Chief Editor: Dr. Bakhtiar Khan
Discipline: Social Sciences (Miscellaneous)
Frequency: Annually
Publisher: Qlantic Publications
Address: Office #9, 1st Floor, Owais Tower, Opposite to Sheikh Maltoon Double Road, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Author Guidelines
The International Journal of Social Dynamics (IJSD) accepts submissions of original research manuscripts provided the work reports scientifically rigorous experiments and introduces a substantial body of new information. The ultimate quality and intellectual impact of the study are critical factors considered during the peer review process.
Authors must submit their articles using the online OJS submission system. Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word (version 2007 or higher) and must adhere to the criteria detailed below.
PREPARATION STANDARDS
Plagiarism (Similarity Index)
The IJSD accepts articles with a maximum 19% Plagiarism score (with single source not exceeding 5%) and AI% not higher than 5%, in line with the standards set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. Submissions that exceed this 19% threshold are only considered if the paper is an extract from the author's prior thesis (BS, M.Phil., or Ph.D.), and the total plagiarism percentage, after subtracting the percentage of work previously submitted to HEC, falls below 19%.
Title of the Manuscript
The title must be concise and informative. Titles should accurately reflect the main findings, key ideas, or arguments presented, offering the reader a clear sense of the paper's content. Overly long or vague titles should be avoided.
Author Information
Authors must supply the following details:
- The full name(s) of the author(s).
- Current Designation of the authors. Department/Faculty affiliation.
- Institution/University name. City/State/Province and Country name.
- An active email address for the Corresponding Author. The 16-digit ORCID of the author(s), if available.
Note: For temporarily unaffiliated authors, the journal will only display their city and country of residence, unless an email address is specifically requested for display.
- Authors must not include certificates, awards, qualifications, or biographies.
Abstract
Please provide an abstract ranging from 100 to 250 words. The abstract must be included on the first page of the manuscript file and must be identical to the version uploaded to the submission system. The abstract should be clear, concise, and understandable in isolation from the main paper. It should be presented as a single paragraph following a structured abstract style that clearly depicts the elements like Background & Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Avoid using abbreviations in the abstract unless they are fully defined. We request that the use of the ‘first person’ be avoided in the abstract, even for single-authored papers (this restriction does not apply to the main body of the paper).
Keywords
Please provide 3 to 9 keywords suitable for indexing purposes.
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
Length of the Paper
The full length of the paper, including all sections, must not exceed 9,000 words. The minimum acceptable length is 3,000 words.
Text and Formatting
Submitted files must be in an accepted format, preferably Microsoft Word. Submissions using unsupported file types may be returned during the initial Pre-Editorial Review.
Headings
Use the decimal system of headings with a maximum of three levels (e.g., 1., 1.1, 1.1.1).Abbreviations: Keep abbreviations, especially non-standard ones, to a minimum. They must be defined in the text or legends at their first occurrence, and the abbreviation should be used consistently thereafter.
References and Citation
Authors must strictly follow the American Psychological Association (APA 7th) style for all citations and references. The In-text Citations and References should be aligned with each other.
In-text Citation: In-text citation is mandatory. Any work listed in the final Reference list (or endnotes) that is not cited within the main text will be considered incomplete and will be deleted.
Reference List: Entries must be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work.DOIs: If available, always include DOIs as full DOI links in the reference list (e.g., https://doi.org/abc).
Examples:
Print Journal Article:
Lowrie, T., & Diezmann, C. M. (2009). National numeracy tests: A graphic tells a thousand words. Australian Journal of Education, 53(2), 141-158.
Article by DOI:
Osman, M. (2010). Controlling uncertainty: A review of human behavior in complex dynamic environments. Psychological Bulletin, 136(1), 65-86.
$https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017815$
Book:
Gazda, G. M., Balzer, F. J., Childers, W. C., Nealy, A. U., Phelps, R. E., & Walters, R. P. (2005). Human relations development: A manual for educators (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Educational.
Book Chapter:
Baker, F. M., & Lightfoot, O. B. (1993). Psychiatric care of ethnic elders. In A. C. Gaw (Ed.), Culture, ethnicity, and mental illness (pp. 517-552). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Tables
Submit tables within the main article document in an editable format (not as images). Number all tables using Arabic numerals and cite them in text in consecutive numerical order. Provide a concise table caption (title) explaining the components. Identify previously published material by referencing the original source at the end of the caption. Footnotes should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for statistical significance) and included beneath the table body.
Figures
Figures that do not meaningfully complement or amplify ideas discussed in the main text should be omitted. Figure Numbering: Number all figures using Arabic numerals and cite them in text in consecutive numerical order. Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.). If an appendix contains figures, continue the consecutive numbering from the main text (do not use "A1, A2, etc.").
Figure Captions: Include captions in the text file of the manuscript, not in the figure file itself. The caption begins with the term Fig. in bold type, followed by the figure number, also in bold type (e.g., Fig. 1). No punctuation is placed after the number or at the end of the caption. Identify all elements within the figure (e.g., boxes, circles used as coordinate points). Identify previously published material by including a reference citation at the end of the caption.
Language and Communication
The journal is read by academics from varied disciplinary backgrounds, many of whom are not native English speakers. Authors must prioritize communicating their findings clearly. While a basic knowledge of the field may be assumed, technical jargon that is unfamiliar to non-specialists should be avoided wherever possible, and clearly defined where its use is unavoidable. Ambiguous details must also be avoided.
Responding to Reviewers
Following peer review, authors should apply the following criteria when addressing suggested revisions (Major/Minor):
Highlight Revisions: Mark all changes made to the paper in color or bold text. If multiple colors are used for different referees, clearly specify which color refers to which reviewer in the response letter.
Address Editor's Points: Ensure all points specifically flagged by the Editor in the decision letter are addressed in the response overview.
Respond to All Points: Respond to every point raised. If a specific point cannot be addressed, provide a clear and academically reasoned justification.
Maintain Professional Tone: Authors are permitted to disagree with reviewers’ points, provided the response maintains a professional, constructive tone and arguments are grounded in academic reasoning.
Ethical Approval
When reporting a study involving human participants, their data, or biological material, authors must include a statement confirming that the study was approved (or granted exemption) by the appropriate institutional and/or national research ethics committee. This statement must include the name of the ethics committee and certify that the study was conducted in accordance with all applicable ethical standards.
