Submissions

Author Guidelines

Download a JOMSA template

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Thematic 

JOMSA welcomes original, high-quality manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of research and practice in management, public administration, governance, regional development, marketing, and related disciplines.

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal's online submission system. Submissions by email are not accepted.

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that it complies with the journal's Author Guidelines, including all formatting, structural, ethical, and referencing requirements. Manuscripts that do not conform to these requirements may be returned to the authors for technical revision before entering the peer-review process.

Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English (US). Authors are responsible for ensuring that the language meets the standards required for international scholarly publication prior to submission. Manuscripts that do not meet an acceptable standard of English may be returned to the authors for language revision before entering the peer-review process.

General Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.docx) and prepared using the official JOMSA manuscript template. Authors are strongly encouraged to use the template from the outset to ensure compliance with the journal's formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not conform to the prescribed template or fail to meet the journal's formatting standards may be returned to the authors for technical revision before peer review.

As JOMSA is published exclusively online, all tables, figures, graphs, photographs, and other illustrative materials may be submitted in full colour.

The manuscript should be formatted with single line spacing and fully justified paragraphs, with 6 pt spacing before and after each paragraph and no first-line indentation, using the formatting specified in the journal template. Pages should not be numbered, and authors should not insert tabs, manual page breaks, section breaks, headers, or footers. These elements are added during the production process, where applicable.

Length

Manuscripts should be between 3,000 and 10,000 words, including the abstract, references, tables, figures, and appendices. Authors are encouraged to present their research in a clear, concise, and coherent manner. Longer manuscripts may be considered only in exceptional cases, subject to prior approval by the Executive Editorial Board

2. STRUCTURE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The organization of the manuscript may vary depending on the nature, objectives, and methodology of the research. However, authors are encouraged to follow the structure outlined below unless an alternative organization is more appropriate for the study.

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content and main contribution of the manuscript. Avoid abbreviations, formulas, and unnecessary wording wherever possible. The title should be formatted as specified in the JOMSA manuscript template. The title should be formatted in Times New Roman, 24 pt.

Author Information

Authors should provide their full names with academic titles or degrees. For each author, include the institutional affiliation, department (where applicable), city, country, institutional e-mail address, and a valid ORCID iD, as specified in the manuscript template. The order of authors should reflect their agreed contribution to the research.

Abstract

The abstract should provide a concise and structured summary of the manuscript, including the research objective, methodology, principal findings, and main conclusions. It should be understandable as a standalone text and should not contain citations, references, tables, figures, footnotes, unexplained abbreviations, or mathematical expressions. The abstract must not exceed 150 words. The abstract should be formatted in Times New Roman, 10 pt.

Keywords

Provide up to 5 keywords that accurately describe the main topics of the manuscript and facilitate indexing and discoverability. The keyword should be formatted in Times New Roman, 10 pt.

JEL Classification

Authors should provide 1-5 JEL Classification Codes that best describe the subject area of the manuscript, following the latest Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) Classification System. The JEL codes should be formatted in Times New Roman, 10 pt.

Main Text

The organization of the manuscript may vary depending on the nature of the research. However, authors are encouraged to follow the structure below unless another organization is more appropriate for the study. The main text should be formatted in Times New Roman,12 pt.

Introduction

The introduction should clearly define the research problem, explain its significance, present the objectives of the study, and outline the structure of the manuscript. It should provide sufficient background to place the research within its scholarly context.

Literature Review

The literature review should critically evaluate existing research relevant to the study, identify knowledge gaps, and establish the theoretical foundation of the research. Authors are encouraged to engage with recent, high-quality literature published in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings.

Methodology

The methodology section should describe the research design, data sources, sampling procedures, methods of data collection, analytical techniques, and any measures taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. Where appropriate, ethical considerations should also be addressed.

Results

The results section should present the findings of the research clearly, objectively, and logically. Tables and figures should be used where they improve clarity and should supplement rather than duplicate information presented in the text.

Discussion

The discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the research objectives and existing literature. Authors should explain the theoretical and practical implications of the results, discuss any limitations of the study, and identify opportunities for future research.

Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the principal findings of the study, highlight their significance, discuss their theoretical and practical implications.

Endnotes

Endnotes may be used to provide supplementary explanations or to cite secondary sources that are not included in the reference list. Their use should be kept to a minimum and should not replace essential information that belongs in the main text.

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research and where funding has been received, authors should identify the funding organization(s), grant number(s), etc. If the research received no external funding, authors should state: "This research received no external funding."

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements should recognize individuals, organizations, or institutions that contributed significantly to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship. Authors should also disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, machine translation services, language-editing tools, or other technologies that contributed to the preparation of the manuscript. Where applicable, authors may also acknowledge specialized software used for statistical analysis, data visualization, or other aspects of the research that are not fully described in the Methodology section. Such acknowledgements should clearly identify the tool or software and briefly describe its role. The use of these tools does not qualify for authorship, and authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the manuscript.

References

References must be prepared according to APA Style (7th edition). Only works cited in the manuscript should be included in the reference list. References should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author. Multiple works by the same author should be listed chronologically, with publications from the same year distinguished by lowercase letters (e.g., 2024a, 2024b). The reference list should be formatted in Times New Roman, 10 pt,

The reference list should primarily include significant, published sources that are directly relevant to the research. Authors are encouraged to rely on peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books, book chapters, and authoritative publications issued by recognized international organizations, governmental institutions, and professional bodies (e.g., the European Commission, OECD, United Nations, World Bank). References to unpublished data, manuscripts in press, conference abstracts, and other non-peer-reviewed materials should be used sparingly and only where essential to the study.

For works originally published in languages other than English, provide the reference in English first, followed by the original-language reference in parentheses, preceded by the language designation in square brackets, as illustrated in the example provided in the manuscript template:

Smith, J. (2026). Prosperity for all. Sofia, Bulgaria: University Publishing House "Stopanstvo". [in Bulgarian] (Смит, Дж. (2026). Благоденствие за всички. София: УИ „Стопанство“)

The refrence should be formated in times new roman 10 pt.

3. STYLE AND FORMATTING

Headings and Subheadings

Manuscripts may be organized into sections, subsections, and sub-subsections using Arabic numerals (e.g., 1., 1.1., 1.1.1.). Authors are encouraged to use no more than three levels of headings. Heading numbers should be entered manually; do not use Microsoft Word's automatic numbering or multilevel list functions. Headings should be concise, informative, and consistent throughout the manuscript.

Example:

1. THIS IS HEADING 1

1.1. This is Heading 2

1.2. Another Heading 2

1.2.1. This is Heading 3

1.2.2. Another Heading 3

Footnotes

Footnotes are not permitted. Where additional explanatory information is necessary, authors should use endnotes numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript. Endnotes should be used sparingly and should not replace essential information that belongs in the main text.

Quotations and In-text Citations

Short quotations should be incorporated into the text and enclosed in quotation marks. Longer quotations should be formatted in accordance with APA Style (7th edition). Any additions or modifications to quoted text should be enclosed in square brackets, omissions indicated by ellipses (...). Any emphasis added by the author should be indicated by the phrase (emphasis added).

All in-text citations must follow APA Style (7th edition).

Examples:

Without mentioning the author's name:

This topic has already been widely studied (Krugman et al., 1997).

Author mentioned in the sentence:

Born (1998) and Jones (2001) demonstrated that...

Multiple publications by the same author:

Barney (1991, 1994) argues that...

Multiple publications by the same author in the same year:

Earlier research by Porter (1990a) found..., whereas subsequent research (Porter, 1990b) expanded these findings.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively using separate Arabic numeral sequences (e.g., Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2).

All tables, figures, graphs, diagrams, photographs, screenshots, and other illustrative materials must be presented in English and placed as close as possible to their first citation in the text. All tables and figures must be cited in the manuscript before they appear.

Tables should be created using editable Microsoft Word table tools and should not be inserted as images. Each table must include a title placed above the table and a source indicated below it. Where the table has been prepared by the authors, the source should be indicated as: Source: own

The formatting of the tables is shown in the example: 

Example: 

Table 1. Table’s title 

Source: Lorem ipsum / Own 

Figures include all illustrative materials other than tables (e.g., graphs, diagrams, flowcharts, photographs, screenshots, and maps). Each figure must include a title above the figure and a source below it. Where the figure has been prepared by the authors, the source should be indicated as Source: own.

Figures should be of sufficient quality for online publication. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all figures and tables are clear, legible, complete, and comply with the journal's formatting requirements.

The formatting of the figures is shown in the example:  

See the example here...

Exceptions to these formatting requirements may be permitted only with the prior approval of the Executive Editorial Board, where justified by the nature of the research or the material presented.

Formulas / Equations

The authors should use Word Equation to include formulas/ equations. The y should be placed in the middle. The formula/ equation numbers must be written in small brackets on the right side of the page. Do not use Print Screen or JPG format. 

See the example here...

Research Integrity and Ethical Requirements

Submitted manuscripts must be original and properly acknowledge all sources used.

Any form of plagiarism, duplicate publication, excessive text reuse, data fabrication, data falsification, citation manipulation, or other research misconduct is considered unethical and may result in rejection of the manuscript.

All submissions are subject to plagiarism screening using StrikePlagiarism platform prior to peer review.

Authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and identify all sources of financial support related to the research.

Manuscripts suspected of research misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and COPE Core Practices.

Use of Artificial Intellignece (AI) in Manuscript Preporation

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is permitted for language editing, grammar correction, coding assistance, or research support. Any use of generative AI tools that contributes to the preparation of a manuscript must be clearly disclosed by the authors at the time of submission and described in the Acknowledgements section of the article. Generative AI tools cannot be cited as authors or as primary sources of information. In line with COPE recommendations, artificial intelligence systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of all submitted content, including any content generated or modified using AI tools. This policy does not apply to standard software tools such as spelling and grammar checkers, reference managers, or similar editorial assistance software.

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to retain and, where appropriate, share the data supporting the findings of their research. The Editorial Board may request access to underlying data where necessary to verify the validity, accuracy, or integrity of the reported results. Where restrictions apply to data availability, authors should clearly indicate the reasons in the manuscript.

By submitting a manuscript, authors agree to comply with the journal's publishing policies and ethical standards.

Authorship

All listed authors must have made a significant intellectual contribution to the submitted work.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript and agree with its submission to JOMSA.