Author Guidelines

Authors are required to prepare their manuscripts using the official Inovant Article Template and comply with the following guidelines. Manuscripts that do not substantially follow the journal's template and submission requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before editorial evaluation.

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to Jurnal Inovasi Administrasi Negara Terapan (Inovant) must:

present original scholarly work relevant to the journal's Focus and Scope;
not have been previously published;
not be simultaneously submitted to or under consideration by another journal;
comply with the journal's Publication Ethics and plagiarism policies;
be written in English;
be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format; and
use the latest official Inovant Article Template.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of all content submitted to the journal.

2. Manuscript Format

Manuscripts must follow the formatting already embedded in the official Inovant Article Template.

The standard manuscript format is:

Paper size: A4 (210 × 297 mm)
Orientation: Portrait
Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides
Layout: Single column
Main font: Times New Roman
Main text: 12 pt
Alignment: Justified
Line spacing: 1.15
Paragraph spacing: 6 pt after paragraph
First-line indentation: approximately 0.75 cm, except for the first paragraph immediately following a heading

Authors should use the paragraph and heading styles already provided in the template rather than manually reconstructing the manuscript format.

The manuscript should normally contain approximately 5,000–8,000 words and must not exceed 25 pages in total, including the title, author information, abstract, tables, figures, declarations, and references.

3. Article Title

The manuscript must contain one English title only.

The title should:

be concise, specific, informative, and accurately represent the content of the manuscript;
not exceed 20 words;
avoid unnecessary abbreviations and acronyms;
avoid overly general wording;
not be written entirely in capital letters; and
not end with a full stop.

Format: Times New Roman, 16 pt, bold, centered.

4. Author Names and Affiliations

Author names must be written in full without academic or professional degrees.

Where authors have different affiliations, superscript numbers should be used to identify the corresponding institution.

One author must be identified as the corresponding author using an asterisk (*).

The affiliation should include, as applicable:

Department or Study Program, Faculty, University/Institution, City, Country

The corresponding author's active email address must be provided.

Authors are encouraged to provide a valid ORCID iD.

Formatting:

Author names: 11 pt, bold, centered
Affiliations: 10 pt, centered
Corresponding author information: as provided in the official template

The template uses superscript affiliation numbers and an asterisk to identify the corresponding author.

5. Abstract

The manuscript must contain one abstract in English.

The abstract must:

contain 150–250 words;
consist of one paragraph;
use Times New Roman 11 pt;
use single spacing;
contain no citations;
contain no tables, figures, or bullet points; and
avoid undefined abbreviations.

The abstract should concisely include:

research context or problem;
research objective;
method;
key findings; and
conclusion or main contribution.

The abstract should clearly communicate what was studied, how the study was conducted, what was found, and why the findings matter.

6. Keywords

Provide 3–5 keywords or short key phrases immediately below the abstract.

Keywords should:

represent the principal concepts or themes of the manuscript;
use terms that are relevant and searchable;
avoid unnecessary repetition of words already contained in the title; and
be separated by semicolons.

Example:

Keywords: public administration; public policy; governance; public service

The latest template specifies 3–5 keywords separated by semicolons.

7. Manuscript Structure

Original research articles should normally follow the structure below:

INTRODUCTION
METHOD
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS — optional
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
FUNDING
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
RESEARCH ETHICS STATEMENT — where applicable
AI USE DISCLOSURE — where applicable
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT — where applicable
REFERENCES

A separate Literature Review section is not mandatory. Relevant literature and the theoretical or conceptual positioning of the study should normally be integrated into the Introduction and, where appropriate, the Results and Discussion.

8. Introduction

The Introduction should establish the scholarly and practical justification for the study.

Authors should develop a coherent narrative that:

explains the research context and substantive problem;
supports important factual claims with appropriate evidence;
synthesizes relevant and current literature;
identifies the research gap;
establishes the novelty or contribution of the study; and
concludes with a clear research objective, research question, or hypothesis where relevant.

The Introduction should not consist merely of a long general background or a list of previous studies.

Recommended proportion: approximately 15–20% of the main manuscript.

9. Method

The Method section should provide sufficient information for readers to understand and assess how the research was conducted.

Authors should explain, where relevant:

research approach and design;
research setting;
unit of analysis;
population and sample;
respondents, participants, or informants;
participant or sample selection;
data sources;
data-collection procedures;
research instruments where applicable;
analytical procedures;
analytical framework or software where applicable;
validity and reliability procedures for quantitative research;
credibility, trustworthiness, or equivalent procedures for qualitative research; and
ethical procedures where relevant.

Only methodological elements relevant to the particular study need to be reported.

Recommended proportion: approximately 10–15% of the main manuscript.

10. Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion section should constitute the largest and most substantive analytical component of the manuscript.

Authors should:

present the principal findings clearly and systematically;
provide sufficient empirical evidence;
directly address the research objective or research question;
analyse findings rather than merely describe them;
interpret findings using relevant theories or concepts;
compare findings with previous studies;
explain similarities, differences, unexpected results, or important patterns;
demonstrate the scholarly significance of the findings; and
identify relevant theoretical, policy, administrative, managerial, or practical implications.

Meaningful subheadings may be used to organize major themes, dimensions, variables, or analytical findings.

Recommended proportion: approximately 45–60% of the main manuscript.

11. Subheadings

Authors may use subheadings where they improve the organization and readability of the manuscript.

The template provides up to three heading levels.

Authors should:

use the heading styles already provided in the Word template;
avoid unnecessary subdivision of the manuscript;
use meaningful descriptive headings; and
avoid excessive multilevel numbering.

A third-level heading should be used only when genuinely necessary.

12. Direct Quotations

Short quotations should remain within the normal paragraph structure and include appropriate citation.

Direct quotations of approximately 40 words or more should be formatted as block quotations using:

Times New Roman 11 pt;
single spacing;
approximately 1 cm left and right indentation; and
no quotation marks around the block quotation.

All quotations must be properly attributed to their original source.

13. Tables

Tables should be used when they improve the clarity and efficiency of presenting research evidence.

Each table must:

be numbered consecutively;
be cited and discussed in the manuscript;
contain a concise and informative title;
remain within the page margins;
be editable whenever possible rather than inserted as an image; and
include a source note where appropriate.

Table Formatting

Table caption: placed above the table
Caption font: 11 pt, bold
Table text: 10–11 pt
Line spacing: single
Design: simple and readable
Avoid unnecessary decorative formatting or excessive shading

Example:

Table 1. Characteristics of Research Participants

A source note should be placed immediately below the table where relevant, for example:

Source: Research data, 2026.

Every table must be explicitly referred to and analysed in the manuscript.

14. Figures, Graphs, and Photographs

Figures may include graphs, diagrams, models, maps, photographs, or other relevant visual materials.

Each figure must:

be numbered consecutively;
be positioned close to the paragraph in which it is discussed;
be explicitly referred to and explained in the manuscript;
remain within the manuscript's text area;
contain readable labels and text; and
include a source where appropriate.

Publication-quality images of approximately 300 dpi are recommended where applicable.

Figures should remain understandable when reproduced in grayscale.

Figure Formatting

Figure: centered
Caption: placed below the figure
Caption font: 11 pt
Source note: 10 pt, italic

Example:

Figure 1. Title of the Figure
Source: Developed by the authors, 2026.

The template applies these conventions directly to tables and figures.

15. Conclusion

The Conclusion should provide a direct and substantive answer to the research objective or research question.

Authors should:

synthesize the principal findings;
explain the study's main contribution;
identify relevant theoretical, policy, administrative, managerial, or practical implications;
acknowledge important limitations where appropriate; and
provide realistic recommendations or future research directions where relevant.

The Conclusion should not merely repeat the Results and Discussion, introduce substantial new findings, or present extensive new literature.

Recommended proportion: approximately 5–10% of the main manuscript.

16. Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgments section is optional.

Authors may acknowledge individuals, organizations, institutions, or other parties that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship.

Funding information should not be reported in this section because it must be stated separately under Funding.

Format: Times New Roman 11 pt, single spacing.

17. Author Contributions

Authors must provide a brief statement describing each author's contribution to the manuscript.

The CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy may be used where appropriate.

Example:

Conceptualization: A.A.; Methodology: A.A. and B.B.; Data Collection: B.B.; Analysis: A.A. and B.B.; Writing – Original Draft: A.A.; Writing – Review and Editing: all authors.

Format: Times New Roman 11 pt, single spacing.

18. Funding

Authors must disclose all financial support related to the research and/or publication.

If no external funding was received, use:

This research received no external funding.

Format: Times New Roman 11 pt, single spacing.

19. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, academic, or institutional interests that could potentially influence the research or publication.

If no conflict exists, use:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Format: Times New Roman 11 pt, single spacing.

20. Research Ethics Statement

A Research Ethics Statement must be provided where applicable, particularly for research involving:

human participants;
personal or confidential data;
vulnerable individuals or groups;
ethically sensitive materials; or
other research requiring ethical approval or informed consent.

The statement should report relevant information concerning:

ethical approval;
informed consent;
confidentiality; and/or
data-protection procedures.

If the section is not applicable to the study, it may be omitted from the final manuscript.

21. Artificial Intelligence Use Disclosure

Authors must disclose any substantive use of generative AI or other AI-assisted technologies in:

manuscript preparation;
analysis;
data processing;
visual generation; or
other relevant scholarly activities,

in accordance with the journal's Artificial Intelligence Policy.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and scholarly content of the manuscript.

If no reportable AI use occurred, this section may be omitted.

22. Data Availability Statement

Where applicable, authors should state whether and how the data supporting the study's findings may be accessed.

The statement should take into account relevant:

ethical restrictions;
confidentiality requirements;
legal requirements; and
institutional or data-protection obligations.

If the section is not applicable, it may be omitted.

23. References

Inovant uses the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition referencing style.

Reference Formatting

Font: Times New Roman 11 pt
Line spacing: single
Hanging indent: 1.27 cm
DOI links should use the format: https://doi.org/...

Authors must ensure that:

every in-text citation appears in the reference list;
every item in the reference list is cited in the manuscript;
bibliographic details are accurate and traceable;
DOI information is included whenever available; and
references are relevant to the manuscript's scholarly argument.

Authors should prioritize relevant literature published within the last 10 years.

Older sources may be used when academically justified, including:

seminal works;
foundational theories;
authoritative methodological literature;
legislation and regulations; and
historically important sources.

Approximately 80% of the references should preferably consist of scholarly journal articles and other appropriate primary academic sources.

Original research articles will normally use at least approximately 20 relevant scholarly references, depending on the nature and scope of the study.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reliable reference-management software such as:

Zotero
Mendeley
EndNote
or equivalent software.

The template already specifies APA 7th Edition, 11 pt references, single spacing, 1.27 cm hanging indent, recent literature priority, approximately 80% scholarly/primary sources, and normally around 20 or more relevant scholarly references.

24. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened using Turnitin before proceeding to peer review.

As a general editorial requirement:

overall similarity should not exceed 20%, excluding the bibliography/reference list; and
similarity from a single source should normally not exceed 3%.

These thresholds are used as initial editorial screening criteria and do not automatically determine whether plagiarism has occurred.

Editors evaluate the context and nature of similarities, including proper quotation, citation, attribution, methodological terminology, legislation, institutional names, and other legitimate textual overlap.

Manuscripts containing confirmed plagiarism, substantial unattributed copying, inappropriate self-plagiarism, redundant publication, or other serious integrity violations may be rejected.

25. Submission Process

Authors must submit manuscripts electronically through the official Inovant Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

Before submission, authors should ensure that:

the latest Article Template has been used;
all instructional/example text contained in the template has been replaced or removed;
author and affiliation information is complete;
the manuscript complies with the Author Guidelines;
all tables and figures are correctly positioned and numbered;
citations and references have been cross-checked;
required declarations have been completed;
the manuscript has been proofread; and
the final file is submitted in .docx format.

Submission, revision, response to reviewers, and editorial communication should be conducted through OJS whenever possible.

Author Guidelines