Editorial Guidelines

ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences (AIJSS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, scholarly quality, and ethical conduct throughout the editorial and publication process. These editorial guidelines provide a framework for authors, reviewers, and editors to ensure consistency, fairness, and academic rigor at every stage.

1. Submission and Initial Evaluation

Scope and Relevance
Manuscripts must present original research, theoretical contributions, or critical reviews in fields relevant to social sciences, including but not limited to: Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Psychology, Law, Education, History, Development Studies, and Media Studies. Authors are encouraged to consult the Aims and Scope of the journal prior to submission.

Plagiarism Screening
All submitted manuscripts are subjected to plagiarism checks using software such as Turnitin. AIJSS enforces a strict 15% similarity threshold. Manuscripts exceeding this limit may be returned to the author or rejected.

Formatting Requirements
Submissions must adhere to the AIJSS Author Guidelines and must include:

  • Title, author(s), and institutional affiliation

  • Structured abstract and relevant keywords

  • Main body following the IMRAD format (or relevant structure for theoretical/humanities work)

  • Properly formatted references (APA Style recommended)

  • Tables, figures, acknowledgments, and declarations (funding, ethics, conflict of interest)

Licensing Terms
All published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This permits sharing with proper attribution but restricts commercial use.

2. Peer Review Policy

Double-Blind Review
AIJSS follows a double-blind peer review process where both author and reviewer identities are kept confidential. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts.

Reviewer Selection and Ethics
Reviewers are selected for their subject expertise and must declare any potential conflicts of interest. All peer review activities are expected to uphold fairness, confidentiality, and scholarly integrity.

Review Timelines
Reviewers are requested to submit evaluations within 2 to 4 weeks. The editorial office monitors progress and ensures timely communication with authors.

3. Editorial Decision-Making

Decision Outcomes
Based on peer reviewer input, the editorial team may decide to:

✅ Accept the manuscript
✏️ Request minor or major revisions
❌ Reject the manuscript

Authors receive detailed decision letters along with anonymized reviewer comments.

Revisions and Resubmissions
Authors must address each reviewer comment clearly and resubmit within the allocated deadline. In certain cases, revised manuscripts may undergo a second round of review.

Appeals
Authors may appeal decisions by submitting a written justification. Appeals are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and/or an independent member of the editorial board.

4. Ethical Standards and Responsibilities

Authorship Criteria
All listed authors must have made a substantial academic contribution. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors approve the final version and agree with the submission.

Conflict of Interest
All contributors—authors, reviewers, and editors—must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence the review or editorial process.

Research Ethics Compliance
Research involving human subjects must be accompanied by ethical clearance and informed consent statements. AIJSS adheres to international ethical standards for social research.

5. Post-Publication Policy

Corrections and Retractions
If post-publication issues such as factual errors, ethical violations, or data concerns arise, AIJSS will take one or more of the following actions:

  • Issue a formal Correction (Erratum or Corrigendum)

  • Retract the article with explanation and transparency

  • Notify relevant indexing agencies

Archiving and Preservation
All published content is archived in secure repositories to ensure long-term access and citation durability.

6. Editorial Board Responsibilities

Selection and Diversity
Editorial board members are selected for their scholarly reputation and subject expertise. AIJSS seeks to maintain diversity in institutional affiliation, discipline, and geography.

Duties and Engagement
Board members contribute to:

  • Peer review and editorial oversight

  • Setting journal policies and standards

  • Promoting academic and ethical excellence

Rotation and Renewal
The board composition is periodically reviewed to ensure ongoing relevance, dynamism, and representation.

7. Communication and Transparency

Support for Authors
The editorial office is available to assist with queries related to:

  • Submission status

  • Revision instructions

  • Journal guidelines and policies

Professional Communication
All interactions between authors, editors, and reviewers should be respectful, timely, and collaborative, fostering a healthy academic environment.

By adhering to these guidelines, AIJSS upholds its mission to publish socially relevant, ethically sound, and academically valuable research across the diverse fields of the social sciences.