Information For Authors

Interested in submitting to this journal? We recommend that you review the About the Journal page for the journal's section policies, as well as the Author Guidelines. Authors need to register with the journal prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply log in and begin the five-step process.

IJCSTS welcomes original, unpublished manuscripts covering computing sciences, information technology, and related areas of technology studies. The journal considers theoretical, empirical, methodological, and applied research across areas such as computer science, software engineering, information systems, information technology, data science, cybersecurity, computer networks, databases, human–computer interaction, cloud and distributed computing, emerging technologies, and related fields. Prospective authors should review the guidelines below before submitting.

Aims and Scope

IJCSTS is a computing and technology journal that publishes theoretical, empirical, methodological, applied, and review contributions making a clear, demonstrable contribution to computing knowledge, technological development, or practice. The journal particularly encourages research addressing challenges relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions, while welcoming submissions from authors worldwide regardless of nationality, institutional affiliation, or geographic focus.

Peer Review Process

All research and review articles undergo single-blind peer review. Submissions are first screened by the Editor-in-Chief or a handling editor for scope fit, originality, and adherence to author guidelines (desk review, typically 1–2 weeks). Manuscripts passing desk review are sent to a minimum of two independent subject-matter reviewers, who recommend Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Where reviews conflict, a third reviewer or the editor's independent judgment resolves the decision. The typical target for a first decision is 6–8 weeks from submission. Reviewer identity is withheld from authors.

Plagiarism and Text-Similarity Policy

Every manuscript is screened with a recognized plagiarism-detection tool (e.g., Turnitin or iThenticate) prior to review. A total text-similarity score of 25% or below (excluding the reference list and properly attributed quotations) is required for a manuscript to proceed to peer review.

Similarity ≤ 25%, no single source above 5%: proceeds to peer review.

Similarity 25–35%: returned to authors for mandatory revision and re-screening.

Similarity above 35%, or any verbatim unattributed reproduction: manuscript is rejected outright and may be referred for an ethics inquiry.

Self-plagiarism is assessed under the same thresholds. Post-publication findings of plagiarism are handled under the journal's Correction and Retraction Policy.

Generative AI Policy

Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot) may be used only to improve language, grammar, and readability, or to assist with code formatting — never to generate original scientific content, data, analysis, or conclusions. Any AI use must be disclosed in a "Declaration of Generative AI Use" section before the reference list. AI tools cannot be listed as authors and cannot be used to generate or alter images or figures. Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the entire manuscript.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship is limited to individuals who made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work; drafted or critically revised the manuscript; approved the final version; and agree to be accountable for it. Others who contributed materially should be named in the Acknowledgements. The corresponding author manages communication with the journal on behalf of all co-authors.

Research and Publication Ethics

Human-participant studies require ethics review board approval and informed consent.

Animal studies must confirm compliance with institutional/national guidelines.

All financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest must be disclosed.

Data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, and duplicate submission are treated as serious misconduct, investigated per COPE guidelines.

Correction and Retraction

Minor errors are addressed via a formal Corrigendum. Errors materially affecting a finding's validity, or confirmed misconduct, result in Retraction following COPE guidelines, with a notice linked to the original article.

Withdrawal Policy

Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript prior to publication must submit a written request to the Editorial Office, signed by all authors, stating the reason for withdrawal, as early as possible in the editorial process.

During screening or peer review: manuscripts may be withdrawn at the author's request, subject to acknowledgement by the Editorial Office.

After acceptance but before formal publication: considered only in exceptional circumstances and requires Editor-in-Chief approval.

After formal publication: withdrawal is not permitted; such cases are handled under the Retraction procedure above.

Authors who withdraw without valid justification after peer review has begun, or who submit the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal, may be barred from future submissions to IJCSTS.

Copyright and Open Access

IJCSTS is fully open access. Authors retain copyright and publish under a CC BY 4.0 license. Authors must confirm the work is original, unpublished elsewhere, and free of third-party copyright infringement.

Article Types Accepted

Original Research Articles

Review Articles (systematic or narrative)

Short Communications / Research Notes

Case Studies (professional/applied fields)

Perspectives

Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should generally follow the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion), together with a title and keywords:

Title Page: informative title, full author names and affiliations, and the corresponding author's email address.

Abstract: approximately 200–300 words covering purpose, methods, key findings, and conclusion.

Keywords: 4–6 keywords, listed immediately below the abstract, separated by commas.

Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, followed by a Conclusion.

Acknowledgements, Declaration of Generative AI Use (where applicable), and References follow the Conclusion.

For computing and technology research, the Methods section should provide sufficient information about datasets, software, algorithms, system architectures, experimental settings, implementation procedures, and evaluation methods, where applicable, to support assessment and reproducibility.

Review articles, short communications, case studies, and perspectives may adapt this structure to the nature of the contribution, but must retain a title, abstract, and keywords.

Formatting Guidelines

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the following formatting requirements:

Font style: Century Gothic, used consistently throughout the manuscript.

Font size: 12 pt for body text.

Line spacing: 1.5 lines throughout the manuscript.

Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.

Page size: A4, with pages numbered consecutively.

Text alignment: justified.

Manuscripts that do not conform to these requirements may be returned to authors for correction before peer review.

Reference Style

IJCSTS follows the IEEE reference style for in-text citations and the reference list.

In-text citations use numbered references in square brackets, e.g., [1] or [1], [2].

References are numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the manuscript.

The same reference retains the same number throughout the manuscript.

The reference list appears at the end of the manuscript in numerical order.

DOI information should be included where available.

Authors should follow the IEEE Editorial Style Manual and IEEE Reference Guide for guidance on specific source types.

Publication Frequency and Fees

IJCSTS publishes continuously, with articles compiled into quarterly issues. All articles submitted on or before December 31, 2027, will be eligible for a 100% waiver of Article Processing Charges (APCs). No fee is charged at submission or during review.

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online through the journal's OJS submission portal. Authors should ensure their manuscript, cover letter, and any required declarations (ethics approval, conflicts of interest, AI use) are complete before submission. For submission support or editorial queries, contact the Editorial Office.