Guidelines for Preparing Manuscripts for the Art, Culture, and Media Quarterly

Dear Researcher,

Please prepare and submit your scholarly work in accordance with the following guidelines.

I. Fundamental Principles of Academic Writing

1. The article must be problem-oriented, with the research problem emerging from the context of Iranian society.
2. The language of the article should be analytical, argumentative, and methodologically disciplined, rather than rhetorical, journalistic, or ideological.
3. The researcher’s theoretical position must be clearly articulated without personal bias.
4. Conceptual coherence, logical continuity of argumentation, and avoidance of fragmentation are mandatory.

II. Formal and Technical Requirements

1. Length of the article: 6,000–9,000 words (including references)
2. Persian font: B Mitra
3. Latin font: Times New Roman
4. Margins: 2.5 cm
5. Line spacing: 1.15

Font Specifications Table

III. Recommended Structure of the Article

1. Title

• Clear, precise, and academic (preferably 10–18 words)
• Avoid emotional, metaphorical, or journalistic titles
• Reflects the research problem, approach, or theoretical framework
• The English title must be an accurate translation of the Persian title

2. Abstract

• Length: 150–250 words
• Must include the research problem, objectives, theoretical/conceptual framework, methodology, findings, and conclusion
• Must not contain citations, direct quotations, or unfamiliar abbreviations

3. Extended Abstract

• Length: 700–1,000 words
• Includes introduction, objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusion
• Must be written in English
• Must be placed at the beginning of the main manuscript file

4. Keywords

• 4–6 keywords
• Non-repetitive and aligned with the topic and objectives of the study
• Separated by semicolons (؛)
• End with punctuation
• English keywords must be exact translations of the Persian keywords

IV. Main Body of the Article

A. Introduction and Statement of the Problem

• Prepared according to the latest international standards and guidelines
• Includes background information, problem statement, main objective, and research questions or hypotheses
• These components must be organized so that the reader gains an overall understanding of the entire article by the end of this section
• Should address the theoretical and social context of the problem, research gap, precise formulation of the problem, objectives, and main research questions

B. Literature Review

• Inclusion of this section depends on the availability of prior research and the length of the findings section
• Most relevant Persian and non-Persian articles, theses, and dissertations should be reviewed
• Persian sources should be reviewed first, followed by other sources in chronological order
• Author name, year of publication, and title must be stated
• Titles and authors of English works should be written in Persian, with the English equivalents provided in footnotes
• All reviewed works must appear in the reference list
• The distinction between the present study and previous research must be clarified at the end of this section

C. Conceptual / Theoretical Framework

• Relevant theories or concepts are explained based on the research method (quantitative/qualitative)
• The length should be sufficient for clarification without unnecessary detail
• The relationship between the research problem, objectives, and questions with the applied theories/concepts must be explained
• This relationship should also be addressed in the conclusion
• Operational definitions of concepts (e.g., Instagram, society, culture) should be avoided outside the conceptual/theoretical framework

D. Methodology and Research Design

• Describes the research tradition, type, approach, and execution
• The main research method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) must be clearly defined
• Data collection methods, population/sample, and sampling techniques should be explained
• Data analysis procedures must be specified
• Full details of research execution, sample size, instruments, participant characteristics, and analytical methods are required
• Reliability and validity assessments must be included at the end of this section

E. Findings

• Collected data are presented in quantitative, qualitative, or mixed formats, with limited interpretation
• In qualitative studies, accurate and documented quotations or relevant evidence are required
• Use of one of the following is sufficient: tables, figures, or charts
• If hypotheses are present, statistical tests must be clearly described and accepted/rejected hypotheses specified

F. Discussion and Conclusion

• Main findings are summarized
• Findings may be compared with previous studies if necessary
• Theoretical and conceptual implications are discussed
• Precise interpretation of data and authors’ perspectives on the findings are presented
• Authors may briefly mention limitations, innovations, and derived suggestions

V. Citation Style and References

1. The journal follows APA style (6th and 7th editions) for in-text citations and references.
2. Persian sources must be cited in Persian, and English sources in English.

In-text Citations

• Single author: (Last name, Year: Page)
• Two authors: (Last name & Last name, Year: Page)
• Three or more authors: (First author’s last name et al., Year: Page)
• Direct quotation: quoted text + citation
• Indirect quotation: quoted text + citation in the following format:
  (Original author, original year, as cited in, author/translator, year: page)
• Periods appear after citations
• Citations appear outside quotation marks

References

• Include only sources cited in the text
• Persian sources first, followed by non-Persian sources
• Arrange alphabetically
• Include DOI for journal articles
• Add short URLs for online sources
• Persian sources must also be translated into English
• Dates in translated Persian references must be in Gregorian calendar
• Add (In Persian) at the end of translated Persian references

Reference Formats

Books
Last name, First name. (Year). Title of the book. (First name Last name, Trans.). City: Publisher.

Journal / Conference Articles
Last name, First name. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, year(volume), pp.
Last name, First name. (Year). Title of the article. Conference Name, year(volume), pp.

Websites
Last name, First name. Title. (Day, Month, Year of publication). Retrieved Day, Month, Year, from Website name: short URL

Book Chapters
Last name, First name. (Year). Title of the chapter. In First name Last name (Ed./Author), Title of the book (First name Last name, Trans., chapter page numbers). City: Publisher.