Article Structure (Guide for Authors)

  1. General Principles & Policies
  • Scope & Submission: Submissions must represent original, high-quality scholarly work directly aligning with the journal’s scope. Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively via the online journal portal.
  • Author Responsibility: Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy of statements, data, and citations. The journal reserves the right to edit, accept, or reject manuscripts based on peer review and editorial criteria.
  • Open Access & Publication Fees: Journal of Social Continuity and Change is a Diamond Open Access journal. All published articles are immediately freely accessible to readers worldwide. There are no Article Processing Charges (APCs) or submission fees for authors.
  • Publication Ethics & Declarations: Compliance with publication ethics is mandatory. Authors must download, sign, and submit both the Ethical Declaration / Author Commitment Form and the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form along with their original manuscript file.
  • Formatting Requirements: Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.docx), double-spaced (or 1.5 line spacing), using standard 12-pt font (Cambria).
  • Word Count Limits: Total word counts—inclusive of abstract, body text, tables, and references—are capped at a maximum of 8,000 words for quantitative manuscripts and 9,500 words for qualitative manuscripts.

 Manuscripts previously published or currently under review elsewhere will be rejected immediately.

 

  1. Manuscript Structure & Components

For Research Articles and Review Articles, manuscripts must adhere to the following core section headings to ensure structural consistency:

  1. Title: Concise and informative, not exceeding 15 words.
  2. Abstract: Maximum 250 words. Avoid abbreviations, citations, or formulas.
    • Structured Abstract (For Research & Review Articles): Must explicitly include the following sub-headings:
      • Background and Aims
      • Data and Methods
      • Findings
      • Discussion & Conclusion
      • Key Message
    • Unstructured Abstract (For Perspectives & Technical Notes): A single coherent paragraph (Max 250 words).
  3. Keywords: Provide 5 keywords, listed in order of relevance.
  4. Introduction: Clear articulation of the research problem, context, significance, and primary objective.
  5. Literature Review: Critical review of relevant empirical literature. Clearly highlight the unique research gaps or innovative aspects of the study.
  6. Theoretical / Conceptual Framework: Explain theoretical mechanisms and key variable relationships. (Note: Authors may combine Literature Review and Theoretical Framework under a single heading if appropriate).
  7. Data and Methods: Methodology details, including study design, data collection, sampling, analytical tools, and procedures used to ensure validity and reliability.
  8. Findings: Clear presentation of analytical findings. Sub-sections, if necessary, must be logically numbered.
  9. Discussion and Conclusion: Interpretation of key results in light of prior literature, theoretical implications, policy/practical recommendations, and suggestions for future research.
  10. Ethical Considerations & Statements: Brief statements prior to references covering Ethical Compliance (with ethics committee code if applicable), Acknowledgments, Funding, Authors' Contributions, Conflicts of Interest, and Authors' ORCID iDs.
  11. References: Strict adherence to APA 7th Edition citation style is required. Include active DOI links [https://doi.org/] for all available sources.

 

  1. Editorial & Formatting Guidelines
  • DOIs and Links: Include full DOI links [https://doi.org/] for all reference entries where available.
  • Tables:
    • All tables must be formatted in strict compliance with APA 7th Edition guidelines (e.g., clear table numbers and titles, no vertical borders, and three horizontal lines).
    • Tables must be created using Microsoft Word’s table tools and placed directly in the text (do not submit tables as embedded image files).
    • Manuscripts should not contain more than 6 tables. Combine smaller tables where appropriate.
    • Information provided in tables must not duplicate data shown in figures/charts.
  • Figures & Charts: High-resolution figures must be embedded directly within the text. Each figure must have a descriptive title placed below it. All axes (horizontal and vertical) must be clearly labeled with proper titles and measurement units.
  • Footnotes: Use Microsoft Word’s automated footnote insertion (References > Insert Footnote). Footnotes must restart numbering on each page (do not use continuous document-wide footnotes).

⚠️ Note: Non-compliance with these formatting guidelines will result in processing delays or desk rejection.