Instructions / Guidelines for the Author

Submission Guidelines

Authors are advised to review the Aims & Scope section before submitting a manuscript to ensure the suitability of their work for the journal. Prior to submission, authors must ensure that all matters related to publication ethics, copyright, authorship, figure preparation, data integrity, and reference formatting have been properly addressed. Submission of a manuscript implies that all listed authors have approved the final version.

Pakistan Social Sciences Review (PSSR) provides immediate open access to all published content. Readers are not required to pay any fee to access articles. Upon acceptance of a manuscript, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is payable by the authors or their affiliated institutions, as detailed on the journal’s APC page.

  1. Submission

Manuscripts must be written in clear and correct English and submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Submissions should be uploaded as a single Microsoft Word file containing the complete manuscript, including tables, figures, and appendices. The recommended length of research articles is 3,000–5,000 words, inclusive of the abstract, references, tables, figures, and appendices.

  1. Title Page

The title page must include:

  • The full title of the manuscript
  • Full names of all authors
  • Institutional affiliations and complete postal addresses
  • Identification and contact details of the corresponding author

  1. Abstract

The abstract should appear on the second page of the manuscript and must be 100–150 words in length. It should be written as a single paragraph and structured logically without headings. The abstract should briefly cover the background and objectives of the study, methods used, key findings, and main conclusions. Where relevant, authors may also mention research limitations and practical or social implications.

  1. Keywords

Authors should provide three to six (3–6) keywords immediately following the abstract. Keywords should be relevant to the manuscript and commonly used within the relevant discipline.

  1. Abbreviations

All abbreviations must be spelled out in full at first mention in the text, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used consistently.

  1. Preparing Tables and Figures

Tables:
All tables must include clear and descriptive column headings. Authors are encouraged to use the table creation feature in Microsoft Word. Smaller font sizes may be used for large tables, provided that the font size does not fall below 8 points.

Figures:
Figures should be embedded within the main text at appropriate locations. All figures must be of high quality, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi or a minimum dimension of 1000 pixels in width or height. Text within figures must be clearly legible.

  1. References and Citation Policy

PSSR follows the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th Edition referencing style, using the author–date citation format. All sources cited in the text must be included in the reference list, and authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all references.

  1. Funding, Acknowledgements, Conflicts of Interest, and Data Availability Statement

Funding:
Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research and publication. If no external funding was received, authors should state: “This research received no external funding.” Where applicable, funding agency names, grant numbers, and APC funding details must be clearly stated.

Acknowledgements:
This section may be used to acknowledge individuals or organizations that provided assistance not qualifying for authorship, such as technical or administrative support.

Conflicts of Interest:
Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research. If no conflicts exist, authors should state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.” Any involvement of funding sponsors in the research process must also be disclosed.

Data Availability Statement:
Authors should indicate where the data supporting the findings of the study can be accessed, including links to publicly available repositories where applicable. If no data were generated or analyzed, this statement may be omitted.

  1. Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Human Participants in Research

Research involving human participants must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards. Authors are required to assess and disclose any physical or psychological risks associated with the study. Informed consent must be obtained from all participants prior to participation. Studies involving human subjects must have received approval from an appropriate institutional ethics committee, and evidence of such approval may be requested during the review process.

Participant demographics, including number, age range, sex, and general health status, should be reported where relevant. Compensation to participants is permissible only to reimburse expenses or compensate for time and inconvenience and must not constitute undue inducement.

  1. Appendix

Appendices, if any, should be placed at the end of the manuscript.

  1. Reviewer Suggestions

Authors may suggest up to three potential reviewers with relevant expertise during submission. Suggested reviewers must not have collaborated or co-authored publications with any of the authors within the past three years and should be affiliated with institutions other than those of the authors. Providing reviewer suggestions does not guarantee their selection, as the final choice of reviewers rests solely with the editorial team.