I. PREPARING AND SUBMITTING A SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPT

1. Manuscript structure: Manuscripts should follow the standard structure of a scientific article, including the following components: Title, Abstract, Keywords, Main text (including Introduction/Background, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion), and References. Specifically:

- Title: Concise and informative (approximately 10-15 words), accurately reflecting the research content. The title should be presented in both Vietnamese and English (if the manuscript is in Vietnamese) and use clear and field-appropriate terminology.

- Abstract: Approximately 150-250 words, highlighting the objectives, methods, main results, and the study’s novel contributions. The abstract should be clear and succinct, and a corresponding English version is required for Vietnamese manuscripts.

- Keywords: 3-6 representative keywords to facilitate indexing and retrieval. Keywords are listed after the abstract; bilingual translation is recommended, and keywords should be arranged in alphabetical order.

- Main text: Organized into sections: Introduction (problem statement and research objectives) - Literature Review (related studies and theoretical foundation) - Methodology (research design, data, and analytical procedures) - Results (findings and obtained data) - Discussion (interpretation of findings and comparison with prior studies) - Conclusion (summary of key contributions and recommendations, if any). Section headings may be adjusted to suit the discipline (e.g., empirical studies, theoretical reviews), but the logical flow and completeness of essential information must be ensured.

- References: Provide a complete list of all sources cited in the manuscript in the reference style required by the Journal (e.g., APA, IEEE). Each reference should include full bibliographic information: author(s), year, article/book title, journal title/publisher, volume, page range, and DOI (if available). Only include sources actually cited in the manuscript.

2. Formatting requirements: Manuscripts may be submitted in either Vietnamese or English. Submissions in English are encouraged to increase post-publication reach and to facilitate the selection of appropriate reviewers. The manuscript must use consistent fonts and formatting: Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing; A4 margins: top and bottom 2.5 cm; left and right 2 cm. Paragraphs are spaced 6 pt apart; the first paragraph of each section is not indented, while subsequent paragraphs are indented by 1.25 cm. The recommended length is approximately 4,000–8,000 words (10–20 typed pages), excluding References. Tables and figures should be placed near where they are first mentioned, numbered sequentially, and accompanied by clear captions/notes. Technical terms and abbreviations must be defined at first use (see the manuscript formatting template in the attached file).
3. Citation system: Authors must cite all sources when using ideas, data, definitions, or other materials from external sources. For direct quotations, use quotation marks and provide the exact page number(s). Vietnamese references should be transliterated or translated into English if required. Avoid both over-citation and under-citation: every item listed in References must be cited in the text, and every in-text citation must appear in the References list.
4. Supporting documents and appendices: If the manuscript contains very lengthy datasets, detailed tables, or extended derivations/formulae, authors can place them in appendices at the end of the manuscript (labeled Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.). In addition, authors are advised to prepare and retain supporting documentation for the study (if applicable)—for example: raw datasets, survey instruments, photographs illustrating experiments, and research ethics approvals—so that they can be provided upon request by the Editorial Board or reviewers. These materials do not necessarily need to be submitted with the initial manuscript, but authors should store them carefully and be prepared to present them to support the reliability of the reported results.
5. Submission procedure: Manuscripts should be submitted via the Journal’s official email (tcdhsg@sgu.edu.vn) or submission system, as instructed on the Journal website. Authors are required to create an author account, provide complete information (full name, affiliation, email, and phone number), and follow the submission steps. Ensure that all required files are uploaded: (1) Manuscript file (.doc/.docx/.tex/.pdf), (2) Cover letter, and (3) Any additional materials required by the Journal (e.g., data files, high-resolution figures, or a point-by-point response to reviewers for resubmissions). Submit two versions of the manuscript: one with full author information as required, and one anonymized version with no author-identifying information. After submission, the system will confirm receipt. Authors may track the manuscript status (under review, revision required, accepted, rejected) via their account or email notifications from the Editorial Office.

II. COMMITMENTS TO ETHICS AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

1. Originality and non-duplication: The manuscript must be original and must not have been published or submitted in any journal or conference proceedings. The submission must contain new content and must not duplicate, in whole or in part, the findings of previously published works by others or by the authors themselves (i.e., avoid text recycling/self-plagiarism). All externally sourced content (text, images, data) must be properly and clearly cited. Authors bear legal responsibility for the legitimacy of the manuscript content and must ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If the manuscript uses copyrighted material (e.g., previously published figures or charts), authors must obtain written permission from the copyright holder before submission.
2. No concurrent submissions: While the manuscript is under consideration, authors must not submit the same or substantially overlapping work to any other journal. This policy prevents dual publication (duplicate publication). Authors may submit the manuscript to another journal only after receiving an official rejection decision or after formally withdrawing the submission. Violations (i.e., concurrent submissions) may result in rejection by the Journal and notification to the academic community.
3. Honesty and integrity in research: Authors must ensure the honesty of their data and results. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate selective reporting of data is strictly prohibited. Upon request, authors must provide evidence demonstrating that the study data are authentic and have not been arbitrarily modified. All funding sources, financial support, or related interests (if any) must be disclosed transparently in the manuscript (commonly in the Acknowledgements or an endnote) so that readers can identify potential competing interests. For example, disclose the funding body (if supported by a grant) or any relevant equity/financial interests.
4. Authorship and co-authorship policies: Only individuals who have made significant scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript should be listed as authors. The author order must be agreed upon before submission and should reflect the level of contribution (According to common academic practice, the first author is the lead author; subsequent authors follow; the corresponding author may be listed last if different from the first author). The submitting author is responsible for the authorship order and must ensure that all co-authors have approved the manuscript content and the author order. No additions, removals, or changes to author names are permitted after submission, except in special cases where an authorship change is justified by scientific contributions during the peer review process and is approved by the Editorial Board, with written consent from all authors. Violations of authorship policy may lead to rejection or post-publication withdrawal.
5. Accurate affiliation information: Each author must provide complete and accurate information on their affiliation, address, and contact email. Institution names should be provided in the official Vietnamese and English forms (if available). This information will be published with the article and must therefore be carefully checked to avoid errors. If an author’s affiliation changes while the manuscript is under review, the Editorial Office should be informed, so the information can be updated for publication.
6. Compliance with research ethics: If the study involves human participants or animals, authors must comply with relevant ethical requirements (e.g., ethics committee approval, informed consent from participants, etc.). Any violation of research ethics is unacceptable. Authors must also ensure that the manuscript does not contain any discriminatory, insulting, or harmful content toward any individual or organization.

III. PEER REVIEW PROCESS AND REVIEW TIMELINES

1. Acknowledgement of receipt: After submission, the manuscript will undergo an initial screening by the Editorial Board. At this stage, the Editorial Office checks the manuscript’s formatting, the suitability for the Journal’s scope, and the similarity index. If the manuscript fails to meet the Journal’s publication criteria or involves serious plagiarism, it may be desk-rejected without being sent for external review. If the manuscript passes this initial screening, it will be sent to independent reviewers.
2. Double-blind peer review: The Journal applies a double-blind peer review procedure—meaning that reviewers do not know the authors’ identities, and authors do not know the reviewers’ identities—to ensure objectivity. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers in relevant fields. The review period for each round is typically 4–8 weeks. Authors will receive the reviewers’ outcome and comments (if any) via email or the submission system. Possible outcomes include: Acceptance; Minor revisions; Major revisions; Reject with an invitation to resubmit after revision; Rejection.
3. Revision and response to reviewers: If revisions are required, authors must revise the manuscript in accordance with each reviewer’s comments within the specified deadline. Typically, the revision window is 2–4 weeks for minor revisions and 04–08 weeks (or up to 03 months) for major revisions. When resubmitting a revised manuscript, authors must attach a point-by-point response document: addressing each reviewer’s comment and explaining what changes were made, or providing a reasoned response. If the authors disagree with a comment, they should explain their reasoning clearly and provide supporting evidence. Authors should maintain a constructive and respectful tone in the response. The revised manuscript may be returned to the reviewers for a second round of evaluation.
4. Publication decision: Based on the peer review results (possibly after 01 or 02 revision rounds), the Editorial Board will make the final decision. If two reviewers provide conflicting recommendations, the Editor-in-Chief may invite a third reviewer or make an independent assessment. Indicative timeline: the overall process from submission to a final publication decision typically takes 08–12 weeks, depending on the number of review rounds and the authors’ response time. Authors may contact the Editorial Board if the review period has been exceeded without an update. If the manuscript is accepted, the Editorial Office will issue an official acceptance notice with subsequent instructions. If the paper is rejected, authors will receive a notice stating the reasons (including reviewers’ comments, if applicable) for reference in future submissions to other journals.
5. Communication with the Journal: All correspondence during the review process must be conducted through the Journal’s Editorial Board via the Journal’s official email address.

IV. AFTER ACCEPTANCE

1. Proofreading and final preparation: After the manuscript is accepted in terms of content, authors will be requested to provide a final version following the Journal’s formatting requirements. This stage may include language editing by editors, typesetting according to the Journal template, and author proofreading of the page proofs. Authors should cooperate promptly with the Editorial Board to correct typographical errors and to ensure tables/figures are properly formatted and that the proofs reflect the intended content. Carefully verify author names, affiliations, email addresses, and citations in the proofs. After finalizing the proofs, authors will confirm approval so the Journal can proceed to publication.
2. Copyright transfer: Following international practice, once a manuscript is accepted, authors must agree to transfer the publication rights to the Journal. The Journal will require authors to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement. This means that the Journal holds the exclusive right to publish and distribute the article (in both print and electronic forms). Authors retain moral authorship rights, but can not republish the article elsewhere or reuse the entire article for other purposes without the Journal’s written consent. If authors wish to republish or reuse parts of the article in a book, conference proceedings, etc., they should notify the Journal and obtain written approval.
3. Post-publication rights and responsibilities: In accordance with Journal policy, authors may receive certain benefits, such as a print copy/issue containing their article, academic performance points (for domestic lecturers/researchers), or an honorarium in line with prevailing regulations. Authors are responsible for citing their own published article correctly if they reuse content in subsequent research. If serious errors are discovered after publication, authors must notify the Journal promptly to enable a correction or retraction (if necessary), thereby maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
4. Publication of the article: After editorial processing is complete, the article will be published in the next Journal issue according to the publication schedule (in print and/or online). Authors will be notified of the issue and page numbers upon release. For the electronic version, the article will be assigned a DOI and uploaded to the Journal website. Authors may share the article link with the scholarly community. Please comply with the Journal’s access policy: the Journal operates under an open-access model; however, authors should not upload the published PDF to social media or personal websites unless permission has been granted. Authors should also re-check the published article information (especially names, titles, and affiliations). If minor errors are found, notify the Editorial Board promptly, so corrections can be made in the next issue.

Publishing research results in a reputable scientific journal is both a responsibility and an achievement for researchers. Authors should comply strictly with the above guidelines to ensure smooth submission and evaluation, and to meet international standards. Careful preparation and academic integrity will contribute to higher article quality and enhance both the authors’ reputation and the standing of the Scientific Journal of Saigon University within the scholarly community./.