Author Guideline
At a Glance
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Language | Clear, scholarly English |
| Article types | Original research (3,000–7,000 words), review (≤8,000), short communication (≤2,500) |
| Files at submission | Title Page + blinded manuscript (.doc/.docx, official SJE template) |
| Abstract & keywords | Structured abstract ≤250 words; 3–6 keywords |
| References | Numbered style; DOIs where available |
| Required statements | CRediT, Funding, Conflict of Interest, Data Availability (Ethics/AI where applicable) |
| Peer review | Double-blind, at least two reviewers |
| Charges | None (no submission fee, no APC) |
1. General Information
Sriwijaya Journal of Environment (SJE) publishes peer-reviewed scholarly work in applied environmental science and engineering, with particular attention to tropical ecosystems, environmental challenges in developing-country contexts, and studies that connect local or regional evidence to global environmental debates. SJE welcomes manuscripts that demonstrate methodological rigour, international relevance, ethical transparency, and clear implications for environmental policy, management, or practice.
All manuscripts must be written in clear, scholarly English and submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript is complete, original, ethically compliant, and prepared according to these Author Guidelines before submission. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s scope, format, ethics, or reporting requirements may be returned to authors or desk-rejected before peer review.
SJE does not charge authors at any stage of the editorial or publication process. There is no submission fee, no article processing charge (APC), and no page or colour charge. Editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope.
2. Article Types
SJE considers the following manuscript types:
2.1 Original Research Article
A full report of original empirical, experimental, computational, modelling, field-based, laboratory-based, or policy-relevant environmental research.
Recommended length: 3,000–7,000 words, excluding references, tables, and figure captions.
2.2 Review Article
A systematic, scoping, bibliometric, critical, or integrative review that synthesises current knowledge and provides a clear contribution to the field. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must follow PRISMA.
Recommended maximum length: 8,000 words.
2.3 Short Communication
A concise report of a novel method, dataset, preliminary but important finding, technical note, or focused environmental observation with clear scholarly value.
Recommended maximum length: 2,500 words.
The journal prioritises original research articles. Review articles are welcomed when they are methodologically robust, timely, internationally relevant, and clearly aligned with the journal’s scope.
3. Scope Fit and Desk Screening
Before submission, authors must ensure that the manuscript fits the journal’s aims and scope. The manuscript should address one or more of the following thematic areas:
- Water and wastewater treatment, including constructed-wetland and nature-based solutions;
- Environmental pollution, monitoring, risk assessment, and remediation of water, air, and soil;
- Solid waste management, resource recovery, and circular-economy approaches;
- Ecology, biodiversity conservation, and environmental and public health;
- Climate change adaptation, mitigation, and environmental sustainability;
- Sustainable environmental infrastructure, geospatial analysis, and remote sensing of natural resources.
SJE does not consider activity reports without a research methodology, purely descriptive local studies that do not engage with international literature, manuscripts outside environmental science and engineering, opinion pieces lacking empirical or data basis, or manuscripts that do not demonstrate a clear scholarly contribution.
4. Files Required at Submission
Authors must prepare and upload the following files:
4.1 Title Page File
The Title Page file includes article title, article type, author names, affiliations, ORCID identifiers, corresponding author details, author contributions, funding, conflict of interest, data availability, ethics approval/consent where applicable, acknowledgements, and AI Use Statement where applicable.
4.2 Blinded Manuscript File
The main manuscript must be prepared for double-blind peer review. It must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, institutional identifiers, grant information that reveals author identity, or other self-identifying information.
4.3 Cover Letter
A brief statement explaining the manuscript’s originality, scope fit, contribution to the field, and confirmation that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
4.4 Figures and Tables
Figures and tables may be embedded in the manuscript and, where required, uploaded as separate high-resolution editable/source files.
4.5 Reporting Guideline Checklist
Required where applicable, such as PRISMA for systematic reviews, STROBE for observational studies, CONSORT for intervention trials, ARRIVE for animal studies, or other recognised guidelines appropriate to the study design.
4.6 Ethics Approval / Consent Documentation
Required where applicable for human participants, human data, human tissue, identifiable participant images, animal studies, or environmentally sensitive data.
4.7 Supplementary Materials
Datasets, code, additional tables, instruments, questionnaires, maps, protocols, or appendices where needed to support reproducibility.
5. Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts must be submitted as editable files (.doc or .docx) using the official journal template. PDF files are not accepted as the main submission file. The manuscript should be written in concise academic English. Authors are encouraged to use professional language editing before submission if needed.
Recommended manuscript structure:
5.1 Title
The title must be concise, specific, and informative, preferably no more than 20 words. The title should reflect the study design, key topic, and context where relevant.
5.2 Abstract
Authors must provide a structured abstract of no more than 250 words with the following headings:
- Background
- Objective
- Methods
- Results
- Conclusion
The Results section should include principal quantitative findings where applicable. Avoid undefined abbreviations and citations in the abstract.
5.3 Keywords
Provide 3–6 keywords that support discoverability and do not merely repeat title words.
5.4 Introduction
Present the study context, international literature, explicit research gap, and the manuscript’s contribution. End with a clear objective, research question, or hypothesis.
5.5 Materials and Methods
Provide sufficient detail for reproducibility, including study design, location, sampling strategy, instruments, variables, procedures, laboratory methods, modelling approach, statistical analysis, software, and ethical approval where applicable.
The heading “Experimental” should not be used as a general replacement for Materials and Methods.
5.6 Results
Present findings clearly and logically. Tables and figures must be self-explanatory and should not duplicate the same information unnecessarily.
5.7 Discussion
Interpret findings in relation to international literature, explain mechanisms where relevant, discuss environmental or policy implications, acknowledge limitations, and propose future research directions.
5.8 Conclusion
Provide a concise conclusion supported by the data. Avoid overstatement, unsupported policy claims, and repetition of the abstract.
5.9 Back Matter
The following sections are required before the References:
- Author Contributions
- Funding
- Conflict of Interest
- Data Availability Statement
- Ethics Approval and Consent, where applicable
- AI Use Statement, where applicable
- Acknowledgements
5.10 References
Use the journal’s numbered reference style. References should be primary, current, and relevant; the majority should preferably be from the last seven years. DOI must be included where available.
6. Title Page Requirements
The Title Page must include:
- Full manuscript title;
- Article type;
- Running title where applicable;
- Full names of all authors;
- Complete affiliations: department/unit, institution, city, country;
- ORCID for the corresponding author, and recommended for all authors;
- Corresponding author’s e-mail address and full contact details;
- Author Contributions statement;
- Funding statement;
- Conflict of Interest statement;
- Data Availability Statement;
- Ethics Approval and Consent statement, where applicable;
- AI Use Statement, where applicable;
- Acknowledgements.
The Title Page is not sent to reviewers during double-blind peer review.
7. Double-Blind Review Preparation
SJE operates double-blind peer review. Authors must submit a blinded manuscript file that does not reveal author identity.
Authors should remove:
- Author names and affiliations;
- Acknowledgements;
- Institutional ethics identifiers that directly reveal the institution, where anonymisation is appropriate;
- Grant numbers or project names that reveal author identity, where anonymisation is appropriate;
- Self-identifying statements such as “in our previous study at Universitas Sriwijaya…”;
- Author information in document properties and file names.
Self-citations should be written neutrally. Authors should not remove necessary references, but wording should not disclose authorship.
8. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship follows the criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). An author must satisfy all four conditions:
- Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation;
- Drafting or critically revising the work;
- Final approval of the version to be published;
- Accountability for all aspects of the work.
Contributors who do not meet all authorship criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are prohibited. A contributorship statement using the CRediT taxonomy is required. Any change to the author list after submission requires written agreement from all authors and approval by the Editor-in-Chief.
Example Author Contributions statement:
“A.B. conceived the study and designed the methodology; C.D. collected and analysed the data; A.B. and C.D. drafted the manuscript; all authors reviewed and approved the final version.”
9. Research Ethics, Human Participants, Animals, and Consent
Research involving human participants, human data or tissue, identifiable participant images, or animals must comply with recognised ethical standards.
For studies involving humans, authors must state that the research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by a named research ethics committee. The approval number and approval date must be stated in the manuscript. Informed consent must be obtained where applicable.
For animal studies, authors must confirm compliance with applicable institutional and national guidelines and, where appropriate, ARRIVE reporting guidance.
Manuscripts that require ethics approval but do not provide it will not be considered. The editor may request original approval documentation at any stage.
Environmental Research Ethics, Permits, and Biodiversity
As a journal of environmental science and engineering, SJE requires authors to observe the additional ethical and legal standards that apply to environmental and biodiversity research:
- Permits and authorisations. Field sampling, collection of specimens, and work in protected areas must be covered by the relevant national and local permits and by landowner permission. Permit numbers and issuing authorities must be stated in the manuscript.
- Access and benefit-sharing (Nagoya Protocol). Research using genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge must comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing, including access permits and mutually agreed terms where applicable.
- Endangered and sensitive species. Authors must comply with CITES and applicable conservation legislation. Precise locality data for rare, endangered, or commercially exploited species should be generalised or withheld where disclosure could facilitate harm; such details may be provided confidentially to the editor.
- Indigenous peoples and local communities. Research involving Indigenous peoples or local communities, their lands, or their knowledge must follow the principle of free, prior, and informed consent and the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, alongside the FAIR data principles.
Manuscripts that require such permits or approvals but do not provide them will not be considered, and the editor may request the original documentation at any stage.
10. Conflict of Interest and Funding
All authors must declare any financial, personal, institutional, or professional relationship that could be perceived to influence the work.
If no conflict exists, authors should state:
“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
All sources of funding must be disclosed, including grant numbers where applicable. Authors must state the role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript writing, and the decision to publish.
If the funder had no role, this must be stated explicitly.
Example Funding statement:
“This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”
11. Data Availability and Research Materials
Every original research article must include a Data Availability Statement describing how the data underlying the findings can be accessed. Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in a trusted discipline-appropriate repository and cite the dataset with a persistent identifier such as a DOI where available.
Acceptable statements include:
Data openly available
“The dataset supporting the findings is available in [repository], DOI/URL: [link].”
Data available on request
“Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to ethical approval.”
Data restricted
“Data cannot be publicly shared due to privacy, legal, or ethical restrictions; the restriction is explained as follows: [explanation].”
Not applicable
“Data availability is not applicable because this article is a conceptual review/editorial.”
Statements must accurately reflect the true availability of the data. For computational studies, authors are encouraged to share analysis code where feasible.
12. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies
Authors may use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies for language editing, formatting, coding support, or the organisation of ideas, provided that such use is disclosed in an AI Use Statement specifying the tool and purpose.
Generative AI cannot be listed as an author because it cannot take responsibility for the work. Authors remain fully and solely responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, data, analysis, citations, and conclusions of the manuscript.
Undisclosed use of AI that affects the integrity of the work will be treated as a breach of publication ethics.
Example AI Use Statement:
“During the preparation of this work, the authors used [tool] to improve the language of the manuscript. The authors reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for it.”
If no generative AI was used, authors may state:
“No generative AI or AI-assisted tool was used in the preparation of this manuscript.”
13. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening
Every submission is screened for textual similarity using recognised software before peer review. Similarity is interpreted in context rather than as an automatic threshold.
The editor examines the source and location of overlap, distinguishing standard methods, properly attributed material, and the authors’ own prior work from substantive copying.
Minor, well-attributed overlap may be resolved through revision. Substantial unattributed overlap, self-plagiarism that misrepresents novelty, duplicate publication, image duplication, or data duplication may result in rejection and, where warranted, an ethics investigation.
14. Reporting Guidelines
Authors must follow the reporting guideline appropriate to their study design and submit the relevant checklist where applicable.
Examples include:
- PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
- STROBE for observational studies;
- CONSORT for intervention or clinical trials;
- ARRIVE for animal studies;
- Other recognised guidelines appropriate to the design.
The checklist should be uploaded as a supplementary file. Manuscripts may be returned before review if a required reporting checklist is missing.
15. Figures, Tables, Units, and Supplementary Material
Figures must be clear, legible at publication size, and at least 300 dpi where applicable.
Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively, cited in the text, and supplied with informative captions. Tables should be editable and not submitted as images unless scientifically necessary.
Use SI units throughout the manuscript. Define abbreviations at first use.
Supplementary material should be clearly labelled and cited in the main text.
16. References
References must be accurate, complete, and consistently formatted in the journal’s numbered reference style.
Authors should prioritise primary, recent, and relevant literature, including international sources where appropriate. DOI should be provided for references where available.
Authors should avoid excessive self-citation, citation padding, citation cartels, and irrelevant citations. Citations must be included because they are scholarly necessary, not to influence metrics.
17. Suggested Reviewers
Authors may optionally suggest potential reviewers with relevant expertise.
Suggested reviewers must include:
- Full name;
- Institutional affiliation;
- Institutional e-mail address;
- Country;
- ORCID and/or Scopus Author ID where available;
- Area of expertise;
- A statement that there is no conflict of interest.
The editor is not bound to use suggested reviewers. Reviewer selection is made independently by the editorial team, and all reviewers are verified before invitation.
Authors may also request the exclusion of specific reviewers with clear reasons.
18. Peer Review and Editorial Decision
Submissions that pass initial editorial screening are evaluated through double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers.
Reviewers assess originality, novelty, methodological rigour, ethical compliance, validity of results, quality of discussion and references, and clarity of presentation.
Editorial decisions include:
- Reject;
- Major revision;
- Minor revision;
- Accept.
Revised manuscripts must be accompanied by a point-by-point response to reviewers.
Acceptance is never guaranteed and is not influenced by author payment, institutional affiliation, nationality, seniority, or any commercial interest.
19. Article Processing Charges and Open Access
SJE does not charge submission fees, article processing charges, page charges, or colour charges.
All articles are published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.
20. Submission Preparation Checklist
Before submitting, authors must confirm that:
- The manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere;
- The manuscript fits the journal’s aims and scope;
- The manuscript follows the official template and Author Guidelines;
- A Title Page and Blinded Manuscript are uploaded separately;
- A structured abstract of ≤250 words and 3–6 keywords are included;
- ORCID is provided for the corresponding author;
- All affiliations include department/unit, institution, city, and country;
- Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, Data Availability, Ethics Approval/Consent where applicable, AI Use Statement where applicable, and Acknowledgements are included;
- The relevant reporting-guideline checklist is attached where applicable;
- References are complete and include DOI where available;
- Figures and tables are complete, legible, numbered, and cited in the text;
- The manuscript has been blinded for double-blind peer review;
- Any use of generative AI has been disclosed;
- All authors have approved the manuscript and agree to submission.
21. Contact
Questions about manuscript preparation should be directed to the Editorial Office through the official journal contact listed on the SJE website. Authors should use only the official SJE website and official journal e-mail address for submission and correspondence.
Documents for Submission:
