Manuscript Preparation

Format

Manuscripts should be prepared in the style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, seventh edition, with one exception. All figures and tables should be placed inline at the point where they are discussed, rather than collected at the end of the manuscript.

• File format: Microsoft Word or PDF for initial submission. Accepted manuscripts must be supplied in an editable format.
• Page size A4 or US Letter, with margins of at least 2.5 centimetres on all sides.
• Body text in a 12 point typeface, double spaced, with continuous line numbers and page numbers.
• English language, in a dialect commonly used in academic publication, applied consistently throughout.

Structure of an Empirical Article

• Title, not exceeding 20 words
• Abstract of no more than 250 words, unstructured, with no citations
• Three to six keywords
• Introduction and statement of the research questions
• Related work
• Method, including participants, context, materials, procedure, measures, and analysis plan
• Results
• Discussion, including limitations and implications for practice
• Conclusion
• Declarations
• References
• Appendices, if any

Reporting Context

Because CBLC is centrally concerned with context, every empirical article must describe the setting of the study in sufficient detail for readers to judge the transferability of the findings. At a minimum, describe the country and region, the type of institution, the age and educational level of learners, the language of instruction, the relevant characteristics of the learner population, the technology used, and the conditions under which it was used.

Figures, Tables, and Accessibility

• Figures should be legible at the size at which they will be displayed and should be supplied at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch.
• Do not use color alone to convey meaning. Figures should remain interpretable when printed in greyscale.
• Every figure requires a caption below it and alternative text describing its content. Every table requires a caption above it.
• Where a figure or table has been reproduced or adapted from another source, the caption must state the source and the permission obtained.

References

References follow the American Psychological Association style, seventh edition. Include a digital object identifier for every reference that has one. Verify that every in text citation appears in the reference list and that every entry in the reference list is cited in the text.

Declarations Required in Every Manuscript

Place the following declarations after the conclusion and before the reference list. Where a declaration does not apply, state that it does not apply rather than omitting it.

• Ethics approval and consent to participate
• Consent for publication
• Availability of data and materials
• Competing interests
• Funding
• Author contributions, expressed using the CRediT taxonomy
• Use of generative artificial intelligence
• Acknowledgements