Citations and References Style

This journal requires authors to adhere to a consistent and academically recognized citation format to ensure clarity, accuracy, and credibility in scholarly communication. All manuscripts must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th Edition citation and reference style. Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley or Zotero to maintain accuracy and consistency.

In-text citations should follow the APA author–date format, indicating the author’s last name and the year of publication. Direct quotations must include page numbers, while paraphrased ideas should still be properly credited to the original source. Authors must ensure that all sources cited in the text appear in the reference list and that all entries in the reference list are cited in the manuscript.

The reference list should consist of at least 80% primary and up-to-date sources, preferably from national and international reputable journals, published within the last 10 years, except for seminal works. References should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author and formatted according to APA 6th guidelines. Authors should avoid excessive self-citation, inappropriate citation padding, or citing sources that have not been consulted directly.

Each reference entry must be verified for accuracy, including authors’ names, publication year, article title, journal name, volume, issue, page numbers, and DOI (if available). Improperly formatted or incomplete references may result in manuscript revision or rejection. Authors are encouraged to model their reference formatting after previously published articles in this journal to ensure alignment with editorial standards.