Preparation of papers for JICTS

First Author a, 1, Second Author a, Third Author b

aDepartment One, Institution One, City One, Country One        

bDepartment Two, Institution Two, City Two, Country Two

1. Introduction

This Section introduces the research problem intended to be addressed. JICTS argues an author to write a shorter Introduction of 3-5 paragraphs that focus to the main points. Readers should be taken slowly from a wider perspective of the research topic to the specific issue being addressed.

We expect the following elements of the Introduction [1]: what is known (context or rationale), what is unknown (knowledge gaps and limitations of the previous studies), central question or hypothesis, methodology (e.g. experimental approach), and uniqueness of the methodology relative to the existing body of knowledge (Figure 1). Where necessary, authors may provide illustrations (diagrams and pictures) to clarify concepts and allow readers grasp the research problem.

Figure 1. Structure of the Introduction.

Some important tips to note in the Introduction are listed below:

• Avoid long and unfocused paragraphs. Ensure readability and logical flow of the paragraphs. Note that each paragraph should contain one complete idea.
• Emphasize more on the scientific and/or theoretical contributions. The uniqueness of the approach should be clear to readers.
• Make the Introduction interesting to read. Avoid unnecessary jargons and abbreviations. Use clear, concise, and non-technical language that can easily be understood by a lay person.
• Explicitly state the research questions intended to be answered in the Discussion Section.

2. Method

This Section provides sufficient information necessary to replicate the research. Given its complexity, the Method Section should be clearly presented in a manner that readers can easily follow. Depending on the length of the Section, it may be important to incorporate subsections with illustrations (flowcharts, diagrams, and Tables) to clarify concepts. Authors should note that all experimental details (lab settings, procedures, experiments/simulations, implementation details) form the Method Section. JICTS encourages authors to include in their manuscripts complete information, including implementation codes and supplementary data, to allow other researchers reproduce results (Tables and Figures). The journal believes that any research that cannot be reproduced has insignificant impact to the scholarly community. In fact, such a research obscures advancement of our current knowledge—and hence can hardly be cited.

3. Experiments

This Section may either be standalone or be combined with the Method Section to provide all necessary procedures to conduct experiments. Authors should present clearly conditions of the experiments or simulation environments that may assist other researchers replicate the experimental results. For complex experiments, such as those involving multiple stages or agents, sub-sections may be created to enhance readership and clarity. Where necessary, authors may need to present diagrams that show flow of experiments, arrangements, and settings.

4. Results

This Section presents the results obtained after data analysis or, for experimental research, after execution of the experiments. If this Section is presented alone^[1], the author is required to only show the results—and should not present and discuss the results simultaneously. When presenting results in Tables and Figures, JICTS recommends to highlight critical results. In essence, authors should not repeat or read contents of the Tables and Figures. We expect to see alarming results, such as those depicting trends or outperformance of a given method. Part of a typical results Section may read as follows: 

The number of species doubled in the first quarter of a year (Table 1). After treating the environment with material ZY, new species decreased by 30% every 3 months (Figures 1 and 2).

In the Results Section, readers expect Tables and Figures containing clear results. JICTS discourages Tables with grid lines. Instead, the journal recommends authors to follow the horizontal-line rule, where the Table contains the three major horizontal lines at the top, middle, and bottom (Table 1). Figures should be complete and detailed, and should have the highest possible printable quality (at least 300 depth per inch or 300 DPI). For graphs, all axes should be correctly labelled. Multiple graphs in the same Figure should be distinguished using markers and legend (Figure A5^[2]). Colored graphs without markers should be avoided because, in the printed version of the paper, such graphs may hardly be distinguished when printed in black-white printers.

Table 1. Mean structural similarity of outputs generated by different methods.

Figure 2. Voltage between pipe terminals.

5. Discussions

This Section deals with analysis and interpretation of results, and provides their practical and theoretical implications. When writing this Section, first recall research questions raised in the Introduction Section. Then answer the questions clearly, giving take home messages for the readers. We expect to find direct statements for the key findings: We found that…; We discovered that…; The study found that…Next, interpret the results and give their significance to the scientific community. Furthermore, authors should explicitly describe the novelty of the study and link central contributions with the global knowledge.

In addition, the Discussion Section should provide strong evidences to support the authors’ arguments/claims and conclusions. For example, performance of the proposed method or technique should be justified through the predefined quality criteria. The justification may be accomplished by fairly comparing the authors’ method (or technique) with state-of-the-art classical methods (e.g., 0-3 years old).

While discussing the results, authors should emphasize strengths and limitations of their study. General limitations should be avoided, and more focus should be put on the limitations that may affect major findings of the study. Given the limitations, readers may appreciate to discover how the results may change their current understanding of the world. In this respect, therefore, authors are obliged to provide sufficient information that would satisfy their readers.

Discussion includes implications of the results. The “so-what” question should be answered for readers to make sense of the results (and of the study itself). The study should be connected with the external world, and explanations should be given on how the study can address societal problems. Authors should tell their readers on why they should believe and care the results.

Lastly, we need to provide future research directions. Therefore, authors should highlight the unanswered questions and their relevance in the context of the research, and should give expectations that may be useful to guide scholars as they take the research to the advanced phase. If applicable, authors may give their own thoughts (speculations) on how the unanswered questions may be addressed.

Figure 1 highlights the major parts of the Discussion Section: (1) answers to research questions from the Introduction; (2) conclusion support; (3) conclusion defence; and (4) broader picture of the study. Following this structure may help authors discuss the results more efficiently and logically.

6. Conclusion

In this Section, the major results may be restated clearly, and simple language should be used as the Conclusion may attract the general public widely. Conclusion calls for a need to provide future research directions. Therefore, authors should highlight the unanswered questions and their relevance in the context of the research, and should give expectations that may be useful to guide scholars as they take the research to the advanced phase. If applicable, authors may give their own thoughts (speculations) on how the unanswered questions may be addressed.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Authors may thank people, institutions, or organizations that have directly or indirectly assisted them to complete the research. Examples of groups that may be acknowledged include people who assisted the authors to collect data, sponsors of the research, and scholars that provided implementation codes or data for benchmarking or comparison. JICTS discourages acknowledgements that involve people not directly linked to the main research (e.g., family members). In addition, we recommend authors to contact people and request for their permission before acknowledging them. (Not all people would like to have their names on the manuscript even if they have largely supported the research.) All co-authors should agree on the people that need to be acknowledged. The principal researcher (e.g., supervisor, for the case of students) may need to be consulted when writing the Acknowledgement Section. If the research is sponsored, for instance, the supervisor may provide essential sponsorship information, such as project name, agency or association supporting the research, grant number, and name of the research lab. Finally, authors should declare the conflict of interest associated with the research.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF CO-AUTHORS

APPENDIX

This journal strongly supports reproducible research that requires authors to put sufficient information in their manuscripts to allow other researchers reproduce results. The information may include, but not limited to, datasets, implementation codes, questionnaires, research permit or ethical clearance letters, participant forms, or mathematical derivations. This Section sets the basis for quicker advancement of research, and hence deserves special attention similar to other Sections of the manuscript.  

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Information that cannot be included in the manuscript, probably because of their large size (audio, video, raw data, or high-resolution images), should be deposited to external repositories as supplementary materials. Additional information may be included in main document to link the materials with the contents of the manuscript. There should be sufficient description of the materials to facilitate readers understand and reproduce the research.

REFERENCES

[1] Bajwa, S., Sawhney, C., Preparing manuscript: Scientific writing for publication, Indian journal of anaesthesia, Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 60: p. 674, 2016.