Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (JODESMA) welcomes original research articles, scholarly studies, and innovative contributions in Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). The journal covers theoretical developments, methodological innovations, computational approaches, and practical applications addressing complex decision-making problems. Relevant topics include decision analysis, multi-criteria evaluation, objective and subjective criteria weighting, ranking and selection methods, optimization, intelligent decision support, data-driven decision making, artificial intelligence, data science, information systems, and computational intelligence. Interdisciplinary applications in business, management, engineering, healthcare, education, logistics, finance, public services, and other relevant domains are also welcome. Authors should follow these guidelines to ensure consistency, academic quality, and transparency throughout the submission process.

• Manuscripts should be written in clear and academically appropriate language.
• Authors are responsible for grammatical accuracy, clarity, consistency, and readability.

• Manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously.
• Manuscripts must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal or publication.
• Submissions may be checked for plagiarism and originality before peer review.

• Follow the official journal template for formatting, layout, and manuscript preparation.
• Submit the manuscript using the file format specified by the journal.
• Meet the minimum length and reference requirements described in Section 10 of these guidelines.

Unless otherwise specified in the official template, manuscripts should follow this general structure:

• The title should be concise, informative, specific, and representative of the research.
• It should reflect the main topic, method, research object, or contribution.
• Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and overly general expressions.

• Provide the full name of each author.
• Provide the institutional affiliation and country of each author.
• Provide a valid email address for the corresponding author.
• Ensure that the author list accurately reflects actual contributions to the research and manuscript.

The abstract should concisely summarize the study and allow readers to understand its main content without reading the complete manuscript. It should generally include:

• Research background or problem.
• Research objective.
• Methodology or research approach.
• Principal findings or results.
• Main conclusion or contribution.

• Use relevant, specific keywords that represent the main concepts of the manuscript.
• Separate keywords using semicolons (;).

• Number tables consecutively in order of appearance.
• Place table titles above the corresponding tables.
• Refer to and discuss every table in the manuscript.
• Ensure tables are clear, readable, concise, and relevant.
• Explain units, abbreviations, symbols, and notes where necessary.
• Cite sources when data are reproduced or adapted from other works.

• Number figures consecutively in order of appearance.
• Place figure captions below the corresponding figures.
• Refer to and discuss every figure in the manuscript.
• Ensure that labels, legends, symbols, and numerical information are readable.
• Cite sources when figures are reproduced or adapted from other works.

• Present equations clearly and consistently.
• Number equations consecutively when they are referenced in the text, following the official template.
• Define variables, parameters, and mathematical symbols when first introduced.
• Use consistent mathematical notation throughout the manuscript.
• Use an appropriate equation editor rather than low-quality equation images.
• Check all equations for mathematical accuracy and consistency with the methodology.

Provide a CRediT statement describing the specific contributions of each author. The statement must accurately reflect each author's actual involvement in the research and manuscript preparation.

Disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the research, results, interpretation, or reporting. If no competing interests exist, include an explicit declaration to that effect.

Acknowledge individuals, institutions, funding organizations, research groups, or others who provided meaningful assistance but do not qualify for authorship.

Explain how the data supporting the findings can be accessed. If data cannot be shared because of privacy, ethical, legal, confidentiality, or proprietary restrictions, state the applicable limitations.

Disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation in accordance with journal policy. These tools may support language clarity, readability, and presentation, but authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and scientific validity of the submitted work. AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (JODESMA) uses the IEEE referencing style. In-text citations should use numerical references in square brackets, such as [1], [2], or [3].

• Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every listed reference must be cited in the manuscript.
• Use relevant, credible sources directly related to the research topic.
• Prioritize recent scholarly publications, including journal articles and reputable conference proceedings where appropriate.
• Ensure bibliographic information is complete and accurate.
• Include DOI information whenever available.
• Reference management tools such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote may be used.

Each section should be written clearly, systematically, and logically. The manuscript should establish a coherent relationship between the research problem, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusions.

• Follow the structure and order in the official journal template.
• Explain the research problem and objectives in the Introduction.
• Describe procedures, data sources, methods, instruments, and analysis techniques in Research Methodology.
• Present findings systematically in Results and Discussion.
• Interpret findings in relation to objectives, previous studies, theories, and practical implications.
• Summarize the principal findings and contributions in the Conclusion.
• Ensure that all data, tables, figures, and references are accurate and properly cited.
• Maintain consistency in terminology, formatting, numbering, citations, and references.

Before submission, authors should confirm that:

• The manuscript follows the official journal template and formatting instructions.
• The work is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.
• Author names, affiliations, and corresponding-author details are accurate.
• Tables, figures, equations, and citations are readable, numbered, and correctly referenced.
• Required CRediT, competing-interest, data-availability, and generative-AI declarations are included, as applicable.
• References follow IEEE style and meet the minimum requirement of 35 references.
• The manuscript meets the minimum length of 18 pages, including references.
• The reference section complies with the stated 20% page limit.
• The manuscript has been checked for language quality, accuracy, and consistency.