Author Guidelines

1. General Information

Darunnajah in Language (DIL) accepts original scholarly manuscripts that contribute significantly to the study of language and related fields. The journal welcomes theoretical, empirical, conceptual, comparative, and interdisciplinary studies concerning all languages of the world.

Manuscripts may address linguistics, applied linguistics, language education, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, pragmatics, discourse studies, multilingualism, translation and interpreting, language and literature, language policy, literacy, computational linguistics, digital language studies, artificial intelligence and language, and other topics within the journal's Focus and Scope.

Manuscripts must be original, academically rigorous, and not previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal.

2. Types of Manuscripts

DIL accepts the following types of scholarly contributions:

  1. Original Research Articles – Reports of original theoretical, empirical, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research.
  2. Systematic or Literature Reviews – Critical and comprehensive reviews of relevant scholarly literature.
  3. Theoretical and Conceptual Articles – Scholarly discussions that develop, evaluate, or propose theories, concepts, frameworks, or models related to language studies.
  4. Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies – Research comparing languages, linguistic contexts, cultures, or disciplinary perspectives.

3. Language of Manuscripts

Manuscripts should be written in English using clear, concise, and academically appropriate language.

The language or languages examined in the research may be any language of the world, including widely spoken, minority, indigenous, heritage, and endangered languages.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript has been carefully proofread and uses appropriate academic English before submission.

4. Originality and Publication Ethics

Authors must ensure that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is not simultaneously submitted to another journal.
  • All sources and ideas derived from other works are properly cited.
  • All authors who made substantial contributions to the research are appropriately listed.
  • All listed authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
  • Any conflicts of interest are disclosed.
  • Research involving human participants follows applicable ethical standards.
  • Permissions are obtained for copyrighted materials when necessary.
  • Any use of artificial intelligence or generative AI tools in the research or preparation of the manuscript is appropriately disclosed in accordance with the journal's policy.

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, and other forms of research misconduct are unacceptable.

5. Manuscript Structure

Research articles should generally contain the following sections:

  1. Title
  2. Author(s) and Affiliation(s)
  3. Abstract
  4. Keywords
  5. Introduction
  6. Literature Review / Theoretical Framework
  7. Method
  8. Results
  9. Discussion
  10. Conclusion
  11. Acknowledgments (if applicable)
  12. Funding Statement (if applicable)
  13. Conflict of Interest Statement
  14. Author Contributions (if applicable)
  15. References

The structure may be adapted for theoretical, conceptual, review, or other manuscript types when appropriate.

6. Title

The title should be concise, informative, specific, and clearly reflect the main focus of the study.

Authors should avoid unnecessary abbreviations, overly general expressions, and titles that are excessively long.

7. Author Information

The manuscript should include:

  • Full name of each author
  • Institutional affiliation
  • Department or academic unit, where applicable
  • City and country
  • ORCID iD, if available
  • Corresponding author's email address

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office during the submission and review process.

8. Abstract

The abstract should provide a concise overview of the manuscript and should generally include:

  • Background or research context
  • Purpose or research objectives
  • Methodology
  • Main findings
  • Conclusion or implications

For research articles, the abstract should normally contain approximately 200–250 words and should be written as a single coherent paragraph.

9. Keywords

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords that accurately represent the main concepts, variables, languages, contexts, or approaches discussed in the manuscript.

Keywords should be specific and useful for indexing and discovery.

10. Manuscript Length and Formatting

Authors should follow the journal's current manuscript template regarding page layout, font, spacing, headings, tables, figures, and references.

As a general guideline:

  • Research articles: approximately 5,000–8,000 words
  • Review articles: approximately 5,000–8,000 words
  • The manuscript should be prepared using an editable word-processing format.
  • Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively and referred to in the text.
  • All figures must have sufficient resolution and be clearly readable.
  • Headings and subheadings should be used consistently.

The word count generally includes the main text, but may exclude the reference list and supplementary materials.

11. Citations and References

DIL recommends the use of APA Style, 7th Edition for in-text citations and references.

Authors should ensure that:

  • Every work cited in the text appears in the reference list.
  • Every work in the reference list is cited in the manuscript.
  • References are accurate and complete.
  • DOI information is included when available.
  • Recent and relevant scholarly sources are prioritized.
  • Primary and authoritative sources are used whenever possible.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use a reference management tool such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote.

12. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be used only when they enhance the presentation of the research.

Each table and figure must:

  • Have a clear and descriptive title or caption.
  • Be numbered consecutively.
  • Be explicitly mentioned in the manuscript.
  • Be placed appropriately in the manuscript.
  • Include the source or permission information when applicable.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted tables, figures, images, or other materials.

13. Research Data and Transparency

Where appropriate, authors are encouraged to provide sufficient methodological information to allow readers and researchers to understand, evaluate, and potentially reproduce the study.

Authors may be requested to provide supporting data, research instruments, coding procedures, or other relevant materials during the review or editorial process.

For studies involving language corpora, recordings, interviews, or other linguistic data, authors should comply with relevant ethical, privacy, copyright, and data protection requirements.

14. Ethical Considerations

Research involving human participants, interviews, observations, recordings, surveys, or personal data must comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where required, authors should provide information regarding:

  • Ethical approval
  • Informed consent
  • Participant confidentiality
  • Data protection
  • Permission for recording or publication of identifiable materials

If ethical approval is not required, authors should clearly state the applicable reason where appropriate.

15. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors may use artificial intelligence tools responsibly for purposes such as language improvement, proofreading, translation assistance, or research support, provided that such use does not compromise the originality, integrity, accuracy, or accountability of the manuscript.

AI tools must not be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • The accuracy and originality of the manuscript
  • Verification of AI-assisted information
  • Proper citation of sources
  • Avoidance of fabricated references or data
  • Protection of confidential and personal information

Any substantive use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript should be disclosed transparently in accordance with the journal's applicable AI policy.

16. Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal's online submission system.

Authors should ensure that all required submission information and files are complete before submitting a manuscript.

The submission should generally include:

  1. Manuscript file
  2. Author information
  3. Supplementary files, if applicable
  4. Ethical or research approval information, when required
  5. Conflict of interest declaration
  6. Other supporting documents required by the journal

Authors should carefully check the manuscript and metadata before completing the submission.

17. Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts are subject to an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance to the journal's scope, originality, basic academic quality, and compliance with submission requirements.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent for peer review by qualified reviewers. The journal may use a double-blind peer-review process in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another.

Editorial decisions may include:

  • Accept
  • Accept with Minor Revisions
  • Revise and Resubmit
  • Reject

Authors are expected to respond carefully and constructively to reviewers' comments when revisions are requested.

18. Revision

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors should:

  • Address all reviewer and editor comments.
  • Clearly indicate the changes made in the revised manuscript.
  • Provide a response to reviewers explaining how each comment has been addressed.
  • Ensure that the revised manuscript remains consistent and complete.

Failure to adequately address substantive reviewer comments may result in rejection.

19. Publication Charges

Any applicable article processing charges, submission fees, or other publication-related fees will be communicated transparently by the journal through its official OJS website.

Authors should not make payments to individuals or unofficial channels claiming to represent the journal.

20. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their published work in accordance with the journal's copyright policy.

Articles published by Darunnajah in Language (DIL) are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated.

The license permits users to share and adapt the published work provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

21. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts:

  • Meet the journal's academic and ethical standards.
  • Are original and properly referenced.
  • Contain accurate data and information.
  • Follow the journal's formatting and submission requirements.
  • Obtain all necessary permissions and ethical approvals.
  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest.
  • Provide accurate author and affiliation information.
  • Respond appropriately to editorial and reviewer communications.

Submission of a manuscript to Darunnajah in Language (DIL) indicates that the authors have read and agreed to these guidelines and the journal's publication ethics and policies.