Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering TINOMBALA: Journal of Language Education and Social Sciences for the publication of your research. To facilitate an efficient and rigorous editorial and peer-review process, authors are requested to follow these guidelines carefully. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's basic submission and formatting requirements may be returned to the authors for technical revision before proceeding to peer review.

1. Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript presents original work that has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration by another journal.
  • The manuscript is submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).
  • The manuscript has been prepared for double-blind peer review. Author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, funding information that could identify the authors, and other identifying information should be removed from the anonymized manuscript.
  • The manuscript has been checked for plagiarism and inappropriate text overlap using Turnitin, iThenticate, or another recognized similarity-detection tool. Similarity reports are considered as part of the editorial screening process, and authors may be asked to revise or clarify substantial or inappropriate textual overlap.
  • All authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission to TINOMBALA.
  • Where applicable, the manuscript includes statements concerning research ethics, informed consent, funding, conflicts of interest, data availability, and other relevant declarations.

2. Manuscript Structure

Research articles should normally contain approximately 5,000–7,000 words, including references, tables, and figures. The journal may consider manuscripts outside this range when their length is justified by the nature and contribution of the research.

Manuscripts should generally be organized as follows:

Title

The title should be concise, informative, specific, and accurately reflect the central focus of the study. Titles should normally not exceed 15 words.

Abstract

The abstract should consist of a single paragraph of approximately 150–200 words. It should clearly communicate:

  • the research problem or objective;
  • the methodological approach;
  • the principal findings; and
  • the main theoretical, scholarly, or practical implications.

The abstract should be understandable independently of the main manuscript and should avoid unnecessary citations and unexplained abbreviations.

Keywords

Provide 3–5 keywords or key phrases that accurately represent the main concepts, variables, populations, contexts, or disciplinary areas addressed in the manuscript. Keywords should facilitate indexing and discoverability.

Introduction

The Introduction should establish the research context and significance, identify the research problem or knowledge gap, critically engage with relevant literature, establish the theoretical or conceptual foundation where appropriate, and clearly state the research objectives or questions. Authors should demonstrate how the study contributes to existing scholarship in language education, applied linguistics, or relevant interdisciplinary areas of the social sciences.

Literature Review / Theoretical or Conceptual Framework

Where appropriate, manuscripts should provide a critical synthesis of relevant literature and establish the theoretical or conceptual perspectives underpinning the study. Literature should be used analytically rather than presented as a descriptive list of previous studies.

The placement and structure of this section may vary according to the research design and disciplinary conventions of the manuscript.

Methods

The Methods section should provide sufficient information to establish the methodological rigor and transparency of the study. Depending on the research design, this may include:

  • research design and rationale;
  • participants, population, or data sources;
  • research setting and context;
  • sampling procedures;
  • instruments or data-collection procedures;
  • ethical procedures and informed consent;
  • data-analysis procedures; and
  • measures taken to establish validity, reliability, trustworthiness, or research quality where appropriate.

Results / Findings

The Results or Findings section should present the evidence generated by the study clearly and systematically. Tables, figures, quotations, or other forms of evidence should be used where appropriate and should directly support the research questions or objectives.

Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to relevant theories, previous research, and the research questions or objectives. Authors should explain the significance of their findings, identify areas of convergence or divergence with previous studies, and articulate the theoretical or scholarly contribution of the research.

Results and Discussion may be presented as separate sections or as an integrated Results and Discussion section, depending on the nature of the study.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should synthesize the principal findings and contributions of the study rather than simply repeat the Results section. Where appropriate, authors should discuss limitations and provide implications for research, theory, educational practice, policy, or other relevant stakeholders.

References

All works cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and all references listed must be cited in the manuscript. Authors should use current and relevant scholarly literature and prioritize peer-reviewed academic sources.

TINOMBALA recommends that the majority of references, where appropriate to the field, consist of recent scholarly publications while retaining seminal works that are theoretically or conceptually necessary.

3. Scope and Research Content

TINOMBALA primarily publishes research in language education, applied linguistics, and related interdisciplinary areas of the social sciences. Manuscripts should demonstrate a clear connection to the journal's aims and scope.

Relevant areas include, but are not limited to:

  • language teaching and learning;
  • English language education and other language education contexts;
  • applied linguistics and language studies;
  • language teacher education and professional development;
  • curriculum, pedagogy, and instructional practices;
  • language assessment;
  • sociolinguistics and multilingualism;
  • psycholinguistics and language development;
  • literacy and language education;
  • discourse and communication;
  • language policy and planning;
  • educational technology and digital language learning;
  • artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in language education;
  • language, culture, identity, and society; and
  • interdisciplinary research connecting language education with education, psychology, sociology, communication, cultural studies, and other relevant social sciences.

Educational Practice and Action Research

Manuscripts addressing classroom, teacher-development, or community-based interventions should provide a clear description of the intervention or implementation process, research design, evidence of outcomes, and critical reflection on the findings.

Qualitative and Interpretive Research

Qualitative studies should clearly explain their research design, participant or data selection, data-collection procedures, analytical approach, and strategies for establishing credibility or trustworthiness.

Interview excerpts, field notes, discourse samples, or other qualitative data should be presented selectively and accompanied by appropriate analytical interpretation.

Technology-Enhanced and AI-Related Research

Studies involving digital technologies, artificial intelligence, online platforms, or other emerging technologies should clearly establish their relevance to language education or related social-science inquiry. Authors should explain the research context, technological intervention or phenomenon examined, methodological procedures, and evidence supporting the reported outcomes or interpretations.

4. Technical Formatting

Authors should prepare manuscripts according to the official TINOMBALA template.

Unless otherwise specified in the template:

  • Font: Book Antiqua, 12 pt
  • Line spacing: 1.15 or as specified in the official template
  • Margins: 1.5 cm on all sides
  • Headings: A maximum of three hierarchical levels (e.g., 1., 1.1, 1.1.1)
  • Tables and figures: Numbered consecutively and referred to appropriately in the manuscript
  • Abbreviations: Defined at first use and used consistently thereafter

Authors should prioritize consistency in terminology, headings, tables, figures, citations, and references throughout the manuscript.

5. Citations and References

TINOMBALA follows the APA Style, 7th Edition for in-text citations and reference lists.

Examples of in-text citations include:

  • Parenthetical citation: (Author, Year)
  • Narrative citation: Author (Year)
  • Direct quotation: (Author, Year, p. xx)

Reference Examples

Journal article

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xx.xxx

Book

Author, C. C. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Authors should ensure that DOI information is provided whenever available and that all bibliographic information is accurate and complete.

6. Language Requirement

All manuscripts must be written in English. Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts demonstrate clear, grammatically accurate, coherent, and academically appropriate English.

Manuscripts that require substantial language revision may be returned to the authors before or during the editorial process.

7. Research Ethics and Informed Consent

Authors are responsible for ensuring that research involving human participants complies with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Where applicable, manuscripts should include an appropriate statement regarding:

  • ethical approval or exemption;
  • informed consent;
  • participant confidentiality and anonymity;
  • protection of personal or sensitive information; and
  • permissions for the use of photographs, recordings, or other identifiable materials.

For research involving students, teachers, children, communities, or other potentially vulnerable participants, authors should provide sufficient information regarding the ethical safeguards implemented in the study.

Authors must not disclose personally identifiable information without appropriate consent and authorization.

8. Research Integrity and Publication Ethics

Authors must comply with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. Manuscripts must not contain fabricated or falsified data, plagiarism, inappropriate text reuse, duplicate publication, or other forms of academic misconduct.

Authors should also disclose:

  • sources of research funding;
  • relevant conflicts of interest;
  • contributions of individual authors where applicable; and
  • any use of third-party materials requiring permission.

9. Manuscript Template

Authors are strongly encouraged to use the official TINOMBALA manuscript template when preparing their submissions. The template provides detailed guidance on manuscript structure, formatting, tables, figures, citations, and references.

Official TINOMBALA Manuscript Template:
https://acesse.one/tmc3D