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Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Journal of Social Science and Development (JSSD) publishes theoretically informed and empirically grounded research on society, governance, policy, and development.

Official manuscript template: Download the JSSD Microsoft Word template (.docx).

Formatted article example: View the JSSD sample paper (PDF). The example uses pseudonymous authors and synthetic data and is not a published journal article.

Article types and word limits

  • Research Article: 5,000–8,000 words. Structure: Introduction; Literature Review/Conceptual Framework; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion and Implications.
  • Review Article: 5,000–8,000 words. Include the review method, synthesis, discussion, research or policy implications, and conclusion.
  • Policy Analysis: 3,500–6,000 words. Explain the policy context, analytical approach, evidence, options, implications, and conclusion.
  • Research Note: 2,500–4,000 words. Present a focused research problem, methods, findings, discussion, and conclusion.
  • Commentary: 1,500–3,000 words. Develop a clear argument supported by verifiable evidence or examples and explain its implications.

Title, abstract, and keywords

Use a concise title that identifies the issue, context, and analytical focus. Provide a 150–250-word abstract covering Purpose, Methods/Approach, Findings, and Implications, followed by 4–6 keywords that identify relevant concepts, sectors, or locations.

Social research reporting

Explain the research design, sampling, instruments or sources, analysis, software, reflexivity, anonymisation, and limitations. Address risks to vulnerable groups and the communities or territories studied. Policy and development claims must be supported by verifiable evidence.

Citations and references

Use APA 7th edition author–date citations and reference formatting. Present DOI values as active https://doi.org/ links.

Manuscript preparation

  • Submit an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file using the official journal template. Use A4 pages, page numbers, and continuous line numbering.
  • The main manuscript must be written in clear British English. Provide equivalent abstracts and keywords in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Bahasa Indonesia. Established technical terms may remain in English where translation would reduce precision.
  • The word count excludes abstracts, references, tables, figures, and supplementary material.
  • Prepare a separate title page containing the article title, author names, affiliations, countries, email addresses, an ORCID iD for every author, and the corresponding author. The anonymised manuscript must not identify the authors or their institutions.
  • Upload figures or supplementary files separately where required. Name every file clearly and cite it in the manuscript.

Tables, figures, and accessibility

  • Create tables as editable Word tables, number them consecutively, and use AutoFit to Window so they occupy the printable width of an A4 page.
  • Number and caption every figure. Submit images at a minimum of 300 dpi in PNG, JPEG, or TIFF format, and preserve the original aspect ratio.
  • Provide a source and permission information where relevant. Colour must not be the only means of conveying meaning; add alternative text or a concise visual description.

Research integrity and required declarations

Include the following sections before the references, using “Not applicable” only where justified:

  1. Data Availability Statement: identify a repository, DOI/accession number, or explain justified access restrictions.
  2. Ethics Approval: state the committee, institution, approval number, and date for research involving humans, animals, biological materials, communities, or sensitive data.
  3. Consent to Participate and Publish: explain how informed consent and permission for identifiable material were obtained.
  4. Author Contributions: identify each author’s contribution using the CRediT taxonomy.
  5. Funding: name funders and grant numbers, including material or in-kind support; otherwise state that no specific funding was received.
  6. Conflict of Interest: disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests, or state that the authors declare no competing interests.
  7. Use of Artificial Intelligence: name the tool, version where available, date accessed, purpose, and manuscript sections affected. AI cannot be an author; the human authors remain responsible for accuracy, references, originality, and the final text.
  8. Acknowledgements: recognise contributors who do not meet authorship criteria, with their permission.

Submissions must be original, must not be under consideration elsewhere, and may be screened for plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, image manipulation, and unverifiable references. Accepted articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Submission Preparation Checklist

Authors must confirm every item before completing submission:

  1. The submission is original, has not been published, and is not under consideration by another journal.
  2. The manuscript fits the journal’s focus and scope and an accepted article type.
  3. All authors meet the authorship criteria, approved the manuscript, and consent to this submission.
  4. The manuscript follows the official template, article structure, and word limit.
  5. The main manuscript is anonymised and contains no author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, or identifying metadata.
  6. A separate title page provides every author’s name, affiliation, country, email address, ORCID iD, and identifies the corresponding author.
  7. Equivalent abstracts and keywords are provided in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Bahasa Indonesia.
  8. Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and every listed reference is cited in the text using the journal’s required style.
  9. Tables and figures are numbered, cited, captioned, sourced, accessible, and formatted at the printable width of an A4 page where appropriate.
  10. Permission has been obtained for third-party material, photographs, instruments, datasets, or other copyrighted content.
  11. A Data Availability Statement and information about supplementary materials are included.
  12. Ethics approval and informed consent are reported where humans, animals, communities, biological material, sensitive data, or identifiable content are involved.
  13. CRediT Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, and Acknowledgements statements are included.
  14. Any use of artificial intelligence is disclosed according to journal policy; AI is not listed as an author.
  15. The manuscript has been checked for plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, and unverifiable references.
  16. The authors accept publication under CC BY 4.0 and agree to review the final proof.
  17. Sampling, instruments, analysis, anonymisation, reflexivity, and study limitations are explained.
  18. Ethical implications for vulnerable groups, communities, and the territories studied have been considered.
  19. Policy and development claims are supported by verifiable evidence.
  20. In-text citations and references follow APA 7th edition.

Articles

This section accepts Research Articles, Review Articles, Policy Analyses, Research Notes, and Commentaries within the journal’s scope. Every submission undergoes editorial screening and, when suitable, independent peer review.

Copyright Notice

By submitting, the author(s) retain copyright and, if the article is accepted, grant the journal a non-exclusive right of first publication. The published article will be licensed under CC BY 4.0. The author(s) confirm that they hold the rights necessary to grant this license and have identified any third-party material not covered by it.

Privacy Statement

Names and email addresses entered on this journal's website are used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal — communication about submissions, review, and publication — and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.