Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Submissions are invited for both Research Papers and Research Notices.

Research Papers

Research papers are the substantive element of the Mulungushi University Multidisciplinary Journal (MUMJ). As a premier open-access platform, MUMJ welcomes high-impact original research that advances scholarship, fosters innovation, and promotes evidence-based solutions across diverse academic and professional disciplines. The journal serves as a nexus for integrated research addressing critical developmental, technological, socio-economic, and environmental challenges in Zambia, across Africa, and globally.

MUMJ invites manuscript submissions that meet the general criteria of significance, scientific excellence, and relevance to the journal's multidisciplinary scope. Papers are published approximately twelve (12) weeks after acceptance, subject to the peer review process.

Research papers submitted to MUMJ should:

• Be based on the results of a specific research project or programme, which may be theoretical or empirical in nature.
• Outline the issues addressed in the research and explain the relevance of the topic to Zambia, Africa, or the broader global context.
• Provide full details of the methodology used, including data sources, to ensure reproducibility and transparency.
• Present the results of the research in a clear, logical, and accessible manner.
• Discuss the implications and consequences of the results and, where appropriate, offer evidence-based recommendations for policy, practice, or future research.

Research papers should generally be between 5,000 to 10,000 words in length, excluding references and appendices.

Research Notices

Research notices provide an update on ongoing or planned research programmes. They should:

• Indicate the status of the research (ongoing, planned, etc.).
• Outline the rationale for the research and the perceived need for it.
• Highlight any areas where assistance would be valuable.

Research notices should generally be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

Open Access and Copyright Policy

MUMJ follows a gold open-access model, meaning:

No fees are charged to readers; all articles are freely accessible online upon publication without embargo.

Authors are required to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs) upon acceptance of their manuscript. Current rates are:

• K500 for Zambian authors
• US$100 for authors from developing nations
• US$150 for authors from developed nations
• Authors retain copyright in their work.

Work published in MUMJ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, for non-commercial purposes only, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source. Commercial use is not permitted without additional permission.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be written in English. When submitting, please upload two separate documents:

• The full manuscript with all author-identifying information removed and anonymised.

• A cover page containing: the title, all authors and their affiliations (including mailing addresses), ORCID ID numbers, and email addresses.

Except for the cover page, all pages should be numbered consecutively. Submitted manuscripts should be original research, and the names appearing on the manuscript should be those of the individuals who conducted the research. The manuscript should not be under simultaneous review by another journal or substantially resemble a manuscript under review by another journal.

Style Guidelines

Papers should adhere to the following style guidelines based on the MUMJ Article Template:

General Formatting

Element Requirement

Titles

Titles should be written in Title Case and bold. The title should be brief (preferably no longer than 15 words) but should provide enough information for reliable information retrieval.

Abstracts

An abstract of not more than 250 words is required, summarizing the research purpose, method, and findings. Authors are strongly encouraged to structure their abstracts following this pattern (omitting headings):

• Background: Situate the addressed question within a broader context and emphasize the study's purpose.
• Methods: Briefly outline the primary methods or treatments employed.
• Findings: Summarize the main findings and key outcomes.
• Conclusions: Indicate the principal conclusions or interpretations drawn from the study.

To assist in indexing the journal, a maximum of 6 keywords should be provided beneath the abstract, separated by semicolons.

Headings

• Main headings: UPPERCASE and bold (e.g., INTRODUCTION, LITERATURE REVIEW).
• Sub-headings: Sentence Case and bold (e.g., Typesetting).
• Headings under sub-headings: Sentence Case, bold, and italicized (e.g., Font and font size).

Tables and Figures

• Illustrations must be titled and numbered consecutively with Arabic numbers (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1).
• Ensure the text refers to each exhibit, and every exhibit must include a brief, descriptive caption (e.g., Table 1: Characteristics of sampled firms).
• Tables and figures should be placed as close as possible to the text where they are first cited.
• Verify that all numerical amounts add up to totals shown in the tables, and that significant digits are rounded to no more than two or three decimal places.
• All figures must be sharp and clear. Black and white photographs are acceptable, but colour photographs cannot be included.
• All graphics should be submitted as JPEG files, separately from the manuscript.
• Tables and figures should be clear and well-structured within the article content (not just copied from Excel).

Mathematical Proofs and Equations

Lengthy mathematical proofs and extensively detailed mathematical tables should be placed in an appendix (or omitted entirely). Every effort should be made to explain the proofs. Equations should be placed on a separate line, centred and numbered consecutively on the right margin.

Endnotes

Endnotes should be cited consecutively in the text. They must be double-spaced and appear on a separate page. Avoid using numerous or lengthy endnotes.

Acknowledgements

Authors may include a brief acknowledgement after the references and before the Conflict of Interest statement. This should include, where appropriate, a reference to any external funding of the research and mention of other research staff or persons involved in the research.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. If there is a conflict, it must be declared here. If none, use this standard statement: "The author(s) declare no conflict of interest."

Funding

This research received no external funding. If funded, specify the granting agency and grant number. If not, use this standard statement: "This research received no external funding."

 Provision of data

Ethics

Ai declare

References

The list of literature must be formatted according to the Harvard referencing style. However, certain disciplines may utilize discipline-specific recommended referencing styles.

In this system, entries are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the author, followed by their initials. Each entry should include the year of publication, the title of the material, the place of publication, and the name of the publisher.

References in the text should be quoted as follows: Jones (1999), or (Edge and Mood, 2001), or, if there are more than two authors, Thomas et al. (2002). If citing page numbers, use the format: Smith (1999, p. 20), Smith (1999, pp. 20-5), (Smith, 1999, p. 20) or (Smith, 1999, pp. 20-6).

If multiple works by the same author are cited from the same year, differentiate them using 1998a, 1998b, etc.

The correct format for different types of sources, such as books, journal articles, and online resources, is provided below:

Journal Article (with DOI):

Dube, K., Nhamp, G. and Chikodzi, D. (2021) 'Flooding trends and their impacts on coastal communities of Western Cape Province, South Africa', Geojournal. doi: 10.1007/s10708-021-10460-z. 

Kates, R.W., Travis, W.R. and Wilbanks, T.J. (2012) 'Transformational adaptation when incremental adaptations to climate change are insufficient', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, pp. 7156-7161.

Book:

Christie, F. and Hanlon, J. (2001) Mozambique and the Great Flood of 2000. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Book Chapter:

Danara, O.R. and Pushpalal, D. (2014) 'Building community resilience: Conceptual framework and its application in post tsunami resettlement', in Smith, J.A. (ed.) Disaster Recovery and Community Resilience. London: Routledge, pp. 45-67.

Report / Institutional Publication:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2022) AR6 WGII - Technical Summary Report. Geneva: IPCC. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/ (Accessed: 15 August 2023).

Online / Web Resource:

Research Council of Zimbabwe. (2023) Research for Empowerment Socio-Economic Transformation: Leadership Innovation and Development. Available at: www.rcz.ac.zw (Accessed: 10 August 2023).

Conference Paper / Proceedings:

Chatiza, K. (2019) 'Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe: An analysis of policy implications for post-disaster institutional development to strengthen disaster risk management', in Proceedings of the Disaster Risk Reduction Conference. Harare, Zimbabwe, 15-17 May 2019. Oxford: Oxfam GB, pp. 1-45. ISBN 978-1-78748-527-3.

If no person is named as the author, use the body or organisation as the author, for example:

UN-Habitat. (2016) Planning Sustainable Cities: Global Report on Human Settlements 2009, Routledge.