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Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Authors whose manuscripts have been accepted for publication in Ludos International Journal of Games Studies must prepare the final version according to the following guidelines. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the authors and is necessary before the manuscript can proceed to publication.

1. Manuscript File

The final manuscript must be submitted through the journal's online submission system in an editable file format accepted by the platform.

The final version must incorporate all revisions requested during the editorial and peer-review process. Authors should ensure that the final manuscript is complete, consistent and free of tracked changes, comments or annotations intended for the editorial team.

2. Language

Ludos International Journal of Games Studies accepts manuscripts in English and Spanish. The final manuscript must be written in clear, academically appropriate language and must be carefully proofread before submission.

Authors are responsible for the linguistic accuracy of their manuscripts.

3. Title and Author Information

The first page of the final manuscript must include:

  • the full title of the article;
  • the full name of each author;
  • the institutional affiliation of each author;
  • the country of each institutional affiliation;
  • the institutional or professional email address of each author; and
  • the ORCID iD of each author, where available.

The corresponding author must be clearly identified.

4. Abstract and Keywords

Each research article must include an abstract that clearly summarizes the purpose, methodology, principal findings and contribution of the study.

The abstract should be concise and informative and should normally not exceed 250 words.

Authors must provide between 4 and 6 keywords that accurately represent the main topics and concepts addressed in the manuscript.

5. Structure of Research Articles

Research articles should normally follow a structure appropriate to the nature of the study. Where applicable, the manuscript should include:

  • Introduction;
  • Theoretical framework or literature review;
  • Methodology;
  • Results or findings;
  • Discussion;
  • Conclusions; and
  • References.

Other structures may be appropriate for theoretical, conceptual, methodological, review or case-study contributions.

6. Length

Research articles should normally contain between 5,000 and 8,000 words, excluding the reference list, tables and figures.

Other types of contributions may have different length requirements. Authors should consult the editors if the proposed manuscript falls substantially outside these ranges.

7. Headings and Subheadings

Authors should use a clear and consistent hierarchy of headings and subheadings throughout the manuscript. Headings should accurately reflect the organization and content of each section.

8. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively and referred to in the text.

Each table and figure must include a clear and informative title or caption. Sources must be identified where applicable.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary permissions to reproduce copyrighted images, figures, photographs or other third-party materials.

Figures must be submitted at a resolution and quality suitable for publication.

9. Quotations and References

Ludos International Journal of Games Studies uses the American Psychological Association (APA) style, 7th edition, for in-text citations and references.

All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and all works included in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references, including digital object identifiers (DOIs) and other persistent identifiers where available.

10. Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly and only when they provide relevant additional information that cannot be incorporated appropriately into the main text.

11. Research Ethics and Integrity

Authors must ensure that the final manuscript complies with applicable ethical standards for research and publication.

Where applicable, manuscripts must include information concerning ethical approval, informed consent, data protection, conflicts of interest, funding and other relevant declarations.

12. Artificial Intelligence

Any use of generative artificial intelligence or other artificial intelligence tools in the research or preparation of the manuscript must be disclosed in accordance with the Ludos International Journal of Games Studies Artificial Intelligence Policy.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity and provenance of all content included in the manuscript.

13. Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or institutional funding received for the research and any relationships or circumstances that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.

Where no conflicts of interest exist, authors should explicitly state that there are no conflicts of interest to declare.

14. Data Availability

Where applicable, authors should provide a statement describing the availability of the data, materials, code or other resources supporting the research.

Any restrictions concerning access to research data should be clearly explained.

15. Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements may be included for individuals, institutions or organizations that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship.

Funding sources and grant information may also be identified in this section where appropriate.

16. Final Checks Before Submission

Before submitting the final manuscript, authors should verify that:

  • all requested revisions have been incorporated;
  • the manuscript contains no tracked changes or unresolved comments;
  • all authors have approved the final version;
  • the title, author information and affiliations are correct;
  • the abstract and keywords are included;
  • all citations correspond to entries in the reference list;
  • all references cited in the manuscript appear in the reference list;
  • tables and figures are correctly numbered and cited;
  • permissions for third-party material have been obtained where necessary;
  • ethical, funding, conflict-of-interest and data-availability statements have been included where applicable; and
  • any use of artificial intelligence has been appropriately disclosed.

17. Publication Preparation

After acceptance of the final manuscript, the editorial team may undertake copyediting, formatting and technical preparation before publication. Authors may be contacted during this process to resolve editorial or production queries.

The final published version will be made available through Ludos International Journal of Games Studies in accordance with the journal's open-access, copyright and licensing policies.