Author Guideline

  1. General Information

JP2KG AUD (Jurnal Pendidikan, Pengasuhan, Kesehatan dan Gizi Anak Usia Dini) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal published by the Early Childhood Education Teacher Education Program, Faculty of Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, in collaboration with APG PAUD and PPJ PAUD Indonesia.

The journal publishes scholarly articles addressing early childhood education, care, health, and nutrition. JP2KG AUD aims to disseminate high-quality research and scholarly discussions that contribute to the development of knowledge, professional practice, and policy in early childhood settings.

  1. General Submission Requirements

Authors must ensure that manuscripts meet the following requirements before submission:

  1. The manuscript falls within the focus and scope of JP2KG AUD.
  2. The submission presents original scholarly work and is not published previously, except where an explicitly permitted form of prior dissemination has been disclosed and accepted under journal policy.
  3. The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  4. All authors have made appropriate contributions, approved the submitted version, and agreed to the submission.
  5. All sources, data, images, tables, and other materials are appropriately cited and used with permission when required.
  6. Research involving human participants complies with applicable research ethics requirements.
  7. Any conflicts of interest, funding sources, and relevant use of artificial intelligence are disclosed.
  8. The manuscript follows the journal's formatting requirements and uses the official manuscript template, where available.

Submissions that do not meet the journal's basic requirements may be returned to authors for correction before entering peer review.

  1. Manuscript Preparation and Structure

Authors should prepare their manuscripts using clear, concise, and academically appropriate language. Manuscripts may be submitted in English or Indonesian, subject to the journal's language requirements and the availability of the corresponding submission options.

The following structure is recommended for original research articles.

  1. Title

The title should be concise, informative, and representative of the manuscript's central topic. It should identify the main research focus without unnecessary abbreviations.

  1. Author Information

Provide the full name of each author, institutional affiliation, and email address for the corresponding author. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office throughout the submission and publication process.

To facilitate blind peer review, author identities and identifying information should be provided in the designated metadata fields or a separate title page, as instructed by the submission system. The review manuscript should not contain unnecessary identifying information.

  1. Abstract

The abstract should summarize the purpose, methodology, principal findings, and conclusions of the study. It should be self-contained, accurate, and consistent with the manuscript.

Authors should avoid citations, unexplained abbreviations, and claims that are not supported by the reported findings.

The final word limit and abstract format must follow the journal's official template.

  1. Keywords

Provide relevant keywords that represent the main concepts, population, variables, or research context. Keywords should complement rather than simply repeat the entire title.

The required number of keywords should follow the journal's current template.

  1. Introduction

The introduction should establish the research context and explain why the topic is important. It should identify the relevant theoretical and empirical literature, critically synthesize previous findings, identify a research gap, and articulate the study's purpose, research questions, or hypotheses.

Authors should make the contribution of the study explicit and avoid presenting a literature review as a sequence of unrelated summaries.

  1. Methods

The methods section should provide sufficient information for readers to assess the validity and reproducibility of the research.

Depending on the study design, this section should describe:

  • Research design and rationale.
  • Research setting, participants, and sampling procedures.
  • Instruments, materials, and data sources.
  • Data collection procedures.
  • Data analysis methods.
  • Procedures for ensuring rigor, validity, reliability, or trustworthiness, as applicable.
  • Ethical approval, informed consent, and participant protection where relevant.

For research involving young children, authors should explain how children's safety, dignity, privacy, and developmental needs were protected.

  1. Results

Present the findings clearly and systematically in accordance with the research questions or analytical framework. Tables, figures, and other visual materials should be used when they improve the presentation of evidence.

Results should be based on the data collected and analyzed. Authors must not fabricate, falsify, or selectively misrepresent findings.

  1. Discussion

The discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the research questions, relevant theories, and previous studies. Authors should explain the significance of the findings, identify similarities or differences from existing evidence, and discuss theoretical, practical, or policy implications where appropriate.

The discussion should distinguish evidence-based interpretations from speculation and acknowledge alternative explanations.

  1. Conclusion

The conclusion should directly address the research objectives and summarize the principal contribution of the study. It should not merely repeat the abstract or introduce new findings.

Recommendations should follow logically from the results. Limitations and directions for future research may be included where appropriate.

  1. Acknowledgments

Authors may acknowledge individuals or institutions that contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship. Funding and other material support should be identified accurately.

  1. References

The reference list must contain all sources cited in the manuscript and must not include uncited works. Authors are responsible for ensuring that every reference is accurate and traceable.

Authors should prioritize relevant, credible, and up-to-date scholarly sources, including original research where appropriate. The final citation style must follow the journal's official template.

  1. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials

Tables and figures must be relevant to the manuscript and clearly presented. Each table and figure should have a descriptive title or caption and be cited in the text.

Authors must ensure that:

  1. All tables and figures are numbered consistently.
  2. Data and labels are legible and accurate.
  3. Previously published or third-party materials are appropriately cited and used with permission when required.
  4. Images of children and other identifiable individuals are used only when ethically justified and appropriately authorized.
  5. Supplementary materials, when submitted, are consistent with the manuscript and do not disclose confidential or identifiable participant information.
  6. Visual materials must not be manipulated in ways that distort or misrepresent research evidence.
  7. Citation and Reference Integrity

Authors must acknowledge the intellectual contributions of other researchers through appropriate citation.

Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, fabricated references, and misrepresentation of sources are unacceptable.

Authors should verify references against the original publications or reliable bibliographic records. AI-generated citations must be independently checked before inclusion.

The journal may use similarity-checking software as part of its editorial screening. Similarity reports are interpreted in context and are not, by themselves, definitive evidence of misconduct.

  1. Research Ethics Involving Young Children

Because JP2KG AUD publishes research concerning early childhood, special attention must be given to the ethical treatment of children and other potentially vulnerable participants.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  1. Research participation is voluntary and consistent with applicable ethical requirements.
  2. Parents or legal guardians provide informed permission when required, and children are engaged in developmentally appropriate assent procedures when applicable.
  3. Children's identities and personal information are protected in manuscripts, images, videos, and supplementary files.
  4. Research procedures minimize foreseeable harm, discomfort, and unnecessary intrusion.
  5. Data are collected, stored, analyzed, and shared in accordance with applicable privacy, confidentiality, and data-protection requirements.
  6. Research involving health, nutrition, developmental assessment, or sensitive family information follows relevant professional and ethical standards.

The editorial team may request clarification or supporting documentation when concerns arise about the ethical conduct of a study.

  1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

JP2KG AUD recognizes that generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may support scholarly communication when used responsibly. Their use must not compromise academic integrity, research validity, confidentiality, or author accountability.

Authors must comply with the journal's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics Policy.

In particular:

  1. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.
  2. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.
  3. Substantive use of generative AI must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's AI policy.
  4. AI-generated claims, references, analyses, and visual materials must be independently verified.
  5. AI must not be used to fabricate data, falsify findings, or misrepresent research evidence.
  6. Confidential manuscripts, identifiable participant data, and sensitive research materials must not be entered into AI systems without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

Editors and reviewers must protect manuscript confidentiality and must not delegate their professional judgment to AI tools.

  1. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

JP2KG AUD uses a blind peer-review process involving a minimum of two reviewers with relevant expertise, as described in the journal's published peer-review policy.

Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their relevance to the journal's scope, compliance with submission requirements, originality, and suitability for peer review.

Editorial decisions may include:

  1. Acceptance without revision.
  2. Acceptance subject to minor revisions.
  3. Major revision and resubmission.
  4. Rejection.

The editor makes the final decision based on the manuscript's scholarly quality, the reviewers' assessments, the author's responses, and the journal's editorial standards.

Authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewer and editor comments. The journal's published policy provides a revision period of up to four weeks following notification; authors should follow the deadline communicated for their specific submission.

  1. Revision and Resubmission

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors should:

  1. Address each reviewer and editor comment systematically.
  2. Provide a point-by-point response explaining the changes made or the reasons for not making a suggested change.
  3. Identify substantial revisions clearly, using tracked changes or another format specified by the editorial office.
  4. Ensure that all revisions are reflected consistently throughout the manuscript.
  5. Obtain the approval of all authors for the revised version.

Failure to respond adequately to substantive reviewer comments may affect the editorial decision.

  1. Publication Fees and Open Access

According to the journal's published information, JP2KG AUD does not charge article submission or article processing fees. The peer-review and publication process is provided without these charges.

JP2KG AUD provides immediate open access to its published content to support the dissemination and exchange of scholarly knowledge.

Authors should consult the journal's current website for the applicable copyright and licensing terms before submission and publication.

  1. Copyright and Licensing

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the rights and permissions necessary to publish the submitted material.

The journal's current website identifies a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Authors should review the applicable license terms and the journal's current copyright statement before submission.

Any third-party content must be appropriately attributed, and permissions must be obtained where required.

  1. Corrections, Retractions, and Publication Misconduct

JP2KG AUD is committed to addressing concerns about research and publication integrity fairly and transparently.

Potential violations include plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or falsification, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research involving children, and serious breaches of the journal's AI policy.

Depending on the nature and severity of a concern, the journal may request clarification, require corrections, suspend editorial processing, reject a manuscript, issue a correction or expression of concern, or retract a published article when warranted.

Cases will be assessed individually in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures and applicable scholarly publishing standards.

  1. Submission Procedure

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal's official online submission system:

https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jt

Authors should register or log in, complete the required submission metadata, upload the manuscript and any required supplementary documents, and follow the instructions displayed by the submission system.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all submission information is complete and accurate.