Author Guidelines

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL SYSTEMS (IJFS)

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

1. Before Submission

• The manuscript must be written in English and professionally proofread.
• All references cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.
• If the manuscript is written by two or more authors, one of the authors must be assigned as the corresponding author.

2. Submission

The corresponding author must submit the manuscript via the Open Journal System (OJS).

3. Review Process

All submitted manuscripts will undergo a double-blind review process. The details of the authors are anonymized to the reviewers, and vice versa. Hence, the corresponding author must submit the following files separately:

• Title Page. This file must include the paper title, authors’ full names, authors’ affiliations, and authors’ email addresses.
• Blinded Manuscript. This file must include the main body of the manuscript (including the abstract, references, figures, tables, and any acknowledgments). Please do not include authors’ details.

4. Font, Spacing, and Length

• Font type. Use “Times New Roman”.
• Font size. Use a 12-point font for body text and a 10-point font for footnotes, notes to tables/figure, and results reported in tables.
• Use double-line spacing for body text and reference list. Use single line spacing for footnotes and notes to tables/figures.
• Length of manuscript. Manuscript should not exceed 40 pages.

5. Manuscript Structure

Introduction

• Clearly state your research questions/hypotheses.
• Clearly state how your research question is new or different from the existing literature.
• Provide well-articulated motivations for the research questions.
• Support your research questions with appropriate theory.
• Explain the approach or methods taken to address research questions.
• Provide the summary of the findings.
• Explain the contributions of the paper to the literature.

Literature Review

• Summarize the key features of the existing literature.
• Identify the existing gap in the literature and how your study fills such a gap.
• Authors are encouraged to use the more recent literature (i.e., papers published in the last ten years).

Research Methods

• Recent methods or models as employed in the related, recent literature, are used.
• The use of such methods should be supported by references.
• Data, as well as how to get the data, should be properly described.

Results and Analysis

• Provide detailed discussions of your empirical results.
• Make an elaborated comparison of the results to the existing literature and identify the similarities and differences.
• Explain how the results relate to the theory.
• Consider conducting robustness checks, sensitivity analyses, or further/additional analyses.

Conclusion

• Provide concluding remarks outlining the key conclusions of the study.
• Explain the academic and/or practical implications of the results.
• Consider including the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

Disclosure

Authors are required to clearly and honestly provide the following information at the end of the article, after the Conclusion section:

• Conflict of Interest. A statement declaring whether or not there are any conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of the research.
• Funding Statement. Information regarding the source of research funding, or a statement that the research received no external financial support.
• Author Contributions. A description of each author's role based on the CRediT taxonomy (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, writing, analysis, supervision, etc.).
• Author Acknowledgement. Acknowledge individuals or institutions who contributed to the research but are not listed as authors. This section should also disclose any use of generative AI tools, including the tool’s name, version, purpose, and type of use.
• Data Availability. A statement indicating the source, accessibility, and accountability of the data used in the study. The statement should specify whether the data were obtained from open access sources, licensed databases, or are available upon request, and must affirm that the data can be responsibly accounted for by the authors.

6. Other Technical Issues

Authorship

• Each manuscript may list a maximum of five (5) authors.
• Each author may include up to two (2) institutional affiliations to reflect their academic or professional associations.
• Affiliations must clearly state the institution name, city, and country; department or study program is not required.
• Valid email addresses must be provided for all authors.

Subdivisions of the Manuscript

• The manuscript should be written with a clear division and numbered sections.
• Sections should be numbered using this format: 1, 2, 3, …
• Sub-sections should follow a hierarchical numbering system such as:
  • 1, 1.2, 1.3, … under Section 1,
  • 1, 2.2, 2.3, … under Section 2, and so forth.
• Numbering should be limited to three levels only (e.g., 2.3.1). Further sub-divisions are discouraged and should be integrated into the existing sub-sections where possible.
• Abstract, disclosure & refences are not included in section numbering.
• Appropriate headings should be provided for all sections and sub-sections, where each heading must be on a separate line.

Abstract & Keywords

• The abstract should be concise (with a maximum of 250 words) and summarizing the key issues and findings addressed by the paper.
• Immediately after the abstract, keywords (3-5 keywords) and JEL classification codes (up to four codes) have to be provided.
• It is recommended that the keywords used are not too specific.

Example

Keywords: financial system; banking regulation; capital markets; monetary policy

JEL Classification: G10; G21; E44; G28

Footnote

• Footnotes should be consecutively numbered throughout the manuscript using Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3) as superscripts placed at the end of the relevant sentence or clause.
• Footnotes are intended primarily to provide brief supplementary explanations or to direct readers to further reading, which may consist of either concise clarifications or contextual information. They should not be used as the main method of citation.
• Footnotes must be written in font size 10, with single line spacing, and placed consistently at the bottom of each page.

Table, Graph/Diagram, Figure, & Equation

Figures

• All raster figures (adopted from external sources) included in the article must be in high resolution.
• Vector figures must be submitted in their original file format (e.g., from Adobe InDesign or similar vector-based applications) by uploading an additional file during submission.

Graphs/Diagrams

• Graphs, diagrams, or flowcharts created by the author must be provided in their original design files (not screenshots).
• If the original design cannot be embedded in the article, it should be uploaded as a separate file during submission.
• All graphs/diagrams included in the article must be high resolution (HD).

Tables

• Tables must be in an editable format, such as Microsoft Word or Excel.
• Images or screenshots of tables are not allowed.

Equations

• Mathematical equations should be in an editable format, using tools such as Microsoft Equation, MathType, or MathMagic embedded in Microsoft Word.

• Models and mathematical formulas should be consecutively numbered throughout the paper using this format: (1), (2), …

• Screenshots of equations are not permitted.

Citation

• As an example, references in body text should appear as follows: “Chiaramonte et al. (2021) investigate the …” and “Our empirical findings are consistent with prior studies (e.g., Acharya & Rian, 2016; Chiaramonte et al., 2021) …”
• Direct quotations, such as those from interviews, legal documents, or official statements, must be formatted in single spacing, indented by one tab, and italicized to distinguish them from the main body of text.
• All figures, graphs/diagrams, tables, and equations must be explicitly cited and explained in the main text of the article.

Referencing Style

• The reference list should appear at the end of the body text (i.e., after the conclusion section but before the list of tables/figures).
• The author has to use the American Psychological Association 7^th Edition (APA 7^th) referencing style.
• References should be single-spaced and listed in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname (last) name.
• References in local languages may be transliterated (not translated) into English to maintain accuracy and consistency.
• The composition of references should consist of at least 80% from reputable scientific journals, and a maximum of 20% from other sources such as official reports or institutional documents.
• Prioritize references published within the last ten years, except for foundational theories (e.g., Theory of Planned Behaviour, Ajzen, 1985).
• All journal articles and book chapters must include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) when available to ensure accessibility and accuracy.
• Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management tools to maintain consistency and synchronization between in-text citations and the reference list.

Reference Example

Journal Articles

Acharya, V. V., & Ryan, S. G. (2016). Banks’ financial reporting and financial system stability. Journal of Accounting Research, 54(2), 277-340. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12114

Chiaramonte, L., Dreassi, A., Girardone, C., & Piserà, S. (2022). Do ESG strategies enhance bank stability during financial turmoil? Evidence from Europe. The European Journal of Finance, 28(12), 1173-1211. https://doi.org/10.1080/1351847X.2021.1964556

Book

Gąsiorkiewicz, L., & Monkiewicz, J. (2024). Digital finance and the future of the global financial system: Disruption and innovation in financial services. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003264101

Official Report

PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2024). A year of solving together: Global annual review 2024. PricewaterhouseCoopers.https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/global-annual-review/2024/pwc-global-annual-review-2024.pdf

Webpages

Reuters. (2025, July 10). Australia takes another step toward a central bank digital currency. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/australia-takes-another-step-toward-central-bank-digital-currency-2025-07-10/

AI Usage

• Generative AI may be used for limited purposes, among others for idea development, language editing, literature classification, LLM-based searches, and coding assistance, provided that there is substantial author intervention and critical oversight.
• It must not be used to generate full texts or code, replace valid scientific methods, or produce data without a sound methodological basis.
• The use of AI to manipulate images, tables, graphs, or scientific data is prohibited.
• Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy and originality of the manuscript, including any AI-generated content.
• Any use of AI should be clearly disclosed in the manuscript, including the tool name, version, purpose, and type of use, and placed in the Acknowledgments section.

Copyright

Authors will be asked to complete a Statement of Authorship  and a Copyright Transfer Form upon the acceptance of their manuscript. The corresponding author should be responsible for completing the forms and obtaining the signatures of all authors.