Guide for Authors

1. Purpose and Scope

The Davao Research Journal (DRJ) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published quarterly by Davao Oriental State University (DOrSU). The journal publishes high-quality scholarly articles in the fields of agricultural and biological sciences, environmental and sustainability sciences, fisheries and aquatic sciences, and education and social sciences. The journal welcomes submissions from researchers, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and academic institutions from the Philippines and the Global South as well as the wider international research community.

2. Types of Articles Accepted

Original Research Articles
Reports of original and significant research contributions. Manuscripts should generally have between 4,000 and 6,000 words.

Review Articles
Comprehensive and critical syntheses of current knowledge in a specific field. Reviews should normally cite substantial primary literature and should not exceed 9,000 words excluding references.

Policy Briefs
Concise evidence-based discussions intended to inform policy and decision-making. Policy briefs should have between 1,500 and 3,000 words and may include up to two tables or panel figures.

Research Notes
Short reports presenting novel observations, methods, or preliminary findings of high significance. Research notes should have between 1,500 and 3,000 words and may include up to two tables and two figures.

Editorials
Short opinion or perspective articles written by editors or invited experts concerning scholarly, scientific, or societal issues relevant to the journal's scope. Editorials should generally not exceed 500 words.

3. Submission of Manuscripts

Submission of a manuscript implies that the work is original, and it has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere. All the authors must have approved the submission, and all necessary institutional approvals should have been obtained. Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system or through the official editorial email: editor.drj@dorsu.edu.ph. All submissions undergo initial editorial screening followed by a double-blind peer-review process.

4. Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

The journal adheres to the ethical publishing principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and internationally recognized research integrity standards. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are free from plagiarism, duplicate publication, and data fabrication. They must also comply with ethical standards involving human participants, animals, and environmental research and disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources. As well as maintain accuracy, transparency, and integrity in reporting. The journal reserves the right to reject, retract, or correct manuscripts found to violate ethical publishing standards.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

The journal recognizes the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies in scholarly work. Authors may use AI for language editing, searching for references, coding assistance, data organization, and the preparation of scientific illustrations, conceptual diagrams, and graphical abstracts. However, authors remain fully responsible for the originality and accuracy of the manuscript, the validity of all analyses, interpretations, and conclusions, and proper citation and attribution. They must ensure that AI-generated content does not contain fabricated information, misleading citations, plagiarism, or copyright violations. The use of AI-assisted tools must be disclosed appropriately in the manuscript, including the name of the tool and its purpose. AI systems or generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work. The use of AI for data fabrication, image manipulation, fake peer review generation, citation manipulation, or other unethical practices is strictly prohibited.

6. Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission for any copyrighted material reproduced from previously published sources, including figures, tables, illustrations, and extended text excerpts. Evidence of permission must be submitted together with the manuscript whenever applicable.

7. Manuscript Preparation

Authors are encouraged to consult recently published DRJ articles when preparing manuscripts. For general formatting, manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx)., use Times New Roman, 12-point font and use letter-size paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. Manuscripts must be double-spaced except for the abstract, and the text must be justified. Indent the first line of each paragraph. Use italics for scientific names and use SI units and standard scientific notation. Define abbreviations at first mention. Follow the latest APA citation and referencing style. All Tables and Figures must use high-resolution tables and figures. Avoid vertical lines in tables and Tables and figures must be cited sequentially in the text using Arabic numerals. All revised manuscripts should submit tables and figures as separate files when requested.

8. Title Page

The title page must include a concise and informative title (maximum of 17 words), full names of all authors, their institutional affiliations and email addresses. The authors must also include their ORCID iDs upon submission as well as designate their corresponding author. All authors must satisfy the journal's authorship criteria consistent with ICMJE recommendations.

Download template here

9. Abstract and Keywords

Abstract
The abstract must not exceed 250 words, be written as a single paragraph and summarize the background, objectives, methods, major findings, and implications of the study and avoid references or undefined abbreviations.

Keywords
Provide 4-5 keywords or phrases not already included in the title.

10. Structure of the Manuscript

Introduction
Provide the background, rationale, literature context, research gap, objectives, and optional hypothesis of the study (1000 words).
Materials and Methods
Describe the study area (provide GIS quality maps whenever necessary), sampling procedures (provide details on data collection), methods, analytical techniques, statistical analyses, software used, and ethical approvals where applicable. Methods should be sufficiently detailed to allow replication (500-1000 words).
Results
Present findings clearly and logically (based on your aims/objectives) using appropriate tables and figures (1000 words).
Discussion
Interpret findings in relation to existing literature, theoretical implications, and broader significance (1500 words).
Conclusion
Summarize the major findings and implications of the study (200-250 words).
Recommendation
Bullets of the main recommendations of the study (no longer than five bullets).

11. Ethical Declarations

The following sections must appear before the References whenever applicable:
Acknowledgments
Recognition of individuals, institutions, grants, or funding support.
Funding
Disclosure of all funding sources supporting the research.
Author Contributions
Authors must provide a CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) statement describing each author's contributions.
Ethical Statement
Authors must confirm compliance with ethical standards, including ethics review approval and informed consent where applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Authors must confirm that all survey respondents gave voluntary informed consent and that the study followed ethical research standards.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationships that could influence the research, or state that none exist.
AI Declaration
Authors must identify any AI tools used in preparing the paper, describe how they were used, and confirm that the authors take full responsibility for the final content.

12. References

The journal follows the latest APA citation and referencing style with modification in terms of the use of ampersand (&), which is replaced with the word and. While only the journal name is italicized, not the volume number. In-text citation examples: (Jimenez, 2006), Trangia and Macusi (2023), (Zabala, 1981; Calvez et al., 1995). For reference list, arrange references alphabetically and make sure to add their DOI links whenever available. Journal titles should follow ISO 4 abbreviations when applicable, and authors are encouraged to ensure that references are accurate, complete, and accessible.

13. Peer Review Process

All manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening then followed by double-blind peer review by qualified reviewers and editorial evaluation and decision. Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. The Editor-in-Chief retains final authority over publication decisions based on scholarly merit, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal.

14. Open Access and Licensing

The journal operates under a Diamond Open Access model. All published articles are freely accessible online without subscription or publication fees. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

15. Contact Information

For inquiries regarding submissions, editorial policies, or publication concerns, please contact the Davao Research Journal Editorial Office (email: editor.drj@dorsu.edu.ph)