GUIDE for Authors

Manuscript Preparation

Article Structure. Submitted article shall consist of the following sections/parts:

1. Abstract which includes at five key words and shall not be more than 250 words.

2. Introduction which includes background, brief review of pertinent published literatures on the subject, rationale/establishment of the gap, statement of the problem, specific objectives of the study, theoretical/conceptual framework.

3. Methodology which includes research design, locale of the study data gathering procedures and statistical procedures, if necessary.

4. Results and Discussion which include presentation of the key results with corresponding discussion, analysis or interpretation. Tables and other illustrative materials may be used.

5. Conclusion and Recommendations

6. List of References

7. Author’s Bionote which includes professional affiliation, contact information and research interests.

Language. The Mindanao Forum accepts manuscripts written in English (American English spelling preferred) and Filipino provided that an English translation of the abstract is included for the wider audience. Mindanao Forum also advocates for a bias-free language in gender, age and ethnicity so as to promote inclusivity, respect and political correctness.

Font and spacing. All texts, except for the list of references, should be double spaced with font size 12. Prescribed font is Times New Roman. First line of the paragraphs should be indented eight spaces to the right.

Length. Manuscripts shall be at least 3,000 words and not more than 5,000 words.

Technical Aspects

Quotations. All quoted words, phrases and sentences shall be enclosed in double quotation marks. Quotations within quotations should be enclosed in single quotation marks. Quotations longer than four lines may be set off from the text as block quotations. Page number(s) shall be indicated.

Example:

In Gonçalves’ book Conversations of Intercultural Couples (2013), she cites lines from Breger and Hill (1998) which elaborate this stance. To them, being involved in an intercultural marriage:

“can be an intimate performance of juggling identities and the ideologies associated with them, a dance sometimes threatening to perform as well as to behold. It is sometimes enriching, but always calls into question deeply held assumptions about the nature of one’s own identities, and those of one’s reference groups (p. 7-8).”

Quotations in Filipino shall be translated into English.

Italic. Italicize non-English terms or phrases in manuscripts written in English, and italicize English language terms or phrases in manuscripts written in Filipino.

Headings and Labels.

First-level heading: Title Case Heading, bold and center

Second-level heading: Flush left, bold, Title Case Heading

Text begins as a new paragraph

Third-level heading: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading

Text begins as a new paragraph.

Fourth-level heading: Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period.

Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Example:

Methodology

Data Gathering Procedure

This study utilizes focus group discussion and in-depth interviews as data gathering procedures…

Focus Group Discussion

Five focus group discussions (FGD) with students and faculty members as participants were conducted.

Group 1 Focus Group Discussion. Group 1 is consisted of out-of-school youths, counselors as participants.

Section Labels. Section labels include “Author Note,” “Abstract,” the paper title at the top of the first page of text, “References,” “Footnotes,” and “Appendix A” (and other appendix labels). Place section labels on a separate line at the top of the page on which the section begins, in bold and centered.

Table and illustration. Labels of tables should be placed at the top while labels of figures should be placed at the bottom section. Keep all labels as close as to the tables and figures as possible. Labels should be set in sentence case, end with a period, and labelled with Arabic numerals (e.g.: Table 1, Figure 1).

If data for table and figure are taken from another source, include the source. Author holds responsibility for acquiring permission from the appropriate owner, publisher, author etc. of the cited table and/or figure.

Notes. Use footnotes only to a minimum. All notes should be numbered in sequence in Arabic numeral, and placed at the end of the main text.

References and text citations. Use American Psychological Association format in referencing. For in-text citations, follow author-date format. Each citation must agree in both name and date to the reference list. Each citation must be found in the reference list, accordingly. The reference list should be single-spaced with the first line hanging. The author holds responsibility to ensure the accuracy of both in-text citations and reference list. Please refer to these examples or check https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/ for further guidelines.