Geographical Research

Ethical Guidelines and Intellectual Property Rights
- All authors must sign the Authors' Introduction and Commitment Form and declare the number, order of appearance, contribution, and affiliation of authors and transfer the right of publishing to GeoRes.
- The ethical publication regulations of the Geographical Research Journal are based on the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
- All submitted articles that pass the initial screening for subject matter and structural conformity will undergo peer review by external reviewers (see the article review flowchart).
- All authors must sign the “Authors' Commitment Form”, which includes declarations regarding publication ethics, assignment of economic rights, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and authorship information. This form must be completed in English, typed, and digitally signed by all authors. By signing this form, the authors commit that "the submitted manuscript is not under review or published elsewhere, will not be submitted to any other journal during the review process, and upon final acceptance, authors must collaborate with the journal’s editorial team through layout and publication stages."
- The authors transfer all publishing rights related to the publication of the article (not the content) to the journal. The journal reserves the full authority to print and sell physical copies, publish electronically on the journal website, and distribute through various indexing databases. The resulting publishing rights remain exclusively with the journal. All authors confirm this transfer by signing the “Authors' Commitment Form”.
- All authors are required to adhere to “Research Ethics Protocols” throughout the research process. They must obtain all necessary professional and ethical approvals and submit these to the journal upon submission. Additionally, full disclosure of funding sources and any potential conflicts of interest is mandatory. The journal's research ethics policy adheres to the COPE “Guidelines on Cooperation Between Research Institutions and Journals on Research Integrity”.
- Submitted articles must not involve duplicate publication or plagiarism. The “Authors' Commitment Form” emphasizes this. Direct quotations from sources must be paraphrased. Any use of text, data, or analysis from other sources without sufficient modification will be considered plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. Even when multiple papers are derived from a single research project, identical texts and sources may not be reused. If the editor confirms plagiarism, the journal will take actions according to COPE guidelines, ranging from verbal warnings to informing the authors’ institutions and relevant authorities.
- All journals published by Afarand Scholarly Publishing Institute are open-access and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Publication Fees
Click [here] to learn about publication fees.

Article Workflow Steps
- All authors must sign the Authors' Commitment Form. Articles without this form will not be reviewed or published.
- Submitted articles are first checked for subject relevance, minimum quality, and structural conformity with journal formatting (within 72 hours). Articles that fail structural conformity may be revised up to 3 times. The first structural check is free; the second and third will incur fees. Articles still noncompliant after three revisions will be structurally rejected. To resubmit, authors must register the article as a new submission. Articles that lack thematic relevance or meet the minimum quality standards will also be rejected at this stage (see review flowchart).
- Upon passing this stage, the article will be forwarded to the editor (or relevant section editor) for selection of reviewers. The official submission date is the date the article is sent for reviewer selection. If structural requirements are not met and the article remains in the initial stage, no rights or expectations regarding acceptance are granted.
- Once reviewers are selected, at least three review responses are required, including at least one methodology/statistical reviewer. The editor then makes a decision based on the compiled reviews. If the review phase exceeds three months, authors may withdraw their article and submit it elsewhere, provided they officially inform the journal. The editor may accept or reject the article at any stage, regardless of the number of review rounds, and authors may not object to the editor’s final decision.
- If the article is neither accepted nor rejected after review, authors have 30 days to revise and resubmit it based on reviewer comments.
The adequacy of revisions is determined by the editor or an assigned delegate. This revision and evaluation process continues until a final decision is made. Authors have a maximum of 7 days to respond to further revision requests.
- In the case of rejection at any stage, authors have no right to appeal. Time spent under review does not guarantee acceptance.
- After acceptance, the article enters the editing phase. The journal editors have full authority to implement necessary edits. Authors are required to cooperate in addressing any issues. Editorial comments, unlike reviewer suggestions, are mandatory. Before typesetting, the final version is confirmed by the article submitter, whether she is the corresponding author or not. Rejection of the final version is considered withdrawal, and the article status will be terminated. In such cases, any paid fees are non-refundable.
- The article is then returned to the article submitter, whether she is the corresponding author or not, as a “galley proof” for final review and correction of any remaining faults. Approval of this version signifies the authors’ final consent. The article submitter, whether she is the corresponding author or not, is considered final for all authors. All authors are responsible for the precision and correctness of the content.
 

How to submit your article

Article admission can only be performed electronically via the GeoRes exclusive website. Please avoid submitting by postal mail or email.

The steps of electronic submission of the article are as follows:

  1- Go to the GeoRes exclusive site: georesearch.ir

  2- Select "submit an article" in the For Authors section in the left menu bar of the site.

  3- If you are a site member, you can start the process; If not, first register.

  4- Select and confirm the article type and subject(s) of the article.

  5- All parts should be filled in the other tabs. Note that even if the system confirms the submission, if the data is insufficient or the article's files are not sent in the specified order, the article will be returned to the submitter. The Main file must be a Microsoft Word file containing the whole article.

Notice: The article submitter is responsible for all affairs related to the article, and all further connections and data transmission will be made with him/her. The submitter MUST be from the authors.

Acceptable Article Formats
Accepted article types are Original Research, Theoretical Research, Qualitative Research, Systematic Review, Analytic Review, and Letter to the Editor.
 

Original Research

Description: Results from the authors’ analytical work (not purely descriptive). Must constitute at least 70% of each issue. The article sections include Introduction, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion, as detailed in the “Manuscript Preparation” section.

Authors' Limitation: According to the research size

Word Limitation: 3000 to 4000 words

References Limitation: Min. 25 and Max. 40

Diagrams Limitation: 3 to 4 (Tables, Charts, or Pictures)

Theoretical Research

Description: These are theoretical research papers written by one author according to the argumentative methods. The article sections include Introduction, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Authors Limitation: 1 author

Words Limitation: 4000 to 6000 words

References Limitation: Min. 30 and Max. 45

Diagrams Limitation: None

Qualitative Research

Description: In the fields where the direct investigation of parameters is not possible, the research can be done regarding the opinion of the experts qualitatively by appropriate documentation. The article sections include Introduction, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Authors' Limitation: 2 authors

Word Limitation: 3000 to 4000 words

References Limitation: Min. 25 and Max. 40

Diagrams Limitation: 3 to 4 (Tables, Charts, or Pictures)

Systematic Review

Description: The material of these articles is other research papers in the field that should be analyzed completely. The article sections include Introduction, Methodology, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Authors' Limitation: 2 authors

Word Limitation: 4000 to 6000 words

References Limitation: Min. 50 and Max. 60 (At least five references from the authors)

Diagrams Limitation: 1 (Tables, Charts, or Pictures)

Analytic Review

Description: Review articles written by one expert in the field of research. The Editor in Chief usually invites the author to write a review in the desired field, and this kind of article is not accepted from newcomers without enough original research in the field.  The article sections include Introduction, Sections by Author (6 to 8), and Conclusion.

Authors' Limitation: 1 author

Word Limitation: 8000 to 10000 words

References Limitation: Min. 80 and Max. 100 (At least 10 references from the author)

Diagrams Limitation: According to the author

Letter to the Editor

Description: This kind of article is written in answer to or in criticism of the published articles of the journal. The article has no sections.

Authors' Limitation: 1 author

Word Limitation: 800 to 1000 words

References Limitation: Min. 3 and Max. 5

Diagrams Limitation: No Diagrams

Manuscript Preparation
- General

The entire text should be typed as a single column (Font size: 12; Font type: Cambria; Line spacing: 1) in A4 paper size with 3cm margins from the top, bottom, left, and right of the page. The article file should contain four separate parts: Cover Page (1 page), Abstract (1 page), Text Body (several pages), References List (appropriate number according to article type) and Figures (1 figure per every 1000 words of the Text Body)

- Cover Page

1- The title of the article should be written at the top (Write the running title below the title of the article).

2- Authors must be mentioned separately in order of appearance in the article with the following data (Please notice the authorship principles from here):

First name & Surname

Academic Degree (Ph.D., MD, MSc, etc.)

Affiliation (Department/Research Center, School/Institute, University, City, Country)

(Telephone Number, Post Address, and Email are just necessary for the correspondent).

- Abstract

1- The abstract of all types of articles must have Aims, Methodology, Findings, and Conclusion sections and should be between 200 and 300 words.

Notice: The abstract lacks an introduction and is not intended as an introduction to the article. An abstract should express the maximum data related to the article in the minimum possible volume.

2- The keywords must be 3 to 6 Emtree terms. 

- Main Text
The text must consist of five separate sections.
Introduction
The introduction must not be divided into titled subsections and should consist of three parts:
1- It should begin with a clear statement of the problem and a definition of the key parameters under investigation.
2- It should then review the relevant literature to explain the necessity of conducting the research.
3- Finally, the objective of the study must be clearly stated in the form of a declarative sentence in the simple past tense; it must not be phrased as a question or hypothesis.
Note: Elements commonly found in theses/dissertations, such as conceptual models, research diagrams, etc., must be strictly avoided.
Methodology

- At the beginning, the research method must be clearly identified (not in general terms like “descriptive-analytical,” but by specifying the exact method, such as causal-comparative, pre-test–post-test, survey, etc.).
- The time and place of the study, the target population, the sampling method, the procedure for determining the sample size, and the grouping of subjects must all be clearly stated.
- The data collection tools must be described in detail (citations should be provided when necessary).
- The research process must be explained step by step with precision.
- The statistical methods and tests used must be specified, and it should be made clear which test was used for which variables.
Findings
- Findings must be written in the simple past tense only.
- Only the findings of the article should be presented, and any citation must be strictly avoided.
- All tables and charts used in this section must be referred to and must relate solely to the findings of the article itself (the use of any chart, table, or figure from other articles is strictly prohibited). Under no circumstances should the phrase “Source: Authors or Research Findings” be used for the tables.
- The use of statistical language must be strongly avoided when presenting the findings (the findings should be expressed in a way that is understandable and usable for geography specialists without requiring specialized statistical knowledge).
- All tables and charts must be prepared using a green color palette, and all their items must be in English.
Discussion
- The aim of the article should be stated at the beginning.
- By presenting the article’s findings (without repeating what was stated in the findings section), a comparison should be made between the findings and those of other articles.
- Citations should be provided to a reasonable extent, and the length of the discussion should be proportionate to the introduction.
- The findings should be interpreted as much as possible.
- At the end, the limitations of the research should be stated, and suggestions should be offered.
- The use of figures, tables, and charts in the discussion section is strictly prohibited.
Conclusion
- The overall conclusion of the article should be stated briefly and clearly in declarative sentences using the simple present tense, based on the objectives of the study. Words indicating uncertainty (e.g., "may," "sometimes," "can") must be strictly avoided.
- Footnotes must be avoided in the main text of the article. The only exception is when more than 500 words are quoted from a source, in which case the source must be cited in a footnote; a regular citation alone is not sufficient.
- Three separate numbering sequences must be used for diagrams (figures, tables, charts) within the text. Each diagram must include a caption that conveys its content independently of the main text (font size: Persian 10, English 9).
- The article must be written in Persian. The use of Roman (Latin) script for words is strictly prohibited. If a non-Persian term lacks a widely accepted Persian equivalent, it must be transliterated into Persian script. Where necessary, the original non-Persian equivalent should be provided in parentheses immediately after the Persian transliteration (under no circumstances should footnotes be used for this purpose). It is understood that the non-Persian equivalent of any specific term should appear only once, at its first mention.
- The end of the article must include the following five sections: Acknowledgments, Ethical Approvals, Conflict of Interest, Authors' Contributions, and Funding/Support. If there is nothing to report under any heading, the phrase “There is nothing to report” must be used.

References

In-text citation: Citations must be fully and correctly applied. For referencing a source, the last name of the first author and the year of publication should be placed in square brackets [...]. If more than one source is cited within the same brackets, they must be separated by a semicolon (;).
References at the end of the article: References must follow the Harvard style. All sources cited in the text should be listed alphabetically at the end of the article. All references must be written in English letters (Persian sources must be translated into English). See the Harvard Referencing Guide for details.
Important Note: Please note that only peer-reviewed sources are considered valid for use in research articles. Therefore, books, websites, conference proceedings, student theses or dissertations, and similar materials are not regarded as valid references. Only articles published in peer-reviewed journals are accepted as valid sources. Accordingly, at least 80% of the sources cited in the submitted article must be from reputable published journal articles

Figures 

1- All tables, charts, and pictures are numbered in order of appearance in the article under the unique title of “Figure”.

2- Figures must not repeat each other’s data or text data.

3- The description of the figures should be clear and complete without the need to refer to the text.

4- Each figure should be placed in a separate page in the original size and the description should be written on the same page above (tables) or below (charts and pictures).

5- In the case of charts, the original excel file (or other formats) must be sent.

All articles MUST have Acknowledgments, Ethical Permission, Authors Contribution, Conflicts of Interests, and Funding/Supports sections at the end. If there is nothing to report in each case, use “None declared by Authors”.