1. About Submission

The AHABA Journal of Creative Arts (AJCA) welcomes original scholarly work and creative practice from Nigeria, Africa, and the global community. All submissions are assessed by an editor to determine fit with the journal’s aims and scope. Suitable manuscripts proceed to rigorous double-blind peer review before a final decision is reached.

Before submitting, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission (photos, documents, datasets, artworks). All named authors must consent to be identified as authors, and research involving human participants must have received ethical approval in line with the legal requirements of the study’s country.

An editor may desk-reject a submission that does not meet minimum standards of quality or falls outside the journal’s scope. Manuscripts must be original, properly structured, and clearly articulated.

2. Manuscript Types

• Original Research Articles — Empirical or theoretical studies in any creative arts discipline (6,000–8,000 words).
• Review Articles — Critical syntheses of existing literature on a clearly defined theme (5,000–7,000 words).
• Critical Essays — Focused scholarly arguments on aesthetics, theory, or contemporary practice (4,000–6,000 words).
• Creative Works — Original poetry, short fiction, drama, or portfolios of visual/performance work accompanied by a scholarly framing note (1,500–4,000 words or equivalent).
• Practice Reports — Reflective accounts of studio, performance, or curatorial projects (3,000–5,000 words).
• Book & Exhibition Reviews — Critical reviews of recent publications or exhibitions (1,000–2,000 words).

3. Formatting Requirements

• Word processor: Microsoft Word (.docx) or rich text. Do not submit PDFs as the primary manuscript file.
• Font & spacing: Times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced, justified text with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.
• Page setup: Continuous line numbering is appreciated to ease the review process.
• Length: Manuscripts should conform to the word limits of the chosen article type (excluding references and appendices).
• Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Non-native speakers are encouraged to have their manuscript edited before submission.
• Headings: Use a clear hierarchy (numbered: 1., 1.1., 1.1.1.) with title case for major headings.

4. Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should be arranged in the following order:

1. Title page (separate file) — article title, all authors with full names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, and the corresponding author’s institutional email and phone number.
2. Abstract — a single paragraph of 200–250 words that states the purpose, methods, key findings, and significance of the work. It should stand alone and be free of citations.
3. Keywords — 4–6 keywords or short phrases that capture the core themes, placed immediately after the abstract.
4. Main body — Introduction (including the research problem and objectives), Literature Review, Methodology, Results/Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
5. Acknowledgements — funding sources (with grant numbers) and contributors who do not qualify for authorship.
6. Declaration of Conflicting Interests — a statement confirming whether any financial or personal conflict of interest exists.
7. References — formatted according to APA (7th edition), listed alphabetically on a new page.
8. Appendices — supplementary material placed after the references.

5. Title, Abstract, and Keywords

• Title: Concise (20 words or fewer), informative, and free of abbreviations where possible.
• Abstract: A well-structured abstract increases the likelihood of reviewers accepting to review and improves discoverability. It must summarise the study independently of the main text.
• Keywords: Choose terms that reflect the article’s main themes and are likely to be used in database searches.

6. References and Citations

• Citations and references must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (APA 7).
• All in-text citations must have a corresponding entry in the reference list, and all reference list entries must be cited in the text.
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and stable URLs should be included for all electronic sources.
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references. References will be checked during production.

7. Tables, Figures, and Creative Works

• Number tables and figures consecutively (Table 1, Figure 1) and refer to each in the text.
• Provide descriptive captions above tables and below figures.
• Images, plates, and creative works must be submitted at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi for print (JPEG, TIFF, or PNG) or as vector files (PDF, EPS, SVG) where appropriate.
• When original artworks or performance photographs are included, permission to reproduce must be secured from the artist or copyright holder and acknowledged in the manuscript.

8. Cover Letter

Authors should submit a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief stating:

• the title and type of the manuscript;
• a brief statement of its significance and fit with the journal’s scope;
• confirmation that the work is original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere;
• confirmation that all authors have seen and approved the manuscript; and
• suggested reviewer details only if specifically requested by the editorial office.

9. Research and Publication Ethics

• All research involving human participants must have clearance from an appropriate ethics committee, and informed consent must be documented.
• Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism and text recycling, is unacceptable. Submissions are screened for similarity using plagiarism detection software.
• Authorship should be limited to those who have made a substantial intellectual contribution. All authors must have approved the final version.
• Data fabricated, falsified, or manipulated will lead to immediate rejection and possible reporting to the author’s institution.
• The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on misconduct, corrections, and retractions.

10. Peer Review Process

• Each eligible submission undergoes double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers.
• The editorial office first performs a desk review to confirm the manuscript meets scope and quality thresholds.
• Reviewers are selected based on expertise; review comments are returned to authors with editorial guidance.
• Decisions communicated are: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Revised manuscripts must be returned within the stated deadline.
• The editorial team strives to return first-round decisions within 8–10 weeks of submission.

11. How to Submit

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission system. To begin, register or log in as an author, then follow the guided submission workflow:

1. Start a new submission and select the appropriate section (article type).
2. Upload the anonymised manuscript (with a separate title page) and any supplementary files.
3. Enter the required metadata (title, abstract, keywords, and contributors).
4. Confirm the submission checklist and the journal’s copyright and privacy statements.
5. Submit and track the progress of your manuscript from the Author Dashboard.

12. Article Processing Charges

AJCA is committed to broad, equitable access to creative arts scholarship. There are no article processing charges (APCs) for authors at this time, and all content is published under an open-access model.

13. Copyright and Open Access

• Published articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, allowing unrestricted reuse with proper attribution.
• Authors retain copyright over their work.
• Authors are encouraged to deposit the accepted version in institutional repositories immediately upon publication.

14. Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered on this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.