1. General Principles and Formatting Guidelines

• Publication Language: The publication languages of the journal are Turkish and English. Manuscripts must comply with the Turkish Language Association (TDK) spelling guide and grammar rules.
• Font and Size: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• Line Spacing: 1.5 line spacing. A 6 pt space must be left before and after paragraphs; paragraph indentation must be 1.25 cm.
• Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
• Page and Line Numbering: All pages of the manuscript must be numbered at the bottom right. Continuous line numbering must be included throughout the text to facilitate the peer review process.
• Word Count: Research articles are expected to be between 6,000 and 10,000 words, including the abstract, references, tables, and appendices.

2. Manuscript Structure and Sections

In accordance with double-blind review principles, the main manuscript file must not contain any information disclosing the identity of the authors (such as name, affiliation, email, ORCID, acknowledgments, etc.). Author details must be uploaded separately as a "Title Page."

• Title: Must align with the content, be clear, and not exceed 15 words. Titles must be provided in both Turkish and English.
• Abstract:
  • Must be prepared in both Turkish and English, each between 150 and 250 words.
  • The abstract must concisely and clearly state the aim of the research, methodology, findings, and its contribution to the literature/practice. It must not contain citations.
• Keywords: Must include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 terms in both Turkish and English. Keywords must be separated by commas and arranged in alphabetical order.
• Main Text Sections:
  • Introduction: Research problem, literature gap, research objective, and significance of the study.
  • Conceptual / Theoretical Framework: Relevant literature and theoretical grounding of hypotheses/research questions.
  • Methodology: Research design, population and sample/study group, data collection instruments, validity and reliability, and data analysis techniques (ethics committee approval information must be stated here).
  • Findings: Presentation of analysis results in a clear, objective manner without interpretation, supported by tables.
  • Discussion and Conclusion: Comparison of findings with existing literature, theoretical and managerial/practical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

3. Heading Hierarchy

Headings must be numbered using the decimal system:

• 1. FIRST-LEVEL HEADING (All uppercase, bold, 12 pt, left-aligned)
• 1.1. Second-Level Heading (Title case, bold, 12 pt, left-aligned)
• 1.1.1. Third-level heading (Sentence case, bold, 12 pt, left-aligned)

4. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be placed as close as possible to the point where they are first cited in the text.

• Table Caption: Placed above the table, 10 pt, single-spaced (e.g., Table 1. Demographic Characteristics).
• Figure Caption: Placed below or above the figure (consistent throughout the manuscript), 10 pt, single-spaced (e.g., Figure 1. Research Model).
• Text within tables may be set between 9 and 10 pt. Vertical lines must not be used in tables; horizontal borders compliant with APA standards should be used.

5. Citation and Reference Guidelines (APA 7)

In-text citations and reference lists must adhere to APA 7th Edition (American Psychological Association) standards. All entries in the reference list must include active DOI links where available.

In-Text Citations:

• Single author: (Kotler, 2021) or Kotler (2021)...
• Two authors: (Vargo & Lusch, 2004)
• Three or more authors: From the first citation onwards: (Belk et al., 2013)
• Direct quotations: Must include page numbers (Bourdieu, 1984, p. 45).

Reference Examples:

• Journal Article:

  Arnould, E. J., & Thompson, C. J. (2005). Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty years of research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 868–882. https://doi.org/10.1086/426626

• Book:

  Solomon, M. R. (2020). Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being (13th ed.). Pearson.

• Book Chapter:

  Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). On the concept of intentional social action in consumer behavior. In B. Sternthal & C. P. Haugtvedt (Eds.), Advances in Consumer Research (pp. 9–14). Association for Consumer Research.

6. Research and Publication Ethics

• In compliance with TR Dizin criteria, all empirical studies involving human participants (such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and experimental designs) must obtain Ethics Committee Approval; the committee name, date, and approval/decision number must be explicitly stated in the methodology section.
• The maximum allowable similarity (plagiarism) rate is 20%, excluding references (with a maximum of 3% similarity from any single source). The similarity report must be uploaded to the system alongside the submitted manuscript.