Author Guidelines

Authorship

Authorship confers credit and has important academic, social, and financial implications. Authorship also implies responsibility and accountability for published work. An author is defined as someone who has made significant contributions to the manuscript, understands and accepts their role and responsibility, and is accountable for the published research.

The journal’s definition of authorship is based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

  2. Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND

  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND

  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who meet all four criteria are identified as authors. Furthermore, the specific responsibilities of co-authors regarding the work must be clearly stated. For details on how to indicate these responsibilities in the article, please refer to the "Author Contributions" section.

Large Group/Consortium Authorship:

If the article is prepared by a large group or consortium, all members must meet the four criteria above. The corresponding author(s) must clearly list the group name and its members on the title page.

Non-Author Contributors and Other Declarations:

Please review the "Author Information" section for identifying non-author contributors, authors with equal contribution, the corresponding author, and other acknowledgments.

Non-Author Contributors

Contributors who do not meet all of the above criteria should not be listed as authors. However, those who meet at least one criterion should be identified as non-author contributors, and their contributions should be specified in the "Acknowledgments" section on the Title Page. For detailed information on non-author contributions, please refer to the ICMJE Guidelines.

Examples of Non-Author Contributions:

  • Project support,

  • General supervision,

  • Funding acquisition,

  • Technical editing,

  • Language editing and proofreading.

These contributions must be clearly stated on the title page during manuscript submission.

Equal Contribution

In multi-authored papers, authors with equal contribution and authorship status must be clearly defined:

  • Equal Contribution: Authors have contributed equally to the research.

  • First Authorship: Authors share first authorship status.

  • Equal Contribution and First Authorship: Authors have both contributed equally and share first authorship.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is the individual who handles all correspondence with the journal from submission to publication, coordinates the process, and manages communication on behalf of all authors. The responsibilities of the corresponding author are:

  1. Administrative Requirements:

    • Providing authorship details, contact information, ethical committee approval, and other required documents.

  2. Communication:

    • Managing all correspondence with the journal (revision requests, corrections, etc.).

    • Making decisions on behalf of all authors and keeping them informed.

Important Note:

  • Equal contribution or shared first authorship status must be indicated on the Title Page during submission.

  • The corresponding author's contact information (email) will be visible to readers upon publication.1

     

Article Types2

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of the Music Research Association (JOMRA) must be original works that have not been previously published and are not currently under review by a3nother journal.4

It is recommended that the manuscript follows the relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines depending on the study type.5

Authors m6ust adhere to the criteria specified in the table below when selecting the article type.

Article Type Abstract Structure Abstract Word Limit Main Text Structure Main Text Word Limit* Table/Figure Limit
Research Article Structured (Introduction, Method, Results, Conclusion) 350 Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion 5500 10**
Review Article Unstructured 350 Introduction, Literature Review and Thematic Analysis, Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations 6500 10**

*Applies only to the main text. Excludes title page, abstract, keywords, tables, footnotes, figure legends, and references.

**For more than 10, please contact the editor at editor@jomra.org.

Research Article

Research articles should present original findings that contribute to the scientific development of the subject areas specified in the journal's Focus and Scope section. These articles must be submitted with a structured abstract (300-350 words). The structured abstract should consist of Introduction, Method, Results, and Conclusion headings. Keywords (minimum 3, maximum 7) should be added after the abstract.

The main sections of the article should be structured as follows (max 5500 words):

  1. Introduction:

    • Define the study's place in the existing literature.

    • Clearly state the aim and importance of the study.

  2. Materials and Methods:

    • Describe the methodology, study setting (institution name must be blinded for peer review), participants/sample (number and type), method or experimental protocol applied, main variables/outcomes studied, and type of analysis used (statistical, qualitative, quantitative, etc.).

    • Ethical committee approval (for studies requiring it) must be stated in this section, but the name of the ethics committee must be blinded for peer review.

    • For studies requiring informed consent, it must be clearly stated in this section whether consent was obtained.

  3. Results:

    • Present the findings of the study and, if appropriate, statistical significance.

  4. Discussion:

    • Discuss the meaning and importance of the findings.

    • Evaluate the relationship of the findings with previously published studies.

    • State the limitations of the study and emphasize the significance of the findings.

The manuscript text should include: Title, Abstract (Turkish/English), Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusion and Discussion, References, Figures, Tables, and Appendices (if necessary).

Review Article

Review articles should present a comprehensive and critical synthesis of existing literature regarding the subject areas specified in the journal's Focus and Scope section. These articles should summarize the accumulation of knowledge in the field, analyze discussions, and propose perspectives for future research. Reviews should not merely be summaries of existing studies but must contain a critical perspective and new interpretations.

The abstract should be between 300-350 words and summarize the purpose, scope, main findings, and conclusions of the study. Keywords (minimum 3, maximum 7) should be added after the abstract.

Reviews should be structured as follows (max 6500 words):

  1. Introduction:

    • State the importance of the subject, the gap in the literature, and the aim and significance of the review.

  2. Literature Review and Thematic Analysis:

    • Outline the literature selection criteria (e.g., databases included, keywords, time range).

    • Organize themes or subheadings in a logical flow (chronological, thematic, or methodological groupings).

  3. Discussion:

    • Evaluate contradictions, methodological limitations, and emerging trends in the literature with a critical approach.

  4. Conclusion and Recommendations:

    • Summarize the main takeaways of the synthesis and present a roadmap for future studies.

  5. References, Tables, Figures, and Appendices:

    • References: Maximum 80 references (primarily studies from the last 10 years are recommended, but seminal works in the field should be included).

    • Table/Figure: Maximum 10 tables or figures (flexibility may be provided for visual data synthesis).

    • Appendices: Supplementary material (datasets, detailed methodological explanations, etc.) can be added if necessary.

The manuscript text should include: Title, Abstract (Turkish/English), Keywords, Introduction, Literature Review and Thematic Analysis, Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations, References, Figures, Tables, and Appendices (if necessary).

Manuscript Preparation and Formatting Guidelines

Before submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors are strongly advised to carefully review the Manuscript Preparation and Formatting Guidelines.

Manuscripts must be submitted by the corresponding author via the journal's online submission system.

Manuscripts must comply with the following format requirements.

All submissions must include the following documents:

  • Title Page: Title, short title, author information (see below), name, address, and phone number of the corresponding author, word count, number of figures and tables, and the following declarations: conflict of interest, ethics committee approval (if required), author contributions, acknowledgments (if required), funding, previously published abstract, preprint, etc. (if any). [Download Title Page Template]

  • Main Manuscript (Main Document, Word format 2003 or later): All author names and affiliations MUST BE EXCLUDED. The names of the study center and ethics committee MUST BE BLINDED. It should include the abstract and keywords (for required article types), manuscript text (structured according to the table above depending on article type), references, tables, and figures.

  • Figures (if necessary – must be both embedded in the Manuscript Text and uploaded separately).

  • Appendix and supplementary material (if necessary).

Page Format

  • A4 Portrait, Margins (Normal) (top, bottom, left, right 2.5 cm).

  • Microsoft Office Word document or Rich Text Format.

  • Each section should start on a new page.

  • Manuscript numbering should start from the first page.

  • Page numbers should be written at the bottom center of the page.

  • All headings and titles should be bold.

  • All figures and tables must be embedded in the text. Each figure and table must be cited within the text.

Font

Manuscripts should be written using Times New Roman font, 12 points, and double line spacing throughout the text (including abstracts, footnotes, and references).

Author Information

Authors must be declared on the system and the title page during submission. Authors are responsible for the correct declaration of their names. Full and correct names of authors must be listed together on the submission title page, separated by commas.

The following information must be matched with the authors' names and included on the title page FOR EACH AUTHOR:

  • Full name of the author

  • Affiliation (in the exact order below and as available): University, Institute or Faculty, Department, City, Country

  • Email addresses

  • ORCiD

Example:

Jane Doe1*, John Smith2, Ayşe Yılmaz1, Ahmet Yılmaz3

Affiliation

  1. University, Institute or Faculty, Department, City, Country

  2. ...

  3. ...

    Email (in order of authors)

  4. jane@edu.tr

  5. ...

    ORCiD (in order of authors)

  6. https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000

  7. ...

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author must be marked with an asterisk (*) in the author list.

Equal Contribution

  • Authors contributing equally should be marked with the symbol (@).

  • Authors sharing first authorship should be marked with the symbol (#).

  • Authors contributing equally to the research and sharing first authorship should be marked with the symbol (+).

Please use the appropriate standard statement(s) to indicate equal contributions:

  • For (Ɛ): Authors contributed equally to the research.

  • For (Ω): Authors share first authorship.

  • For (±): Authors contributed equally to the research and share first authorship.

Example: Jane Doe1,+, John Doe2,+, Janet Smith3,@, Jonathan Smith1,*,@

Manuscript Sections

It is recommended that your manuscripts be divided into the sections detailed below. However, titles and subtitles may vary depending on the subject area, article type, and the research itself.

Title Page

The title page must include the following information and sections:

[Download Title Page Template]

  1. Title

  2. Short running title (maximum 70 characters, including spaces)

  3. Article type

  4. Author information (See "Author Information" section for formatting requirements.)

  5. Contact information of the corresponding author

  6. Number of figures and tables

  7. Author contributions

  8. Ethics committee approval (if applicable)

  9. Conflict of interest

  10. Funding

  11. Previous presentation or publication statement (if any)

  12. Acknowledgments (if any)

  13. Generative AI Declaration (if any)

Main Text

The anonymized blinded manuscript for a research article should include the following sections: (Structures for other article types should be as described above.)

  1. Title

  2. Abstract (Turkish)

  3. Keywords (Turkish)

  4. English Title

  5. Abstract (English)

  6. Keywords (English)

  7. Introduction

  8. Materials and Methods

  9. Results

  10. Conclusion and Discussion

  11. References

  12. Figures and Tables

  13. Appendices (if any)

Title

The title of the study should clearly reflect the content and be concise. Titles should not exceed two lines and should be in lowercase except for proper nouns. Titles should not contain abbreviations or acronyms.

Additionally, a short running title of up to 70 characters (including spaces) must be provided, which will appear at the top of each page of the published article.

Abstract

Abstracts should briefly and clearly contain the aim, scope, method, main findings, and results of the study. Abstracts should not contain non-standard abbreviations. Abstracts longer than 350 words are not accepted.

Keywords

Keywords increase the discoverability of articles. Authors should select 3-7 keywords reflecting the scope of the article.

Example: Keywords: conflict resolution, ingroup favoritism, social identity.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments should be directed to individuals or institutions that made a limited or minimal contribution to the study. Acknowledgments, if given, should be included as a brief statement on the title page.

Author Contributions

Author contributions must be explained on the title page as in the example. Author initials should follow the templates below:

Example (for original article and case report): Study design and conceptualization: XX, YY; data collection: YY; analysis and interpretation of results: XX, YY, ZZ; drafting of the manuscript: YY, ZZ. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Example (for review): Review design and conceptualization: AU; literature review: AU; drafting of the manuscript: AU. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Information regarding authorship contributions must be included on the title page when the article is submitted to the journal. As stated above, the authorship contribution statement must comply with the ICMJE recommendations for authorship criteria.

Ethics Committee Approval

Studies requiring ethics committee approval must include a statement regarding Ethics Committee Approval in the methods section of the manuscript text and on the title page.

In the Methods section (manuscript text), any identifying information regarding ethics committee approval must be anonymized prior to submission (e.g., The study was approved by the XXX Ethics Committee).

The Title Page must include the name of the ethics committee, the date, and the number of the ethics committee approval (e.g., The study was approved by the Hacettepe University Ethics Committee (date: 01.01.2024, number: 2024-01). For case reports and studies requiring informed consent, it must also be stated here whether informed consent was obtained.

Do not submit a copy of the ethics committee approval.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must declare any potential conflict of interest on the title page. A conflict of interest may exist when authors (or their employers, sponsors, or family/friends) have a financial, commercial, legal, or professional connection with other organizations or people working with them that could influence the research or the interpretation of the results. Therefore, authors must declare any financial, commercial, legal, or professional competing interests on the title page. If there is no conflict of interest, authors must declare this on the title page using the following standard statement:

“The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest to disclose.”

For more information on publication ethics policies and conflicts of interest, please refer to the "Research and Publication Ethics" section.

Funding

Authors are obliged to disclose all funding and financial support received during the development of the study. Authors must state this on the title page with the following standard statements:

  • The authors declare that the study received no funding.

  • The authors declare that the study was supported/funded by [e.g., Science Institute], grant number: [ABC-12345].

References

Everything cited in the text of your article must be in the reference list, and everything in the reference list must be cited in your article. The bibliography must be arranged according to APA 7th Edition.

Tables and Figures

Visual elements such as tables, figures, and diagrams must be cited in the text. Tables and figures should be small and simple, numbered in the order they appear in the text, and placed at the end of the main manuscript file. Each must have a number and a descriptive caption. If visual elements were not created by the authors, they must be cited and included in the references.

Figures must be in vector format (Illustrator, EPS, WMF, FreeHand, CorelDraw, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) or bitmap format (Photoshop, TIFF, PNG, JPG, etc.). Figures presented in bitmap format must be at least 300 DPI resolution. Figures, tables, and charts must contain self-explanatory labels and unit labels for each parameter or axis.

Tables should be created using the drawing tools of programs such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice. Each datum should be given in a separate table cell, and additions such as enter or space should not be made. Tables must be editable and must not contain images. Tables should be self-explanatory and should complement, not repeat, the text. Table footnotes must include the full terms of all abbreviations used in the table.

If diagrams contain a non-editable picture or image, it must be transferred to Word at 300 DPI resolution and the original diagram must be attached to the article.

Tables and Figures should be numbered consecutively and provided with a caption above the table or figure. All tables and figures should not exceed 16x20 cm. Avoid using vertical lines in tables.

Appendices

Appendix lists, tables, charts, etc., should be provided separately at the end of the article. Each appendix must be numbered and titled. It must also be cited in the text.

Example: Appendix 1 – Data Collection Tool List.

Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM):

Information or multimedia files (animation, audio, video, etc.) not suitable for the printed version of the article can be submitted as electronic supplementary material (ESM). Materials prepared for electronic publication must be in standard file formats: Spreadsheets in .xlsx or .csv, images in .jpeg or .tiff, audio and video in .avi, .wmv, .mp4, .mov, .m2p, .mp2, .mpg, or .mpeg format. Text and presentations should be submitted as .pdf files; .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx files are not accepted. If multiple figures, text, or tables, etc., are required, they can be combined in a single .pdf file. Multiple files can be gathered and compressed in a .zip or .rar file. Electronic supplementary materials should be numbered consecutively as ESM_1.pdf, ESM_2.xlsx, ESM_3.avi, ESM_4.rar, etc., and the main text of the article should cite all numbered electronic supplementary materials in order, similar to printed tables and figures (e.g., “The patient had vertical supranuclear gaze palsy (Electronic Supplementary Material 1)”). At the end of the main article file, after the figure legends, authors should add a title for each electronic supplementary file. Please note: 1) The journal does not host a data repository for uploading all raw research data; 2) Large files may take a long time to download or cause other issues and negatively affect user experience; 3) Supplementary materials will be published online as received, without reformatting, editing, or converting to another file format. The size of each supplementary file should not exceed 128 MB. If you need to upload larger files, please contact the editorial office (editor@jomra.org). Works cited in electronic supplementary materials must also be cited in the text of the main document and listed in the references.

Units

  • Ensure all units of measurement are in SI units.

  • Use commas for decimal fractions (e.g., 1,24 instead of 1.24) (Note: In English texts, dots are standard for decimals, but if your journal insists on commas for Turkish compatibility, keep as is. Standard English uses 1.24).

  • Leave a single space between the number and unit (e.g., 4 kg/ha, 20 N m, 100 kPa, 22 °C).

  • Exceptions for angle definitions, minutes, seconds, and percentages; do not leave a space (e.g., 10°, 45’, 60’’, %29).

  • The abbreviation for Liter should be used as "L".

Formulas and Equations

Please follow these guidelines for clarity and consistency in formulas and equations:

  • Number each formula with a reference number and place the number in parentheses at the end of the formula, e.g., (1).

  • Use the Word equation editor for formulas and ensure a font size of 12 points.

  • Present variables in italics; numbers and mathematical definitions should be plain text.

  • When citing a formula in the text, use a format as in the example.

    Example: “…the model, as shown in Equation 1.”

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Journal of the Music Research Association aligns with current ICMJE and COPE guidelines and accepts the guidance of the Council of Higher Education regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies.

During submission, authors must disclose whether they used AI-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots [e.g., ChatGPT], machine learning, image generators, or similar technologies) in the production of any part of the submitted work. If used, they must confirm that they are responsible for the integrity of the generated content. The disclosure regarding AI use must include the name and manufacturer of the AI tool, the date(s) of use, and how it was used in relation to the article. Authors using these tools must explain how, where, and to what extent they used them.

  • If AI was used for writing assistance, this must be stated as a separate declaration on the Title Page. Authors must fill in the designated sections in our title page template.

  • If AI was used for data collection, analysis, or figure generation, this must be explained in detail in the Materials and Methods section. The use of AI in data collection or analysis is appropriate only if this methodology has been approved by the ethics committee (for studies requiring ethical approval).

  • In both cases, the use of AI must also be declared in the cover letter.

AI-assisted tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot be held responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the work, cannot determine the existence of conflicts of interest, and these responsibilities are required for authorship (see Authorship Criteria). Similarly, AI should not be cited as an author.

Before using any AI-assisted technology, authors should understand how it works and its potential risks. Authors should carefully review and edit AI output because AI can produce authoritative-sounding outputs that may be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. AI can use a wide variety of data as input and produce outputs that may be difficult to trace back to their original source. Declaring the use of AI is not sufficient to avoid legal or ethical violations, including plagiarism. Authors must be able to declare that AI was used within applicable laws and that their articles, including text and images generated entirely or partially by an AI tool, are free of plagiarism. Authors are responsible for all aspects of any submitted material involving the use of AI-assisted technologies.

The Journal of the Music Research Association performs plagiarism and AI usage checks on all accepted manuscripts before publication. We do not support the extensive use of AI-assisted technologies to the extent that it calls into question original human contribution (e.g., large text sections written almost entirely by AI). Failure to properly disclose the use of AI-assisted technology during submission, either in the cover letter and/or as described above on the title page (for writing assistance) or in the appropriate section of the main document (for methodology), may result in the revocation of the acceptance decision or the retraction of a published article.

This does not include basic checking tools for grammar, spelling, references, etc.

Language Editing

The Journal of the Music Research Association publishes in two languages: Turkish and English. Manuscripts may be submitted in either Turkish or English. Submitted manuscripts must comply with the grammar and spelling rules of the selected language and the relevant scientific literature, and meet language standards for publication.

Editors may request language editing and proofreading from authors. Accepted manuscripts may be published after language editing and proofreading requests are met.