Knowledge Economy Studies

In order to create geographical and organizational diversity of authors, one article from each researcher will be published as the first author or corresponding author. There is no limit to publishing more articles as a co-author.

Preparing Your Manuscript

Please prepare your manuscript using the following templates

1. Main Manuscript File, Without Author Names - Template
2. Title Page - Template
3. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form- Template
4. Assignment of Copyright Form- Template

Submitting Your Manuscript

To submit your manuscript, ensure you have a Word file with the title page and all author-identifying references removed. Acknowledgements for assistance in preparing the paper should be included in a letter to the editor, which is part of the web-based submission process.

To facilitate the submission process, please ensure:

• There is no identifying information about the authors in your file.
• The entire submission, including references, is double-spaced in a 12-point or larger font with margins of one inch or more.
• Footnotes or endnotes are kept to a minimum and used only when necessary.
• Hypotheses are explicitly identified as such.
• Constructs and variables are clearly described in words, not abbreviations.

Content and Length of Manuscripts

1. The Editor welcomes original articles that fall within the aims and scope of the Journal and are as concise as the subject matter and research method permit.
2. Manuscripts should be in English and, where possible, the text should be around 6000 to 8000 words.
3. The first page of the text should begin with the title only (without the author's name) and an abstract of no more than 250 words. Include a list of up to five keywords suitable for indexing and abstracting services. This abstract should summarize the entire paper, not just the conclusions.
4. Manuscripts must be typed double-spaced.
5. Submission of a paper or research note implies it contains original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
6. Copyright of all accepted contributions to the Journal will be vested in the University of Kurdistan

Mode of Submission

1. All manuscripts should be submitted electronically via the KES online editorial office, Manuscript Central, at: https://kes.hmu.ac.ir

Preparing Manuscripts

1. A cover page should include the manuscript title, the author's name, position, and institutional affiliation, along with a correspondence address. For co-authors, names, affiliations, and addresses should be clearly indicated. Correspondence will be sent to the first-named author unless otherwise specified. To ensure prompt publication, provide the full postal and email addresses for the author who will check the proofs, along with phone, telex, and fax numbers where possible. Any acknowledgements should also be placed on the cover page. To assure anonymous review, authors should not identify themselves, directly or indirectly, in the text following the cover page.
2. Figures, tables, and footnotes should be placed within the text where they are relevant and should be reasonably interpretable without reference to the text. Avoid footnotes if possible; when used, they should be numbered consecutively with superscript Arabic numerals.
3. For manuscripts referencing questionnaires or other research instruments not fully reproduced in the text, the author may submit a copy of the complete research instrument. If research instruments are not fully reproduced, a note must be included on the cover page indicating where the complete instrument is available.
4. Hypotheses should generally be presented in the positive rather than the null form, so that each hypothesis states the expected result if the prior theoretical development is supported by empirical evidence. However, where a null result supports a theoretical position or no prior expectation exists, the null form is appropriate. Clearly state how standard statistical tests were applied (e.g., one- or two-tailed). Where possible, statistical significance should be stated to the nearest percentage point (e.g., p < 0.04) rather than at conventional levels of significance.
5. Literature citations should be uniformly styled in text and footnotes, following the APA 7th edition format with (Name, Date) in the text and an alphabetical list of references at the end of the manuscript.

Authorship and the Use of AI or AI-Assisted Technologies

The Knowledge Economy Studies journal adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation. Tools such as ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) do not meet the criteria for authorship and therefore cannot be listed as authors on manuscripts.

If AI or AI-assisted tools are used during the preparation of a manuscript, authors are required to:

• Clearly declare this use with sufficient details in the cover letter at the time of submission.

• Provide an explanation of how these tools were employed in the Materials and Methods section.

• Include the name and product details of the AI tool in the Acknowledgments section.

Authors bear full responsibility for the originality, accuracy, validity, and integrity of the content of their manuscripts, including any material generated or assisted by AI tools. They must carefully review and ensure that the final submission fully complies with the journal’s ethical and publication standards.

 Plagiarism Policy

The Knowledge Economy Studies journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. Submitting manuscripts that contain copied or previously published content, or work that is simultaneously under consideration by another journal, is strictly prohibited.

The journal fully abides by the standards and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding plagiarism. Should any evidence of plagiarism arise, the editorial board will act in accordance with the official COPE flowcharts and procedures.

Retraction of Published Articles

In cases where ethical breaches, plagiarism, major errors, or violations of publication integrity are identified after publication, the journal follows the COPE retraction guidelines. Retractions will be considered and carried out based on the COPE flowcharts to ensure transparency and integrity of the scholarly record.

 Author Consent Requirement

Manuscripts will only be processed for publication once the editorial office has received a duly signed Author Consent Form. By signing this form, the author(s) confirm that the manuscript is:

• An original scholarly contribution.

• Has not been published previously.

• Is not under review or being considered for publication elsewhere in any format (print or electronic).

 Copyright Transfer and Conflict of Interest Disclosure

As part of the submission process, authors are required to download, complete, and sign the Copyright Transfer and Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form. This document ensures that:

• Copyright for the article is transferred to the Knowledge Economy Studies journal upon acceptance.

• Any potential conflicts of interest are transparently disclosed.

• Authorship responsibilities and contributions are clearly acknowledged.

The signed form must be uploaded through the submission system at the time of manuscript submission.

Other points

1. The originality of the article will be checked using similarity detection software. The maximum acceptable similarity percentage in such software is 15%. Authors should refrain from excessive self-citation in the submitted article. The entire or part of the article should not have been previously published in books, journals, or conferences. Except in special cases, referencing secondary sources should be avoided. Registering an ORCID code is mandatory for all respected authors. To do this, authors must visit https://orcid.org, register, and then enter their ORCID code in the author details section of the journal system.
2. Author details, including name, surname, academic rank/institution, department name, institution name, city, country, email address, ORCID identifier, telephone number, and address, should be included on a separate page. Therefore, the article is submitted anonymously in a WORD file format.