Read this guide before you submit. Each rule has its own numbered section, and the PJL manuscript templates follow the same numbers. The templates are being updated to match this guide; until they are published, follow section 3.

1. About the journal

1.1 Aims and scope

Prasasti: Journal of Linguistics (PJL) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal published twice a year, in April and November, by the Doctoral Program in Linguistics, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia. PJL publishes original research that analyses language in use and advances linguistic theory or method. It particularly welcomes studies of Indonesian, Javanese and other languages of Southeast Asia, and studies of any language that speak to an international readership.

PJL publishes work in three core areas:

1. Descriptive and theoretical linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and lexicology, including documentation of local and minority languages.
2. Pragmatics and discourse: speech acts, politeness and impoliteness, implicature, systemic functional linguistics, (critical) discourse analysis, multimodal and digital discourse, forensic and institutional pragmatics.
3. Translation and interpreting studies: translation techniques, quality and ideology; audiovisual, literary and specialised translation; machine and AI-assisted translation.

Interdisciplinary studies that join these areas with sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics or corpus methods are welcome.

Outside scope: literary criticism without linguistic analysis, language teaching and pedagogy studies, and community-service or training reports. Manuscripts that only list features of a single text, such as figures of speech in one song, with no theoretical, methodological or comparative contribution, are declined without review.

1.2 Article types

• Research article: original empirical or theoretical work, 6,000–9,000 words excluding references.
• Review article: a critical synthesis of a defined research area, with a clear question and a stated method for selecting sources, same length. Submit through the same system and say so in the cover note.

1.3 Peer review

PJL uses double-anonymous peer review: reviewers do not know the authors' names, and authors do not know the reviewers' names. Authors therefore submit two files, a title page and declarations file and an anonymised manuscript (section 3). The process runs in this order:

1. Editorial screening. The Editor-in-Chief checks fit with section 1.1, the template (section 3) and the declarations (section 2). A similarity check is run (section 2.6). Manuscripts that fail any of these are declined without peer review, normally within three weeks.
2. Peer review. Two independent reviewers with relevant expertise assess the manuscript. A decision is never made on one report.
3. First decision. Accept, revise, or reject. If the two reviewers disagree, the Editor-in-Chief decides, and may ask a third reviewer.
4. Revision. Authors have up to one month. At most two rounds of revision are allowed; a manuscript that still does not meet the requirements after the second round is rejected.
5. Final decision and production. Accepted manuscripts go through copyediting and layout, and the corresponding author approves the proof.

Papers by editors, editorial board members or UNS staff are handled by an editor outside their own institution, and the author takes no part in the decision.

1.4 Open access, fees and licence

All articles are free to read and download immediately. There is no submission fee, article processing charge, page charge or proofreading charge; Universitas Sebelas Maret covers the costs. Authors keep copyright and grant PJL the right of first publication. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0) and are preserved through the PKP Preservation Network.

2. Ethics and policies

2.1 Publication ethics

PJL follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The full statement for authors, reviewers, editors and the publisher is on the Publication ethics and malpractice statement page. Anyone can report suspected misconduct to the editorial office at prasasti@mail.uns.ac.id.

2.2 Submission declaration

By submitting, the authors declare that the work is original, has not been published, is not under consideration elsewhere, and that all authors have approved the submission. Concurrent submission to another journal is unacceptable and leads to rejection.

2.3 Authorship

Authors are those who made a substantial contribution to the conception, data, analysis or writing, who approved the final version, and who accept responsibility for it. Others who helped are named in the acknowledgements. The corresponding author makes sure no appropriate author is missing and no inappropriate author is included. State each author's role using the CRediT taxonomy (Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, and so on) in the declarations. Each author should give an ORCID iD.

2.4 Changes to authorship

Adding, removing or reordering authors after submission needs a written request from the corresponding author, signed off by every author affected, with the reason. The editor decides, and the change is not made after acceptance except in exceptional cases.

2.5 Competing interests and funding

Declare any financial or personal relationship that could be seen to influence the work. Name every funder and grant number, or state that there was none.

2.6 Similarity and plagiarism

Every manuscript is checked with Turnitin before review. Manuscripts with a similarity index above 15%, excluding references and properly quoted text, are returned or declined. The editor also reads the report: a low overall score does not excuse copied passages. Plagiarism covers text, ideas, data and images; self-plagiarism is treated the same way. Duplicate or redundant publication is not accepted.

2.7 Generative AI

• Authors. AI tools cannot be authors. Authors are fully responsible for everything in the manuscript. AI may be used to improve language, grammar and formatting under human oversight. AI must not be used to generate core research ideas, fabricate or alter data or images, or write a literature review that has not been checked. Any use must be declared in a “Declaration of generative AI use” naming the tool and the reason (section 3.2).
• Editors and reviewers. Never upload unpublished manuscripts or review reports to a public AI tool. AI may only be used for language checks of a review or letter once all identifying and unpublished details are removed. The scientific judgement must be the reviewer's own.
• Enforcement. Undisclosed AI use, fabricated content or breaches of confidentiality can lead to rejection, retraction and a report to the person's institution.

2.8 Research ethics and human data

State whether the study was approved by an ethics committee or why approval was not needed. Where data come from people, such as interviews, recordings, messages or social media posts, state how consent was obtained or why it was not needed, and how participants are protected. Do not publish identifiable personal data without permission.

2.9 Data availability

State where the data supporting the findings can be found, for example a corpus, a repository, or the supplementary files. If data cannot be shared, give the reason. Name the corpora, tools and software used.

2.10 Images and figures

Figures, screenshots and photographs must be the authors' own or used with permission, and cited. Do not edit images in a way that changes what they show. AI-generated images are not accepted unless they are the object of study and are labelled as such.

2.11 Corrections, retractions and appeals

PJL publishes corrections for errors that affect interpretation, expressions of concern when misconduct is suspected, and retractions when work is shown to be fraudulent or seriously flawed. Authors can appeal a decision by writing to the Editor-in-Chief with their reasons within 30 days; the Editor-in-Chief may consult an editor not involved in the original decision, and that decision is final.

3. Writing and formatting

Use the PJL submission template when it is published. It follows this section exactly.

3.1 File format and length

Submit two Microsoft Word files (.docx), A4, single-spaced: the title page and declarations file (section 3.2) and the anonymised manuscript (section 3.3). The manuscript is 6,000–9,000 words excluding references, and includes the abstract, tables and figure captions. Write in English. Manuscripts that need substantial language correction are returned before review.

3.2 Title page and declarations file (not sent to reviewers)

This file is read only by the editors. It contains:

• Title page: the title (clear and informative, 12–20 words); each author's name without academic titles, affiliation (department, institution, city, country), email and ORCID iD; the corresponding author marked.
• Cover note: why the work fits section 1.1, what is new in it, and that the statements in section 2 are true.
• Declarations: author contributions (CRediT), funding, competing interests, ethics and consent, data availability, acknowledgements, and the declaration of generative AI use (section 2.7).

After acceptance, the editors print the declarations in the published article before the references.

3.3 Anonymised manuscript (sent to reviewers)

The manuscript file must let a reviewer judge the work without knowing who wrote it. It contains the title, abstract, keywords, full text and references, and nothing that identifies the authors:

• No names, affiliations, emails or ORCID iDs, and no acknowledgements or funder names.
• Cite your own earlier work in the third person, for example “Pratama (2019) showed”, never “in our earlier study”.
• Remove identifying details from the file properties (in Word: File, Info, Inspect Document), and do not put your name in the file name.
• Do not name an institution, project or place that would identify you. If the study needs it, describe it neutrally, for example “a state university in Central Java”.
• Keep the ethics, consent and data availability statements inside the Method section, because reviewers must assess them. Leave out names of ethics committees and grant numbers if they would identify you.

Manuscripts that are not anonymised are returned without review.

3.4 Abstract

The abstract is 200–250 words in one paragraph with these four parts, in this order:

1. Problem and aim: what question the study addresses.
2. Data and method: what data, how analysed.
3. Findings: the main results, stated plainly.
4. Novelty and contribution: what is new, and what it adds to linguistics. Say this directly, not only the topic.

Do not cite references in the abstract. An Indonesian abstract is optional and may follow the English one.

3.5 Keywords

Three to five keywords, specific to the study. Avoid general terms such as “social media” or “movie” unless they define the study.

3.6 Article structure

1. Introduction: background, gap, aim, and a closing paragraph that previews the paper.
2. Literature review or theoretical framework.
3. Method: data and source, collection, analytical framework, steps of analysis, and the research ethics and data availability statements (sections 2.8 and 2.9).
4. Findings and discussion: organised by research question; relate the results to earlier studies.
5. Conclusion: answers the research questions, states limitations and implications, and follows the order of the findings.
6. References.

3.7 Linguistic data and examples

• Number examples consecutively (1), (2) and place them on separate lines.
• Give a free English translation for data in other languages.
• State the source of every example: corpus, recording, publication, or social media post with date.

3.8 Tables and figures

Number them in order, give each a caption that can be understood alone, and mention each in the text. Use editable tables, not images of tables. Figures at 300 dpi or better, with alt text for each.

3.9 Declarations

Declarations are written in the title page and declarations file (section 3.2), not in the anonymised manuscript. Published articles print them before the references, in this order: author contributions (CRediT), funding, competing interests, ethics and consent, data availability, acknowledgements, and the declaration of generative AI use.

3.10 Citations and references

Use APA 7th edition. In-text: (Pratama, 2007, p. 98). List only works cited, in alphabetical order, with a DOI as a link where one exists. A research article cites at least 25 references, mainly peer-reviewed journal articles, with books from academic publishers and research reports where needed. At least 70% of the references should be from the last ten years. Foundational works are exempt: cite the original source of the theory or method you apply, however old, and leave such works out when counting the 70%. Do not cite predatory or unreviewed sources. Reference managers such as Zotero and Mendeley are recommended.

3.11 Supplementary material

Data sets, corpora, questionnaires and audio files may be uploaded as supplementary files. Name each file and cite it in the text.

4. Submitting

4.1 Submission checklist

Before submitting, check that:

• ☐ The topic fits section 1.1.
• ☐ There are two files: the title page and declarations file, and the anonymised manuscript.
• ☐ The manuscript contains nothing that identifies the authors, including its file properties.
• ☐ It is in English and 6,000–9,000 words excluding references.
• ☐ The abstract has the four parts and states novelty and contribution.
• ☐ Similarity is under 15%.
• ☐ Every author has an ORCID iD and a stated CRediT role in the title page file.
• ☐ All declarations are complete, including generative AI use.
• ☐ There are at least 25 references, each cited, formatted in APA 7, and from a reliable source.
• ☐ The work is not under review elsewhere.

4.2 Submit online

1. Register at the journal website and log in as an author.
2. Choose New Submission and select the section Articles.
3. Tick every item in the checklist.
4. Upload the anonymised manuscript (.docx) as the main file.
5. Enter the metadata: title, abstract, keywords, all authors with affiliation and ORCID. The editors hide author details from reviewers.
6. Upload the title page and declarations file (.docx) as a supplementary file, then confirm the submission.

You receive an email confirming receipt. Screening takes up to three weeks; the first decision after review is sent by email.

5. After acceptance

5.1 Copyright and licence

Authors keep copyright and grant PJL the right of first publication. The article is published under CC BY 4.0 (section 1.4). Obtain permission before reproducing material that is not yours.

5.2 Copyediting and proof

Accepted manuscripts are copyedited to the PJL production template. The corresponding author receives a proof and must return corrections within three days. Only errors are corrected at this stage.

5.3 Promoting your article

Each published article is shared by the journal on its social media and academic networks. Authors are asked to share their own article, add it to their ORCID record, and cite it in their institutional repository.

6. Help

Editorial office: prasasti@mail.uns.ac.id. For the submission system, use the contact page. Publication ethics concerns go to the same address.