ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences (AIJSS) is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary scholarly journal recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan in the Y Category. The journal serves as a premier platform for academics, researchers, policy practitioners, and scholars dedicated to advancing knowledge across the broad spectrum of social sciences and allied disciplines.
AIJSS is committed to promoting high-quality original research, critical reviews, theoretical contributions, and empirical studies that address contemporary social, cultural, economic, political, and developmental challenges at national, regional, and global levels. The journal encourages interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that foster dialogue across diverse fields of inquiry.
While AIJSS maintains a broad and inclusive vision, its focus includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:
AIJSS adheres to rigorous blind peer review standards to ensure academic integrity, originality, and methodological soundness. The journal upholds ethical publishing practices in line with international academic norms and encourages submissions that contribute meaningfully to scholarly discourse and evidence-based policy formulation.
Through consistent quality, transparency, and scholarly rigor, ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences (AIJSS) aspires to strengthen its national and international standing and serve as a trusted source of knowledge for the global academic community.
Aim & Scope:
The journal aims to provide, on a monthly basis (from 1st October 2025 onwards), a highly readable and valuable addition to the literature in the field of Social Sciences under the scope of Archeology, Anthropology, Archival Studies, Economics, Econometrics, Disaster Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Defense and Strategic Studies, International Relations, Psychology (including Clinical, Industrial, and Developmental Psychology), Philosophy, Sociology, Iqbal Studies/Iqbaliyat, Rural Development Studies, Social Work, Criminology, Library and Information Sciences, History, Demography and Population Studies, Ethnography, Conservation Studies, Religious Studies/Comparative Religion, Islamic Studies/Arabic Studies, Education, Special Education, Law and Legislature, Home Economics, Pakistan Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Behavioral Sciences, Women and Gender Studies, American Studies, Area Studies, Development Studies, Journalism, Mass Communication, Media Studies, Rural and Urban Studies, and Women Studies.
The journal will serve as an essential reference for future research. We aim to provide a multidisciplinary platform for years to come that covers all disciplines of Social Sciences. We also intend to offer a platform to the global scientific community.
Policy:
It is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that published one issue in the first volume, two issues in the second volume, and is now publishing on a monthly basis, effective from October 1, 2025. Our focus is to produce the highest-quality articles/papers in accordance with the policies of the Board Members.
During peer review, if reviewers find any obscene, defamatory, abusive, fraudulent, or plagiarized content (as per the HEC plagiarism policy, i.e., <19%), or content involving conflict or dispute, the article will not be published in the journal. If both reviewers provide differing opinions, the matter will be discussed with the Chief Editor and then forwarded to a third reviewer nominated by him, with the final decision made based on the majority opinion.
The ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences is a fully open-access journal, meaning all content is freely available to users and their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. All published articles are immediately and permanently available online without subscription or access barriers.
All content is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.
Under CC BY 4.0, users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, share, adapt, and reuse the content for any lawful purpose, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors.
AIJSS does not impose any embargo period on published content.
ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences (AIJSS)
Upholding Academic Integrity
At AIJSS, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic honesty and professional ethics. Plagiarism—whether intentional or accidental—undermines the credibility of research and tarnishes the integrity of the scholarly record. Therefore, AIJSS enforces a strict zero-tolerance plagiarism policy to ensure the originality of all published content.
Plagiarism refers to the use of another individual’s intellectual work without proper acknowledgment, including:
Direct Copying: Verbatim use of content from other sources without quotation and citation
Paraphrasing Without Credit: Rewording someone else’s ideas or findings without attribution
Data Misuse: Using graphs, tables, images, or datasets from external works without appropriate reference
Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one’s own published or submitted material without disclosure or proper citation
| Standard | Allowed Similarity |
|---|---|
| AIJSS Internal Policy | Maximum 19% |
| HEC Benchmark | Up to 19% |
All manuscripts are checked using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin).
Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the originality of their submission.
Manuscripts exceeding the similarity threshold will be flagged and reviewed by the editorial board.
| Type of Violation | Editorial Action |
|---|---|
| Minor (e.g., missing citations or minor overlap) | Returned to author for revision and correction |
| Major (e.g., large-scale copying, lack of attribution) | Immediate rejection. If published, the article will be retracted |
| Repeated or severe violations | Author(s) will be blacklisted; institutional notice may be issued |
All authors must submit a Statement of Originality, confirming:
The manuscript is original and unpublished
All external sources are properly credited
The work is not under consideration elsewhere
If authors believe a plagiarism judgment was made in error, they may:
File a formal appeal to the editorial office
The AIJSS Editorial Board will re-evaluate the manuscript and issue a final decision
AIJSS strictly prohibits the use of AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Gemini, etc.) in any part of a manuscript.
❌ Submissions containing AI-generated text, analysis, or interpretation will be rejected or retracted.
✅ Manuscripts must reflect original human scholarship and independent research only.
In cases of plagiarism-related retraction, AIJSS will publish a formal retraction notice.
This ensures transparency and protects the academic community from misinformation.
This policy is aligned with the ethical publishing standards set by HEC, COPE, and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
AIJSS is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of published scholarly content.
The journal utilizes the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) and other preservation mechanisms available through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to ensure permanent accessibility of published articles.
Regular backups of journal data, articles, metadata, and system files are maintained to safeguard against accidental loss.
Published content remains freely available and permanently accessible through the journal website.
If the journal ceases publication, all published content will remain accessible through preservation services and institutional archives whenever possible.
AIJSS is committed to publishing high-quality, original, and socially impactful research. The peer review process is central to safeguarding academic excellence, ensuring methodological soundness, and upholding ethical integrity. All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review to promote impartiality and fairness.
Author Anonymity: Reviewers are unaware of the authors' identities.
Reviewer Anonymity: Authors do not know the reviewers' identities.
This model ensures that manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly merit, free from institutional, national, or personal bias.
Upon submission via the official online portal, each manuscript undergoes a preliminary review by the editorial team to assess:
Scope alignment with social sciences disciplines
Compliance with formatting and submission guidelines
Ethical approvals (where required)
Plagiarism check using Turnitin or equivalent tools
Submissions failing to meet basic standards are desk-rejected without external review.
Manuscripts meeting the criteria are assigned to (2 Internal & 2 External)
with domain expertise. Selection is based on:
Subject-area specialization
Research and publication experience
Absence of any conflict of interest
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts on:
Originality and scholarly contribution
Methodological rigor and theoretical grounding
Data analysis and validity of findings
Relevance to policy, education, or society
Writing clarity and structure
Ethical considerations
Reviewer Recommendations include:
Accept
Minor Revisions
Major Revisions (with potential re-review)
Reject
The editorial team consolidates reviewer feedback and issues a decision. Authors receive:
Clear decision letters
Detailed reviewer comments
Guidance for revisions (if applicable)
A revision timeline (usually 2–4 weeks)
The average peer review process takes 4–6 weeks, depending on:
Reviewer response time
Article complexity
Number of revision cycles
Authors are encouraged to submit revisions promptly to avoid delays in publication.
Maintain confidentiality of all manuscripts
Provide objective, constructive, and respectful feedback
Declare any conflicts of interest
Avoid any form of discrimination or bias
Reviewers must not:
Share manuscript content
Use unpublished data for personal gain
Communicate with authors outside of the editorial system
If an author disagrees with a decision:
A formal appeal may be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief
The appeal must include justification and supporting evidence
The editorial board may consult an independent reviewer
Final decisions rest with the Editor-in-Chief
AIJSS strictly adheres to:
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines
HEC Pakistan’s publishing quality benchmarks
International best practices for peer-reviewed academic publishing
To honor reviewer contributions:
An annual list of reviewers (with consent) is published
Certificates of recognition are available upon request
Top reviewers may be invited to join the editorial board
At AIJSS, the peer review process is foundational to our mission. By combining ethical governance, double-blind review, and academic rigor, we ensure that each publication upholds the values of integrity, relevance, and scholarly excellence in the field of social sciences.
The copyright policy of AIJSS is based on a non-exclusive publishing agreement, according to which the journal retains the right of first publication, but the author(s) are free to publish their work subsequently. The copyright of all work rests with the author(s).
All articles published by AIJSS are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Under CC BY 4.0, users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, share, adapt, and reuse the content for any lawful purpose, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors.
Repository & Self-Archiving Policy
AIJSS permits authors to deposit all versions of their work in institutional or other repositories like Research Gate, ORCID, Academia, ArXiv, etc. without embargo, including:
Preprint (submitted version)
Author’s Accepted Manuscript (AAM)
Published Version (Version of Record)
Proper citation to the original published article is required.
Journal Information
Name of Journal: ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences (AIJSS)
Journal Frequency: Monthly
Online ISSN (E): 3006-6638
Online ISSN (P): 3006-6887
Language: English
Publisher: ACADEMIA (PRIVATE) LIMITED
Review Type: Peer-Reviewed
Area of Publication: Social Sciences (Multidisciplinary)
