Author Guidelines

Guide for Authors

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Societal Sustainability (JSS) are evaluated through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process conducted by independent experts and members of the Editorial Board. The identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process to ensure fairness, objectivity, and impartiality.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure that:

·        The manuscript falls within the journal’s Aims and Scope.

·        The official Microsoft Word or LaTeX template has been used.

·        The manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere.

·        All authors have reviewed and approved the final version.

·        Ethical requirements, plagiarism policies, and publication standards have been satisfied.

·        References are complete, accurate, and formatted according to the journal’s style.

·        Figures, tables, and supplementary materials are properly numbered and cited in the manuscript.

·        A cover letter and all required declarations have been included.

Types of Manuscripts

JSS welcomes high-quality submissions in the following categories:

Research Articles

Original theoretical, empirical, or methodological studies that make significant contributions to societal sustainability and sustainable development.

Review Articles

Comprehensive and critical reviews of existing literature that summarise recent developments, identify research gaps, and propose directions for future research.

Short Communications

Concise reports presenting innovative ideas, preliminary findings, emerging societal issues, or research outcomes of significant and timely interest.

Case Studies

Detailed examinations of sustainability initiatives, communities, organisations, institutions, policies, or practices that provide valuable theoretical or practical insights.

Policy Analyses

Evidence-based evaluations of public policies, governance frameworks, institutional practices, or development programmes relevant to societal sustainability.

Manuscript Preparation

The manuscript should normally include:

·        Title

·        Author names and affiliations

·        Abstract

·        Keywords

·        Introduction

·        Literature Review, where applicable

·        Materials and Methods or Methodology

·        Results

·        Discussion

·        Conclusions and recommendations

·        Funding Statement

·        Data Availability Statement

·        Author Contributions

·        Acknowledgements

·        Conflict of Interest Statement

·        References

The structure may be adjusted according to the manuscript type and research methodology.

Accepted File Formats

Authors are encouraged to prepare their manuscripts using the official journal templates.

Accepted formats include:

·        Microsoft Word (.docx)

·        LaTeX as a ZIP archive containing all source files

Figures should be submitted in high-resolution formats, such as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, EPS, or PDF. The total submission size should not exceed 120 MB.

Cover Letter

Each submission must include a brief cover letter explaining:

·        The originality and novelty of the work.

·        Its academic, practical, or policy contribution.

·        Its relevance to the scope of JSS.

Authors must also confirm that:

·        The manuscript is original.

·        It has not been published previously.

·        It is not under consideration by another journal.

·        All authors have approved the manuscript and its submission.

Author Information

The following information must be provided for each author:

·        Full name

·        Institutional affiliation

·        Country

·        Email address

·        ORCID iD, where available

The corresponding author is responsible for all communications with the Editorial Office and for ensuring that all authors approve the submitted and revised versions.

Abstract and Keywords

Abstract

The abstract should not exceed 250 words and should clearly summarise the:

·        Background

·        Objectives

·        Methods

·        Principal findings

·        Conclusions and implications

Keywords

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords that accurately describe the manuscript and are not unnecessarily repeated from the title.

Formatting Guidelines

·        Define all abbreviations at their first use.

·        Use SI units whenever applicable.

·        Number figures and tables consecutively.

·        Provide clear titles for tables and informative captions for figures.

·        Ensure that every table and figure is cited in the text.

·        Submit mathematical equations in an editable format rather than as images.

·        Obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material.

·        Protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants.

·        Use clear, professional, and inclusive academic language.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable national and international ethical standards. Authors must provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval number, where applicable.

Informed consent must be obtained when required. Authors must also explain how participants’ privacy, confidentiality, and personal data were protected.

Data and Reproducibility

Authors are strongly encouraged to make their datasets, research instruments, questionnaires, analytical materials, and supplementary files available through recognised public repositories whenever ethically and legally possible.

Each manuscript must include a Data Availability Statement. Any restrictions related to confidentiality, privacy, ethics, or third-party ownership should be clearly explained.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial intelligence tools may be used to assist with language editing, grammar improvement, formatting, data processing, or coding. AI tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the work.

Authors must disclose any substantial use of AI-assisted technologies and remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, references, analyses, and conclusions of their manuscripts.

Author Contributions

Authors should describe their individual contributions using the CRediT Taxonomy, including relevant roles such as:

·        Conceptualisation

·        Methodology

·        Software

·        Validation

·        Formal Analysis

·        Investigation

·        Resources

·        Data Curation

·        Writing – Original Draft

·        Writing – Review & Editing

·        Visualisation

·        Supervision

·        Project Administration

·        Funding Acquisition

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support.

If no funding was received, please state:

This research received no external funding.

Data Availability

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement explaining where the supporting data and research materials can be accessed.

If no new data were created or analysed, please state:

No new data were created or analysed in this study.

If the data are contained within the article, please state:

The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Acknowledgements

Authors may acknowledge individuals or organisations that provided technical, administrative, institutional, or financial assistance but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research.

If no conflicts exist, please state:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

References should follow the APA 7th Edition style and be arranged alphabetically. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all references and verifying that every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list.

Open Access

The Journal of Societal Sustainability (JSS) is a fully open-access journal. All published articles are freely and permanently available immediately upon publication under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Article Processing Charge

The Journal of Societal Sustainability (JSS) does not charge Article Processing Charges (APCs). Manuscript submission, peer review, and publication are completely free of charge for authors.