Affiliation Policy

Institutional Affiliation Policy

Authors submitting manuscripts to the Pakistan Social Sciences Review (PSSR) must provide complete, verifiable institutional affiliation details during the submission process. Transparent identification of institutional associations safeguards research integrity, prevents undisclosed conflicts of interest, and ensures accurate attribution across international citation databases.

Primary Affiliation Requirements

Each listed author must clearly state their primary organizational affiliation, specifying:

  • Full official name of the academic institution, research organization, or agency.
  • Department, faculty, or research center name.
  • Geographic location (city, state/province, and country).

The Corresponding Author must ensure all institutional contact details—including an active institutional email address—are current and fully accurate for peer review and editorial administration.

Multiple Affiliations & Shared Institutions

Authors holding joint appointments or positions across multiple organizations must list each affiliation on a separate line. Link authors to their respective institutional affiliations using superscript numbers (e.g., Author Name1,2).

When multiple co-authors share an identical institutional affiliation, the address details should be listed once and mapped to each applicable contributor using matching superscript numbers.

Historical vs. Current Affiliations

Institutional affiliations must reflect where the research was physically or administratively conducted. If an author changes institutions after completing the study, their listed primary affiliation must remain the organization where the research took place. The new institution should be cited in a footnote or explanatory note (e.g., "Present address: [Department, Institution, City, Country]").

Independent Researchers & Non-Academic Contributors

Independent scholars, policy consultants, or experts affiliated with non-academic entities (such as NGOs, industry groups, or government agencies) should state their official designation and organization clearly. Authors working independently without organizational backing should list their status as "Independent Researcher" along with their city and country.

Funding & Conflict Disclosures

  • Financial & In-Kind Support: Grants, laboratory resources, compute access, or institutional funding tied to any listed affiliation must be explicitly declared in the Funding / Acknowledgements section.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal connections with affiliated organizations that could influence—or appear to influence—the research outcomes or interpretations presented in the paper.

Editorial Contact

For questions regarding affiliation formatting or multi-institutional declarations, write to the editorial office at editor@pssr.org.pk.