Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

International Research Journal of Social Sciences

Thank you for considering the International Research Journal of Social Sciences for your research. Please read these guidelines carefully before preparing and submitting your manuscript. Following them helps us process your submission quickly and efficiently.

ISSN
XXXX-XXXX
Frequency
Quarterly
Peer Review
Double-blind
Language
English

1. Before You Submit

Please ensure that:

  • The manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal or publisher.
  • All authors have approved the submission and agree to its content.
  • The work complies with our Publication Ethics and Anti-Plagiarism policies.
  • The manuscript has been carefully proofread for language, clarity, and formatting.
  • All necessary permissions for reproduced figures, tables, or data have been obtained.

2. Types of Manuscripts

  • Original Research Articles: reports of original empirical or theoretical research.
  • Review Articles: critical and comprehensive reviews of a field or topic.
  • Theoretical / Conceptual Papers: development of new frameworks and perspectives.
  • Case Studies: in-depth analysis of specific social phenomena or contexts.
  • Short Communications: concise reports of significant findings.
  • Letters / Commentaries: scholarly opinions, debates, or responses (at the editor's discretion).

3. Manuscript Structure

Research articles should generally follow this structure:

  1. Title (concise and descriptive)
  2. Author names, affiliations, and corresponding author details
  3. Abstract (150–250 words) and Keywords (4–6)
  4. Introduction (background, gap, and objectives)
  5. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework (where applicable)
  6. Methodology
  7. Results / Findings
  8. Discussion
  9. Conclusion
  10. Acknowledgements (if any) and Funding statement
  11. Conflict of Interest statement
  12. References

4. Formatting Requirements

  • File format: Microsoft Word (.doc / .docx) or LaTeX (with PDF).
  • Font: Times New Roman 12 pt or Arial 11 pt, single-spaced.
  • Margins / pages: 1 inch margins, page numbers on every page.
  • Title page: include title, all authors, affiliations, and the corresponding author's email.
  • Anonymised manuscript: remove author-identifying information from the main file for double-blind review.
  • Figures and tables: numbered, with clear captions; provide high-resolution images where applicable.
  • Units and abbreviations: use standard units and define every abbreviation at first use.

5. References

References should be cited in the text and listed at the end in APA style. Please ensure that every in-text citation has a matching reference entry and vice versa. Include DOIs where available. Do not cite retracted work without explanation.

6. Submission Process

  1. Register / Log in to the journal's online submission system.
  2. Start a new submission and select the appropriate section.
  3. Upload the manuscript and any supplementary files.
  4. Enter metadata (title, abstract, keywords, and all co-authors).
  5. Review and confirm the submission checklist and submit.

Submit your manuscript at sparkjournals.com/jss/about/submissions. You will receive an acknowledgement by email once your submission is received.

7. Peer Review

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that pass this stage are sent for double-blind peer review, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed. Based on the reviewers' recommendations, the editor will make a decision: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject. Revised manuscripts should be submitted within the time specified in the decision letter.

8. Plagiarism & Publication Ethics

The journal follows the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Manuscripts are screened for similarity, and those exceeding the permitted similarity threshold are rejected. Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest and adhere to ethical requirements for research involving human participants or sensitive data.

9. Copyright & Licensing

Articles are published under an open-access licence, allowing free use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the publisher the right of first publication and distribution.

10. Contact

For any queries regarding submission or these guidelines, please contact the editorial office at editor.jss@sparkjournals.com.