Style Guide for Authors

This page explains how to prepare manuscripts for submission to Human-Machine Communication (HMC). For ethics, authorship, AI/tool disclosure, data availability, and peer-review policies, see the Publication Ethics page. For general policies, including rights, open access, and archiving, see the Policies page.

Submission Preparation (anonymized)

Important: Submit an anonymized manuscript. Enter author names, affiliations, ORCIDs, and contact details in the online submission system only (not in the manuscript file).

Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, specific grant numbers that reveal identity, and self-citing phrases that disclose identity (for example, “In our prior work at Korea University…”). Replace with neutral wording where necessary.
Clear file metadata, including Author and Company information, before submission.
Self-citations are allowed but should be written in the third person and cited like any other source.
For studies involving human participants, ethics approval and consent procedures should be described in the manuscript in a way that does not identify the authors or institution during review. Full identifying details may be added after acceptance.

Minimal Formatting Requirements

HMC uses professional layout after acceptance. Authors should not typeset or style the article as a final PDF. Please follow these minimal requirements for peer review:

Use a common word-processing format (DOCX preferred).
Use double-spaced text, 12-point standard font, and 1-inch margins.
Enable continuous line numbers, which are recommended for review.
Include page numbers.
Use italics, not underlining, except for URL addresses.
Place figures and tables at the end of the document, one per page, for review, with clear call-outs in the text (for example, “see Figure 1”).
Do not embed high-resolution media in the review manuscript; provide separate files on acceptance.

Recommended Manuscript Structure

Use headings that suit your method and field. A typical research article includes:

Title, Abstract of 150–250 words, and 4–6 keywords.
Introduction, including context and contribution.
Background, literature review, or theoretical framework, as appropriate.
Method, including design, participants or data, materials, procedures, and analysis.
Results or findings.
Discussion, including interpretation, implications, and limitations.
Conclusion.
References.
Appendices, if needed.

Special article types, including reviews, conceptual pieces, methodological essays, and case analyses, may adapt these headings. Keep sectioning clear and consistent.

Figures, Tables, and Media

During review: Place low-resolution placeholders at the end of the manuscript, one item per page, and refer to them in the text.
On acceptance: Upload separate, high-resolution files for all figures (preferred formats: TIFF, PNG, EPS, or PDF for vector), tables (DOCX), and media (MP4, MOV, or WAV). Provide descriptive captions and credit or permission lines as needed.
Accessibility: Use clear labels and, where feasible, include short alternative text for figures.
Permissions: If reusing previously published material, obtain written permission when required and include a source credit consistent with the reuse license (see Policies and Publication Ethics).

References and Citations

Use the APA 7th edition citation style. Consistency matters more than styling details at initial submission, but references must be accurate, verifiable, and complete.

Reference accuracy: Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references cited in their manuscripts. Before submission, authors should verify that each cited work exists, that bibliographic information is accurate, and that the cited source appropriately supports the claim for which it is referenced. This responsibility includes author names, titles, publication venue, volume, issue, page or article number, year, DOI, and URL, where applicable.

Ensure every in-text citation has a matching reference entry and every reference entry is cited in the text.
Include DOIs where available, formatted as URL links.
Use sentence case for article and chapter titles and title case for journal names, consistent with APA style.
Long URLs may be shortened if they resolve reliably.
If citing web content that may change, provide an access or retrieval date when appropriate.
Check cited sources directly whenever possible. Authors should not rely solely on citation generators, reference managers, search summaries, abstracts, or AI-generated reference lists.
If citing a source that has been corrected, retracted, or otherwise updated, make that status clear when it is relevant to the claim being made.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated writing tools, citation generators, reference managers, or literature-search tools does not reduce author responsibility for reference accuracy. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that all references are real, findable, correctly described, and used in a way that accurately supports the manuscript.

References found to be inaccurate, non-verifiable, misleading, or unsupported after publication may require editorial action, including a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate.

For link-rot resilience, authors may submit archived links (for example, via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine) alongside live URLs.

Statements Required on Acceptance

Authorship and CRediT: Provide a CRediT contribution statement for all authors. See CRediT contribution statement.
Conflicts/Funding: Submit conflicts-of-interest disclosures and a funding statement. ICMJE forms are accepted.
Data Availability: Include a data-availability statement with repository links where appropriate and ethical. If data, materials, or code cannot be shared, briefly explain why.
AI/Tool Disclosure: Describe any use of AI-assisted technologies or automated tools that materially influenced manuscript preparation, literature searching, data analysis, image generation, coding, translation, or editing. The disclosure should identify the tool, explain how it was used, and confirm that the authors reviewed and verified the resulting work. AI tools may not be listed as authors.
Ethics: Provide IRB or ethics approval details and consent procedures if applicable.
Acknowledgments: Add acknowledgments that were removed during review, along with any required permission wording for reused materials.

Open Science Practices

HMC encourages transparency and reproducibility in scholarship. Authors may apply for Open Science Badges (OSF) to recognize practices such as open data, open materials, and preregistration.

For details on eligibility and how to apply, see our Open Science Badges page.

File Types and Naming

Manuscript: DOCX preferred, with no identifying information in the file or metadata.
Figures: TIFF, PNG, EPS, or PDF (vector). Name files by figure number (for example, Fig1.png).
Tables: DOCX or CSV. Name files by table number (for example, Table1.docx).
Media: MP4, MOV, or WAV with clear labeling (for example, Video1.mp4).
Supplementary: ZIP allowed for multiple assets.

After Acceptance (production layout)

Accepted manuscripts are sent to professional layout. The production team applies journal formatting, typography, figure and table placement, and accessibility adjustments. Authors will receive proofs to review for accuracy.

Do not supply journal templates or try to typeset pages; focus on content quality and clarity.
Respond promptly to proof queries and check references, figures, tables, author names, affiliations, funding statements, and supplementary materials carefully.
Notify the editorial team immediately if any substantive error is discovered after acceptance or publication.

Contact

Questions about manuscript preparation? Contact the Editor-in-Chief.