Submissions

Author Guidelines

AIMS AND SCOPE

Bahir Dar Journal of Education (BJE) seeks to advance knowledge through both theoretical and empirical studies in diverse areas of education. The journal promotes the exchange of ideas among scholars, researchers, and practitioners, fostering dialogue that enriches the field. Its mission is to broaden understanding of the processes that shape and address educational issues, with particular emphasis on perspectives that contribute to the development of education in Ethiopia and beyond.

Bahir Dar Journal of Education publishes scientific and scholarly work that contributes to knowledge both incrementally and cumulatively. The journal accepts articles that advance empirical, theoretical, and methodological understanding of education and learning. Submissions are encouraged across all levels of education, reflecting the journal’s commitment to broadening perspectives and fostering scholarly dialogue within the field.

Bahir Dar Journal of Education is devoted to the multidisciplinary study of educational issues, practices, and challenges in Ethiopia and beyond. The publication covers diverse aspects of the educational process and welcomes submissions of empirical studies, review articles, reflections, editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews and short communications. Contributions addressing educational matters from all regions of the world and across all levels of education are encouraged.

AUTHOR GUIDELINES 

Authors are required to prepare manuscripts in accordance with the standard format of Bahir Dar Journal of Education (BJE) and adhere to the following author guidelines:

General Information

1. Manuscripts will be considered for publication on the condition that they have not been previously published and are not simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
2. Bahir Dar Journal of Education (BJE) publishes only original research and investigations. This does not exclude papers that have been presented orally at symposia or other proceedings.
3. The Editorial Board reserves the right to make the final decision regarding acceptance, rejection, and editorial corrections of submitted manuscripts.
4. Authors bear full responsibility for all statements made in their work, including any changes introduced during copy editing.
5. The priority and timing of publication are determined solely by the Editorial Board.

Style and Format for Contributors

Authors should adhere to the following style and format guidelines before submitting their manuscripts for publication:

Title Page:

• Include a concise and informative title for the article, avoiding abbreviations and formulas.
• Provide the names of the authors.
• Indicate the title, academic rank, and affiliation of the authors with an asterisk.
• Include the complete address of the author (institution, postal address, telephone, email) for correspondence.
• Note any relevant information regarding the manuscript such as if it is part of a series of studies at the end of the manuscript.

Authorship and Contributions

• Authors must declare their individual contributions to the research.

• If names are listed in alphabetical order, equal contribution is presumed.

• Otherwise, the degree of contribution is inferred from the order of authorship, unless explicitly indicated by the authors.

• The first author will serve as the primary contact for correspondence unless otherwise specified. Complete contact details must be provided.

Manuscript Preparation 

• Include an abstract of no more than 200 words, highlighting the purpose of the research, methods and design, principal results, and major conclusions.

• Provide three to five keywords immediately after the abstract.

• Manuscripts must be prepared using typewritten text in 11-point Times New Roman, single spacing, flush-left alignment, with 1-inch margins on all sides.

• Limit the manuscript to a maximum of 8,000 words.

• Number all pages and structure the article into clearly defined sections, following APA 7th edition guidelines for writing headings and subheadings. 

• Follow APA 7th edition guidelines for formatting figures and tables and for writing their titles or captions. 

• Avoid redundancy by not excessively describing data in the text.

• When using artwork or other graphics, provide full descriptions and bibliographic details, including creator, date created, title of the work, place of publication, publisher, and type of material.

• Follow APA 7th edition citation style. For more information, visit apastyle.org.
• Ensure that all references cited in the text are properly included in the reference list, and that all entries in the reference list are cited in the text.
• Do not cite sources in the abstract.
• For accepted but not yet published works, indicate the status as “in press.”

The complete title of the article and the names of the authors must appear only on the first page of the manuscript to ensure anonymity during the review process. Any information in the text or references that could reveal the author’s identity should be removed (e.g., citations such as “my previous work” or an excessive number of self-citations). These may be reinserted in the final draft after acceptance. Authors may also be asked to provide funding information separately at the time of submission.

Moreover, the authors have the responsibility of ensuring only new and original work is submitted and should not reproduce work that has been previously published in other journals. Similarly, they should not submit any articles that are being reviewed or considered by other journals simultaneously. However, they are only allowed to publish their work elsewhere after receiving a formal rejection from the journal or if their request to withdraw their work is officially accepted by the journal.

ARTICLE EVALUATION PROCEDURE

BJE follows a double-blind peer review process in which each manuscript is sent to three reviewers whose recommendations determine whether the paper will be accepted, accepted subject to minor changes, resubmission with significant revisions, or rejected. For manuscripts requiring changes, the editorial team ensures that reviewers’ comments are duly considered. If a manuscript is accepted, the authors are immediately notified, followed by communication regarding the possible date of publication. Upon publication, the final PDF version of the manuscript is sent to the authors.

The review process takes a maximum of three months. In general, the following steps shall be followed for submission:

1. Manuscripts are submitted to the editors of BJE.

2. Manuscripts are registered and assigned serial numbers.

3. Authors receive notification of receipt.

4. Manuscripts are presented to the Editorial Board for preliminary assessment of relevance and suitability.

5. Based on the Board’s decision, manuscripts are sent to three anonymous reviewers with expertise in the subject area.

6. Contributors are required to submit a signed copyright form confirming originality.

7. The Editorial Board reviews the referees’ comments and decides on the status of the manuscript.

8. The decision is communicated to the authors through the Editor-in-Chief.

9. Manuscripts not meeting the required standard are rejected and returned to the authors.

10. Manuscripts meeting the standard are sent back to authors for revision according to reviewers’ comments.

11. Authors resubmit revised manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief.

12. The Editorial Board reevaluates the revisions to ensure compliance with referees’ comments.

13. The Board issues its final decision on publication.

14. Authors are notified of the final decision through the Editor-in-Chief.

15. Accepted manuscripts are scheduled for publication, with authors informed of the volume and journal number.

16. Authors are requested to complete a final proofread before publication. 

Note: Authors interested in submitting manuscripts to BJE are required to create or connect their ORCID IDs.  For more information about ORCID, click the following link. What is ORCID?

ISSUES OF PLAGIARISM

Bahir Dar Journal of Education follows a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Authors should always make sure that their submitted manuscripts are original and free from any form of plagiarism. Before proceeding to the editorial process of any submitted manuscript, the journal editors will check the originality of the manuscript using Turnitin, anti-plagiarism software . The manuscript will be automatically rejected if it is found to be plagiarized material.

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE (APC)

Bahir Dar Journal of Education is an open-access journal. Hence, no APC is required to publish in the journal.