Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to confirm that their submission complies with all of the following items. Submissions may be returned to authors if they do not adhere to these requirements.

All submissions must meet the following criteria:

• This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
• This submission has not been previously published, nor is it currently under consideration by another journal.
• All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
• All tables and figures have been correctly numbered, labeled, and cited in the text.
• Permission has been obtained to publish all photographs, datasets, and other third-party material included with this submission.
• A Conflict of Interest statement is included (even if stating “None”).
• A Data Availability Statement is included (even if stating “Not applicable”).
• A Funding statement is included (even if stating “No funding”).
• Ethics approval information is provided where applicable, in accordance with relevant institutional and national guidelines.
• All listed authors have approved the submission, and the authorship order is final.

4. Submission and Peer-Review Process

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts to this journal. All submissions are initially assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of the journal. Manuscripts considered suitable will be sent for peer review before a final decision on acceptance or rejection is made.

An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet the minimum standards of quality. Prior to submission, authors should ensure that:

• The study design is sound and clearly described
• The research argument is well structured and clearly articulated
• The title is concise and informative
• The abstract is complete and able to stand alone

Careful preparation at this stage increases the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the manuscript.