you have a subtitle, place it directly below the main title, italicized and centered. Use APA style format.

Author

Do not include the name and details of the authors in the manuscript. The uploaded manuscript will be directly accessed for double-blind peer review.

Abstract

The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions, and must be able to stand alone. This should not exceed 200 words. References should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

Highlights

Highlights are mandatory for this journal with a maximum of 100 word count to be used in 3-5 bullet points. It should concisely highlight the core findings, significance of the study, results, and major implications.

Keywords

Provide a maximum of 6 keywords using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations; only those firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.

 

Main Body

Introduction

State the objectives and provide an adequate background while avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.

Materials and methods

Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced.  Methods already published should be indicated by a reference.  Only relevant modifications should be described.

Results

Results should be clear and concise.

Discussion

This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Conclusions

The main conclusions of the study must be presented in a short Conclusions section, which may stand alone.

Acknowledgements

Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references rather than on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. List individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, funding, etc.).

References

Reference formatting

Referencing must follow the APA format. Refer to this link to learn more about the APA style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/

Citation in text

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text.

Reference links

When copying references, please be careful as they may contain errors. Use of the DOI is encouraged. Please use this format for DOI: https://doi.org/10.________. 

Supporting Elements

Math formulae

Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in line with normal text where possible. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics.

When using formulae with exponential notation, use “exp” followed by the numerical value.  

When displaying equations consecutively separate from the text, number them consecutively.

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the manuscript. Many word processors build footnotes into the text, using this feature is highly encouraged.

Figures and other Graphic Elements

Place all proportionately-sized figures next to the relevant text in the manuscript. Colored illustrations are preferred and are to be numbered according to their sequence in the text. A separate folder for all figures (i.e. graphs, charts, images, etc.) should also be provided (may be compressed into a zipped file).

Formats

EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as 'graphics'.

TIFF (or JPG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi and make sure that gradients, textures and patterns are distinguishable enough even for printing (test print your figures as a way of checking).

TIFF (or JPG): Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.

TIFF (or JPG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.

Figure captions

Ensure that each figure has a caption placed right under. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.Use Times New Roman, 12pt, single spacing for all figure titles and captions. Citations used in caption should be filed under references.

Tables

Please submit tables as editable text (in a separate file as indicated above) and not as images. Tables should be placed next to the relevant text in the manuscript. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Please avoid using vertical rules. General font and spacing also applies in the table format. Only use horizontal border for the table. Citations used in table titles should also be filed under references.

Unit of Measurement

The CDDJ uses the SI unit as the unit of measurement for the whole publication. Refer to this link for more information on the SI unit of measurement: http://www.bipm.org/en/measurement-units/

Submit two versions of the document (one PDF file and one .doc or .docx). Include figures in one zip file with maximum size of 5mb.

Note: Please consider the general public at all times when writing the manuscript. Kindly laymanize your writing styles as much as possible.

• For regular issues (original research), download here. [Updated as of March 3, 2017]
• For special issues (original research), download here. [Updated as of March 6, 2017]
• For perspective articles, download here. [Updated as of March 6, 2017]