Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Guide for Manuscript Preparation

(1) Preliminary Evaluation Criteria Prior to Peer Review (Initial Screening):

• Completeness of all required submission files
• Originality assurance: the manuscript must not have been previously published or presented in any domestic or international journal, conference, or seminar
• Assessment of textual similarity with existing scholarly literature
• Verification of alignment between the article’s thematic scope, methodological approach, and the journal’s aims and scope
• Compliance with the journal’s formatting, authorship, layout, language, and stylistic guidelines

(2) Required Files to Upload:

Manuscripts must be entirely original and not concurrently submitted or previously published in any domestic or international publication or conference proceeding. Authors bear full responsibility for the content, accuracy, and integrity of their submissions.

Manuscripts must be prepared in Microsoft Word 2007 (or a compatible format) on A4-sized paper, with the following page margins:

• Top, bottom, and left: 2.5 cm
• Right: 3 cm

Line spacing must be set to 1.15, the layout must be single-column, and the total length must not exceed 15 pages.

The required structure of submitted manuscripts includes:

• English Title
• English Abstract
• English Keywords
• Extended English Abstract
• Persian Title
• Persian Abstract
• Persian Keywords
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion and Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References

Author Guidelines:

On the title page, author affiliations must be listed in the following order:
Full name (first name followed by family name), Position/Department or Research Institute/Faculty, University (or Institution/Organization), City, Country.

The corresponding author must be marked with an asterisk (*) and must provide:

• Institutional email address
• Full postal address
• Contact telephone number

The main body of the manuscript must be written entirely in Persian. The use of Latin-script words or English terms within the Persian text is prohibited. All English terms and references must be rendered into Persian in the main text, with their original Latin equivalents placed in footnotes.

Exception: Standardized English terms—such as statistical software names (e.g., SPSS, ArcGIS) or widely accepted technical formulas—may appear in the Methodology or Findings sections where linguistic convention or scientific clarity requires their retention.

(3) Manuscript Structure (Mandatory Sections and Subheadings):

1. English Title
2. English Abstract: 250–350 words
3. English Keywords: 3–5 terms
4. Extended English Abstract
5. Persian Title
6. Persian Abstract: 250–350 words (must not exceed 350 words)
7. Persian Keywords: 3–5 terms
8. Introduction:
   • Clearly state the research problem and objectives, supported by current and relevant scholarly literature
   • Include a comprehensive review of theoretical foundations and key prior studies, presented either narratively or in summary tables
    
9. Research Methodology:
   • Explicitly describe the research design, variables, and components under investigation
   • Specify the statistical population, sampling method, instrument validity and reliability, and data analysis techniques
     5.1 Study Area:
   • Provide a detailed description of the geographical region under study, accompanied by necessary maps
    
10. Results:
    • Present results of analyses and tests using appropriate tables and figures
    • All tables and figures must be properly referenced within the text
    • Numerical values inside tables must use Eastern Arabic (Persian) digits
    • Decimal numbers must follow Persian typographical conventions (e.g., correct: ۱۴/۵; incorrect: ۱۴.۵ or ۱۴,۵)
     
11. Discussion and Conclusion:
    • Interpret findings in light of established scientific reasoning
    • Compare and contrast results with prior studies cited in the Introduction
     
12. Acknowledgments:
    • Indicate whether the manuscript is derived from:
      (1) A funded research project (specify the sponsoring university/organization);
      (2) A Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation (include student name, supervisor name, academic discipline, and university);
      (3) Independent scholarly work by the author(s)
     

Formatting Specifications:

Citation and Referencing Style:

• In-text citations must follow the APA author–date system, formatted in parentheses as: (Family name, Year: Page number).
  Example: (Afraakhteh, 1395: 15)
• The reference list must be arranged alphabetically and include a minimum of 20 scholarly sources.
• All measurements and units must conform to the metric system.

Examples of Reference Formatting:

Book (Persian):
Afraakhteh, Hasan, & Moradi, Hooriye. (1398). Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries. Khorramabad: Lorestan University Press. (1st ed., 99 pp.)

Book (English):
Warf, B. (2006). Encyclopedia of Human Geography. London: Sage Publications.

Journal Article (Persian):
Yarahmadi, Dariush, & Sharifi, Siamak. (1396). “Assessment of Natural Environmental Hazards along the Khorramabad–Pol-e-Zal Highway Using a Non-Combat Defense Approach.” Quarterly Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards, 23, 21–45.

Journal Article (English):
Avandia, K. (2007). “Resettlement and Rehabilitation Issues in Uttaranchal (India) with Reference to Natural Disasters.” Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 16(3), 361–369.

Additional Notes:

• The editorial board reserves the right to accept, reject, or request revisions to submitted manuscripts.
• Rejected or withdrawn manuscripts will be removed from the journal’s archive after three months; the journal assumes no liability thereafter.
• Manuscripts that fail to comply with the journal’s formatting requirements will not be considered for peer review.

Important Notice Regarding Publication Fees:

Upon acceptance or entry into the peer-review process, authors are required to pay a manuscript processing and publication fee of 6,000,000 IRR (equivalent to 600,000 Toman) to the Research Vice-Chancellorship of Lorestan University.

Payment must be made electronically via: https://pay.lu.ac.ir/

During the payment process, authors must:

• Check the box confirming that the journal bears no responsibility for erroneous payments
• Select “Payment by Title”
• Under “Revenue Center,” choose “Research and Technology Vice-Chancellorship.”
• Under “Payment Group,” select “Research and Technology Management Revenues.”
• Under “Payment Title,” select “Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Regions.”

After completing the payment, the corresponding author must upload the official payment receipt (e-bill) to the journal’s submission system.