| RIC UMIMRJ

The UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal (PRINT ISSN 2467-5806; ONLINE ISSN 2457-5814) is open to all researchers, scientists, teachers, graduate students, and beginning researchers who wish their research paper to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This journal is viewed as the premier journal that accepts contributions from various areas: Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, and Physical Sciences. The quality of articles published in this journal is our top priority. Contributors can view our online website umimrj.umindanao.edu.ph. The Editorial Board is inviting external reviewers from the Philippines and abroad for every issue of the journal.

The primary consideration for publication in the UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal is its contribution to providing new knowledge leading to the betterment of human lives and our society as a whole. The action of both the authors and reviewers is very critical in maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of the review process. The authors’ role is to prepare the manuscript to be evaluated by our external evaluators who are experts in their fields. The acceptance of the paper will be deliberated by the Editorial Board who will consider the significance of the paper and comments and suggestions of the external reviewers.

Policy on Handling Complaints

If the UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal receives a formal complaint that a contribution infringes copyright or other intellectual property rights, the Editorial Board will investigate the complaint. The Editorial Board will ONLY entertain complaint supported with a FORMAL LETTER via courier or email address to the Editor-In-Chief. Any other form of complaints will not be entertained. If a formal complaint is done, the Editorial Board will request both parties to submit substantial evidence which will then be weighed by the Editorial Board as the basis for retraction or withdrawal of the manuscript.

Policy of Copyright Transfer

Each corresponding author will sign a Transfer of Copyright Form (Form 2). The copyright transfer signifies that the Author acknowledges that UM-RPC will have the right to print, create derivative works, and publish the work throughout the world, all rights in and to all revisions or versions or subsequent editions of the work in all languages and media throughout the world. Furthermore, it is very important for the author to warrant and represent that the manuscript does not violate any proprietary or personal rights of others including, without limitation, any copyrights or privacy rights. The research is factually accurate and contains no matter libelous or otherwise unlawful. And lastly, the author substantially participated in the creation of the Work and that it represents his/her original work sufficient to claim authorship.

It is very important also that the author will secure the consent of his/her co-authors to transfer and assign any and all right, title, and interest, including copyright of the article referenced above. Under this policy, the author should warrant the transfer to UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal copyright and all rights under it. He/she should confirm that the article has not been published elsewhere, nor is it under consideration by any other publisher by signing the Transfer of Copyright Form.

Policy on Conflict of Interest

The Editorial Board will make every attempt to ensure that fair, equitable and non-biased procedures are utilized in all peer review proceedings. Conflicts stemming from social, political or business affiliations will be avoided. Individuals involved especially in the peer review process shall be impartial peers and do not have conflict of interest with the research being reviewed. When the author/s disclosed that no future conflict of interest of his/her manuscript by signing the Transfer of Copyright Form, the UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal now publish the paper.

Funding policy

The funding for the production of the UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal comes from the annual budget of the Research and Publication Center Office of the University of Mindanao.

Guide to authors

1. All manuscript must be submitted in Microsoft Word format, written in English, Times New Roman, 12 font size, single space on white A4 (210 x 297 mm) paper, with margins of 1 inch on all sides. Authors are free to use American or British English as long they are consistent all throughout the manuscript. All pages must be numbered at the center bottom. All lines must be properly numbered. Authors are encouraged to have their paper reviewed by an English native speaker or grammarian before submitting to the journal.
2. Title. The title should summarize the main idea of the manuscript. It is a concise statement of the main topic and identifies variables or theoretical issues under investigation. Abbreviations should be avoided. It must be typed in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered between the left and right margins, and no more than 12 words.
3. Abstract. An abstract with a maximum of 200 words summarizing the main points of the article. Paragraphs should be justified without indention, double-spaced in between, and sentences should be separated by a single space.
   
4. Keywords. Maximum of 5 keywords, in alphabetical order, and list after the Abstract. The word ‘Keywords’ must be italic, bold, separated by a colon from the keywords. All first letters of the keywords must be written in capital letter separated by a comma and ends with a dot.
5. Introduction. Provide adequate information on the topic, state the objectives of the work, and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results. Limit your introduction to 1-2 pages.
6. Materials and Methods. Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced detailing the materials used, conceptual and operation definitions of the variables, research design/experimental manipulations, sampling procedures and sample size, the measurements, and the research participants, as well as the statistical tools used in the study. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference, and only relevant modifications should be described.
7. Results. This section should be presented in a logical sequence based on the objectives and explore the significance of the results, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. All relevant results must be given more emphasis. Findings must be written in past tense (except in researches conducted other than positivism and post-positivism paradigms) and must find relations to literature appertaining to the topic.
8. Conclusion or Recommendation. In some cases, the conclusion is not necessary. However, we encourage authors to make recommendations to encourage others to continue working the research or implement the results. It is written in present tense (for positivism and postpositivism researches), and new paradigms can write in the first person singular form “I” or second person singular form “you” or “we.”
9. References and Citations. References should be listed in alphabetical order at the end of the paper using APA format. All reference must be come from published material and not from gray literature (i.e., unpublished thesis or dissertation, or unpublished reports). The author-date form of citation in the text should be used and should be written based on the following examples:
   
   Single author: Low species diversity and endemicity of Odonata in areas of Misamis Occidental with high presence of on-site disturbances was recorded (Villanueva, 2011).
   For works by two to three authors: There are approximately 300 plus species of Odonata in the Philippines (Hamalainen & Muller, 1997). More species are still expected to be documented especially to the relatively unexplored areas in the Philippines (Jumawan, Medina, Villanueva, 2012).
   
   For works by four or more authors: Similar species are observed from the relatively the same ecosystem types (Jomoc et al. 2013).
   
   More than one research paper published in the same year by the same author(s) should be distinguished by adding lowercase letters to the dates and alphabetized by title. (Example: Tamayo, 2014a, 2014b).

Authors are discouraged to use gray literature or unpublished works like thesis or dissertations. Bibliographic references should be written based on the following examples:

• Journal article (Single author): Renn, O. (1998). The role of risk communication and public dialogue for improving risk management. Risk Decision and Policy, 3(1), 5-30.

• Journal article (Multiple authors): Beierly, T. C., & Konisky, D. M. (2000). Values, conflict, and trust in participatory environmental planning. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 67(3), 587-602Book: Creswell, J. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

• Book chapter: Brookfield, S. (2000). The concept of critical reflective practice. In A. L. Wilson & E. R. Hayes (Eds.), Handbook of adult and continuing education (pp. 33-49). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Conference proceedings: Taylor, P. C. (2010). Transformative educational research for culturally inclusive teaching. Keynote address delivered at the 7th International Conference on Intercultural Competence, Khabarovsk, Far East Russia.

• On-line article: Vasigh, B., & Hamzaee, R. (2004). Testing and sensitivity of student enrollment with respect to tuition at an institution of higher education. Retrieved from htt://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/118880790_4.html.

10. The metric system (International System or SI units) of measurement should be used. Each figure, table, and the map should be mentioned in numerical sequence. All figures should be numbered using Arabic and phrase style is used for the caption (without a period in the end). Tables should be placed separately from the text and one table per sheet with complete necessary legends and notes. Maps should have a scale, preferably originally prepared by the authors. Make sure it will not pixelate when enlarged; no larger than a half page (A4). All illustrations should be accompanied by captions typed on a separate sheet. Any statistical material should be brief and simple.

11. The manuscript contents should be arranged as follows: a) Title of Article; b) Authors complete name, designation, mailing address, email address (written on a separate sheet);c) Abstract (200 words or less); d) Key words (Maximum of 5); e) Introduction; f) Method; g) Results and Discussion; h) Conclusion OR Recommendations; i) Acknowledgment; j) References; k) Tables; and l) Figures.

Manuscript Length:
Manuscripts should not exceed 12 pages A4 excluding tables and figures.

Assignment of article serial number
All manuscript accepted for review process will be assigned with a unique serial number. This is a serial number is unique for the UM International Multidisciplinary Research Journal.

Submission Guidelines

 Authors are required to check the compliance of their submission to the editorial policies. Failure to adhere to the following guidelines below may result to the rejection of the manuscript.

1. The manuscript has not been submitted or previously published to ANY journals.

2. All submission must be sent to the editor-in-chief in word format. Figures and tables must be sent as a separate attachment with proper captions. All other technical guidelines must prescribe to the Guide to Authors.

3. All references are valid and can be traced. Do not use grey literature like unpublished thesis or dissertations.
 

Statement of Privacy

The names of the authors and their institutional address and contact details will be exclusively used for this journal only and will not be used for other purposes or other parties.