Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to submit original research articles, review papers, or short communications to Afaaq Research for Urban Studies (Afaaq RUS).
All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening to determine their relevance to the journal’s aims and scope. Suitable manuscripts will be sent for double-blind peer review by at least two independent experts before a final decision is made.

1- General Requirements

• All submissions must be original and unpublished. The work must not be under consideration by another journal or publisher.

• Authors are responsible for securing permission to reproduce any copyrighted materials (e.g., photos, maps, figures, or datasets).

• All authors must consent to be listed on the submission and must have made a significant contribution to the work.

• Research involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive data must have received approval from the relevant ethics committee in accordance with national and institutional guidelines.

• The editorial team reserves the right to desk reject submissions that do not meet the journal’s quality or ethical standards.

2- Manuscript Preparation

Use the Microsoft Word Template

General Considerations

• Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English. Where needed, authors are encouraged to have their work professionally edited before submission.

• File Format: Submit your manuscript in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.

• Font and Layout: Use assigned style in ARUS template mentioned above.

• Length: Articles should generally range between 5,000–8,000 words, including references, tables, and figures.

• Structure:

  1. Title Page (separate file, with author names and affiliations)

  2. Abstract (Limited to 250 words)

  3. Keywords (At least 5 words)

  4. Introduction

  5. Literature Review

  6. Methodology

  7. Results and Discussion

  8. Conclusion and Recommendations

  9. Acknowledgments (if any)

  10. References

3- Referencing and Citation Style

• Afaaq RUS follows the APA 7th Edition referencing style.

• In-text citations should include the author’s last name and year (e.g., Hegazy, 2024).

• The reference list should be arranged alphabetically at the end of the manuscript.

• All URLs and DOIs must be active and properly formatted.

4- Figures and Tables

• Figures and tables must be numbered sequentially and clearly titled.

• All visuals should be of high resolution (minimum 300 DPI) and embedded in the text where first cited.

• Each figure and table must include a source or caption.

5- Ethical Considerations

• Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest or funding sources.

• Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited. All submissions are checked using plagiarism detection software.

• Authors should ensure data transparency and, where applicable, share supplementary data to support reproducibility.

6- Review Process

• Submissions undergo double-blind peer review.

• Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise and academic standing.

• Authors may be asked to revise and resubmit their manuscripts based on reviewer comments.

• The editorial decision (accept, revise, or reject) will be communicated promptly after review completion.

7- Copyright and Licensing

• Authors retain full copyright of their work.

• Published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.

• This allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.