1. Language & Writing Style

• All submissions must be written in English
• Writing must be clear, concise, and of a standard appropriate for international academic publication
• Use the third person throughout (avoid ‘I’ or ‘we’ in formal sections where possible)
• Proofread carefully before submission. Manuscripts with excessive grammatical or spelling errors may be returned to the author

2. File Format

• Submissions must be in Microsoft Word format (.docx) only
• Do not submit PDFs, .doc, or any other file format
• File naming convention: TrackType_ShortTitle

5. Title Page

The title page must contain only the following elements (for blind review purposes):

• Paper title: concise, descriptive, and no longer than 20 words
• Abstract: immediately below the title (see Section 6)
• Keywords: immediately below the abstract (see Section 7)

6. Abstract

• The abstract must be self-contained and must not include citations or references
• It should clearly cover: purpose / aim, methodology, key findings or expected contribution, and significance
• Placed immediately after the paper title, before the keywords
• Do not use subheadings within the abstract

7. Keywords

• Include 4–6 keywords for full papers; 3–6 for all other tracks
• Placed on a separate line immediately after the abstract, labelled ‘Keywords:’
• Listed in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons
• Do not repeat words already in the title
• Choose terms that accurately reflect the paper’s topic, method, and domain

8. Tables and Figures

Numbering & Captions

• All tables and figures must be numbered sequentially and independently: Table 1, Table 2 … and Figure 1, Figure 2 …
• Captions for tables: placed above the table, bold, left-aligned (e.g. Table 1. Summary of AI governance frameworks)
• Captions for figures: placed below the figure, left-aligned (e.g. Figure 1. Conceptual framework of AI adoption)
• Every table and figure must be referenced in the body text before it appears (e.g. ‘as shown in Table 2’ or ‘see Figure 3’)

Quality & Format

• Figures must be of high quality , minimum 300 dpi , and clearly legible when printed in black and white
• Do not embed tables as images; use Microsoft Word table formatting
• Avoid colour in tables or figures where possible . Use shading, patterns, or line styles instead
• Ensure all text within tables and figures is at least 10pt

Source Attribution

• If a table or figure is reproduced or adapted from another source, include a source line below it
• Example: Source: Smith and Jones (2023, p. 47) / Adapted from: Brown (2022)
• Reproduce copyright-protected material only with appropriate permission

9. Equations and Formulas

• Number all equations consecutively in parentheses on the right margin: (1), (2), etc.
• Do not use plain text or screenshot images for equations
• Define all variables and symbols immediately after the equation in which they first appear
• Reference equations in the text as: ‘as shown in Equation (1)’ or ‘using (2)’

10. Referencing Style “Harvard”

Harvard referencing style must be used consistently throughout all submissions. Mixed referencing styles will result in the manuscript being returned to the author.

In-Text Citations

Reference List

• Placed at the end of the paper under the heading ‘References’
• Alphabetical order by first author’s surname
• Hanging indent: first line flush left; subsequent lines indented 1.27 cm
• Single spacing within each entry; one blank line between entries
• All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa
• Use DOI links where available
• Minimum: 20 references for full papers; 10 for short papers and case studies