Writing Rules

These guidelines ensure that manuscripts submitted to JACAC meet the journal’s formatting and style requirements. Authors are strongly encouraged to follow these instructions carefully to facilitate efficient peer review, production, and publication.

1. General Guidelines

1.1. Language and Spelling

Use American English spelling consistently throughout the manuscript. A notable distinction is the preference for "-ize" over "-ise" as a suffix (e.g., "organize" rather than "organise").

1.2. Quotations

• Use double quotation marks (“ ”) for direct quotes. Use single quotation marks (‘ ’) only for quotes within quotes.
• Long quotations (40 words or more) should be formatted as indented block paragraphs without quotation marks.
• Use curly (typographic) quotation marks (“ ”) rather than straight quotes (" ").
• Place punctuation inside quotation marks. For example: “Less is more.” (not “Less is more”.)

2. Manuscript Format

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.

3. Author Information

3.1. Author Names

Author names should be fully spelled out in the format "Firstname Lastname" (e.g., "John Smith"). Middle names may be abbreviated with a period following the initial (e.g., "John A. Smith"). Normal spacing should be present between initials (e.g., "John A. C. Smith"). The naming format should be consistent throughout the manuscript.

3.2. Affiliations

Affiliations must clearly identify the institution where the work was conducted, formatted as "Department, Institution, City, Country" (from specific to general).

3.3. Corresponding Author

Clearly designate the corresponding author and provide their full name and email address.

3.4. ORCID

If any authors have an ORCID account, please provide the corresponding ORCID iD link.

4. Abstract

The abstract should summarize the entire manuscript in a single paragraph, limited to 300 words. The abstract may not contain images, tables, separate headings, website links, equations, or any graphic elements. Authors should provide 4–6 keywords below the abstract.

5. Titles and Headings

Up to three levels of headings may be used. Chapter titles are numbered as follows: first-level headings as 1.; second-level headings as 1.2.; and third-level headings as 1.2.3. Lower-level sub-headings may utilize letters (A, B, C).

6. Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be spelled out in full on first use, with the abbreviation provided in parentheses. Each section (abstract, main text, figures/tables) handles abbreviations separately; the same abbreviation may need to be defined in each section.

Acceptable Latin abbreviations: etc. (et cetera), i.e. (id est, meaning “that is”), and e.g. (exempli gratia, meaning “for example”). Note: do not use “e.g.” and “etc.” in the same list. Both “e.g.” and “i.e.” should be followed by a comma and should not be italicized.

7. Punctuation

A space should follow the period at the end of sentences. Four types of dashes are used:

• Hyphen (-): Connects two words into one concept (e.g., well-known).
• En dash (–): Indicates a connection or range between two concepts (e.g., 618–907 CE).
• Em dash (—): Introduces phrases or sections for clarification.
• Minus sign (−): Used in equations or to represent negative numbers.

8. Figures and Tables

All figures, tables, and supplementary materials must be cited in the body of the text. Use full terms: “Table 1” and “Figure 2” (do not abbreviate as “Tab.” or “Fig.”). Referenced objects should appear after the citation, at the end of the paragraph or section.

Figure names and table names should be concise and follow title case.

8.1. Source Attribution

• Author-created: “Drawn by [Author Names].”
• Reprinted: “Reprinted with permission from [Author Names] ([Year]). Copyright [Year] [Copyright Owner].”
• Adapted: “Adapted from [Author Names] ([Year]).” Copyright permission must be obtained.

8.2. Figure Specifications

• Submit figures in JPEG format at the highest resolution possible.
• Recommended resolutions: 300 dpi (color photographs), 600 dpi (grayscale/combination figures), 1200 dpi (line art).
• Do not include captions or titles within figure files. Provide captions separately within the manuscript text.
• Name files sequentially: Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. For multi-part figures: Figure 1(a), Figure 1(b).
• Figures should not contain layers, transparent objects, or unnecessary blank space.

8.3. Tables

Tables should be used for presenting lengthy categorical data. Each table must have a descriptive title placed above it.

9. Statements

The following sections are mandatory:

• Author Contributions: Describe the specific contributions of each author.
• Conflict of Interest: Declare any conflicts of interest, or state "The authors declare no conflict of interest."
• Funding: Acknowledge funding sources, or state "Not Applicable."
• Acknowledgments: Acknowledge contributors, or state "Not Applicable."

9.1. Author Biographies

Provide a brief biography for each author (maximum 100 words), outlining their research interests and relevant background.

10. References

JACAC uses the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) bibliography format for all references. Research articles should include no fewer than 20 references; review articles should include at least 30 references.

10.1. General Requirements

• All references must be genuine, verifiable sources. Authors must be able to provide the original text or an official, traceable source when required.
• References should be numbered in the order of first appearance in the manuscript, with in-text citations following the same sequence.
• All references must conform to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).
• Online links must be fully functional at the time of submission and include an access date.
• For non-English sources, indicate the original language in the reference list (e.g., "[in Chinese]").
• References that fail to meet formatting requirements or cannot be authenticated will result in the manuscript being returned for revision.

10.2. Journal and Conference Papers

• Publications with a DOI must include the complete DOI link beginning with "https://doi.org/".
• Papers without a DOI must provide an official, accessible source page (e.g., journal website, conference proceedings, arXiv, SSRN, or institutional repository). Personal cloud storage, commercial download sites, and unofficial mirror pages are not permitted.

10.3. Webpages, Reports, and News Sources

• All webpage-based citations must include a complete URL linking directly to the original content.
• Citations must include a precise access date (e.g., "Accessed December 5, 2025").
• Shortened URLs, homepage links, or pages where cited content cannot be verified are not acceptable.

10.4. Books

Books do not require URLs, but all available publication details must be provided following Chicago style: author name(s), book title, city of publication, publisher, year of publication, edition (if not the first), and specific page range referenced.

10.5. Reference Verification Policy

JACAC implements a strict Reference Authenticity Verification Policy. The editorial office may conduct random checks of 3–5 references at any stage of review or production. Authors must provide the corresponding original materials within 48 hours, including PDFs of journal articles, scanned copies of relevant book pages, or archived screenshots of webpages. If a reference cannot be verified, the manuscript may be rejected immediately.