Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making welcomes original research articles, scholarly studies, and innovative contributions in the fields of Decision Support Systems (DSS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). The journal covers theoretical developments, methodological innovations, computational approaches, and practical applications of DSS and MCDM in 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 for decision support, data science, information systems, and computational intelligence. The journal also welcomes interdisciplinary applications of DSS and MCDM in business, management, engineering, healthcare, education, logistics, finance, public services, and other domains where structured decision support and multi-criteria analysis are required. Authors are required to follow the guidelines below to ensure consistency, academic quality, and transparency throughout the manuscript submission process.

1. Manuscript Preparation

Language

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

Originality

• Manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously in another journal or publication.
• Manuscripts must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal or publication.
• Submitted manuscripts may be checked for plagiarism and originality before entering the review process.

Article Length

• Manuscripts should follow the page length and formatting requirements specified in the official journal template.

File Format

• Manuscripts must be prepared using the official journal template and submitted in the file format specified by the journal.

2. Manuscript Structure

Authors should prepare manuscripts using the following general structure:

3. Title and Author Information

Title

• The title should be concise, informative, specific, and representative of the research.
• The title should clearly reflect the main topic, method, object, or contribution of the study.
• Authors should avoid unnecessary abbreviations and overly general expressions in the title.

Author Information

• Provide the full name of each author.
• Provide the institutional affiliation of each author.
• Provide the country of each institution.
• Provide the email address of the corresponding author.
• Author information must accurately reflect the authors who contributed to the research and manuscript.

4. Abstract and Keywords

Abstract

The abstract should provide a concise summary of the research and should allow readers to understand the main content of the study without reading the complete manuscript. The abstract should generally include:

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

Keywords

• Provide relevant keywords representing the main concepts of the manuscript.
• Keywords should be specific and directly related to the research.
• Keywords should be separated using semicolons (;).

5. Tables and Figures

Tables

• Tables must be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance.
• Table titles must be placed above the corresponding table.
• Table titles should clearly describe the information presented.
• Every table should be referred to and discussed in the manuscript.
• Tables should be clear, readable, concise, and relevant to the research.
• Units, abbreviations, symbols, and notes should be explained when necessary.
• Sources must be cited when data are obtained or adapted from another source.

Figures

• Figures must be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance.
• Figure captions must be placed below the corresponding figure.
• Every figure should be referred to and discussed in the manuscript.
• Figures must be clear and have sufficient quality for publication.
• Text, labels, legends, symbols, and numerical information must be readable.
• Sources must be cited when figures are reproduced or adapted from another source.

6. Equations

• Mathematical equations should be clearly written and presented consistently throughout the manuscript.
• Equations should be numbered consecutively when they are referenced in the manuscript.
• Equation numbers should follow the formatting specified in the official journal template.
• Variables, parameters, and mathematical symbols must be defined when first introduced.
• Mathematical notation should remain consistent throughout the manuscript.
• Equations should be inserted using an appropriate equation editor rather than low-quality image files.
• Authors are responsible for ensuring the mathematical accuracy of all equations and their consistency with the methodology.

7. Additional Author Declarations

CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement

Authors are required to provide a CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement describing the specific contributions of each author. The statement should accurately reflect each author's actual involvement in the research and manuscript preparation.

Declaration of Competing Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the research, results, interpretation, or reporting of the study. If no competing interests exist, authors should provide an appropriate declaration stating this.

Acknowledgments

Authors may acknowledge individuals, institutions, funding organizations, research groups, or other parties that provided meaningful assistance but do not qualify for authorship.

Data Availability

Authors are required to provide a Data Availability Statement describing how the data supporting the research findings can be accessed. Where data cannot be shared because of privacy, ethical, legal, confidentiality, or proprietary restrictions, the applicable limitations should be stated.

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

Authors must disclose the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of the manuscript. Such tools may be used to 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.

8. Citation and References

Citation Style

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

References Requirements

• All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list.
• Every reference listed should be cited in the manuscript.
• References should be relevant, credible, and directly related to the research topic.
• Authors are encouraged to prioritize recent scholarly publications, particularly journal articles and reputable conference proceedings.
• Bibliographic information should be complete and accurate.
• DOI information should be included whenever available.
• Authors are encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote.

In-text Citation Example

Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of machine learning methods in improving classification performance [1].

Multiple Citation Example

Various computational and decision-making approaches have been applied across different research domains [2], [3].

Manuscript Writing Guidelines

Instructions for preparing the main sections of the manuscript

 

 

Authors are required to prepare their manuscripts according to the following guidelines. Each section should be written clearly, systematically, and logically to ensure that the research can be properly understood and evaluated by reviewers and readers.

The manuscript should present a clear relationship between the research problem, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions. Authors should ensure that each section contains sufficient information to explain the research process and support the validity of the findings.

1. INTRODUCTION

Establish the research context and explain why the study is important.

 

 

The Introduction should provide readers with sufficient background to understand the research problem, demonstrate the significance of the study, and clearly state the research objectives. It should gradually move from the general context toward the specific issue addressed by the manuscript.

What should be included?

• Present the general background of the research area.
• Explain the practical or theoretical problem being addressed.
• Summarize relevant previous studies.
• Identify research gaps or limitations in existing literature.
• State the novelty and contribution of the study.
• Clearly formulate the research objectives.

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Describe how the research was conducted in a transparent and reproducible manner.

 

 

The Methodology section should explain every step of the research process clearly enough for other researchers to reproduce the study. The selected methods must be appropriate for achieving the stated objectives.

Essential Components

• Research design and approach.
• Data sources and collection procedures.
• Population, sample, or experimental subjects.
• Research instruments or tools.
• Algorithms, models, or analytical techniques.
• Data processing and validation procedures.
• Software and computational environment.

For Computer Science Research

• System architecture or workflow diagrams.
• Algorithm descriptions or pseudocode.
• Parameter settings.
• Evaluation metrics.
• Hardware and software specifications.

3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Present findings objectively and interpret their scientific significance.

 

 

This section should present the research findings clearly and objectively before discussing their meaning. The discussion should explain why the results occurred, compare them with previous studies, and highlight their theoretical and practical implications.

Results

• Present findings systematically.
• Use tables and figures appropriately.
• Report numerical values accurately.
• Avoid repeating identical information in text and tables.

Discussion

• Interpret the significance of findings.
• Compare results with previous studies.
• Explain similarities or differences.
• Discuss limitations.
• Highlight practical implications and future research opportunities.

4. CONCLUSION

Summarize the main findings and emphasize the contribution of the research.

 

 

The Conclusion should directly answer the research objectives by summarizing the most important findings. It should emphasize the contribution of the study without merely repeating the Results section.

The Conclusion should:

• Summarize the principal findings.
• Answer the research objectives.
• Highlight theoretical and practical contributions.
• Acknowledge important limitations.
• Suggest directions for future research.

Important