Author FAQs

  1. What type of journal is JSSH?

The Journal of Social Science and Humanities (JSSH) is a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published by the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages (SSHL), Bangladesh Open University.

  1. What subjects does JSSH publish?

JSSH welcomes scholarly research in the social sciences, humanities, and related interdisciplinary fields. Areas include, but are not limited to:

  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Economics
  • Islamic Studies
  • Geography and Environment
  • Education
  • Linguistics
  • History
  • Philosophy
  • Anthropology
  • Development Studies
  • Gender Studies
  • Law
  • Other relevant interdisciplinary areas

Authors should consult the journal’s Aims and Scope before submitting.

  1. Does JSSH charge an Article Processing Charge (APC)?

No.

JSSH currently charges BDT 0 for manuscript submission, editorial processing, peer review, acceptance, and publication.

  1. Is there a submission fee?

No. Authors are not required to pay a submission fee.

  1. How do I submit a manuscript?

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s Open Journal Systems (OJS) online submission system.

Authors should not submit manuscripts by email unless specifically requested by the editorial office.

  1. What is the required word limit?

A manuscript should normally be 3,000–5,000 words, excluding references.

Authors should ensure that the manuscript complies with the journal’s word-limit requirement before submission.

  1. What referencing style does JSSH use?

JSSH uses the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition style for in-text citations and references.

  1. What language does JSSH accept?

JSSH primarily accepts manuscripts written in English. Manuscripts in other languages may be considered where they are academically appropriate to the journal’s scope and subject area.

  1. Is the journal peer reviewed?

Yes.

Research articles are normally evaluated through a double-anonymous peer review process involving qualified reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

  1. How many reviewers evaluate a manuscript?

JSSH normally sends a manuscript to at least two qualified reviewers, although the exact number may vary depending on the manuscript and editorial circumstances.

  1. How long does peer review take?

The time required for peer review can vary depending on the availability of appropriate reviewers, the nature of the manuscript, and the number of revisions required.

The journal does not guarantee acceptance or a specific publication date.

  1. Can I submit a manuscript that is under review by another journal?

No.

A manuscript submitted to JSSH must not simultaneously be under consideration by another journal.

  1. Can I submit a manuscript that has already been published?

No.

JSSH considers original and previously unpublished scholarly work, subject to the journal’s publication policies.

  1. Should the manuscript contain the authors’ names?

For the blinded manuscript used for peer review, author-identifying information should be removed.

Authors should provide their names, affiliations, email addresses, and other required information through the appropriate fields in the OJS submission system.

  1. What is the similarity requirement?

JSSH generally expects the similarity index to be 20% or below, subject to editorial assessment.

A similarity score is not considered in isolation; the editorial team may examine the sources and nature of the similarity.

  1. Does JSSH check manuscripts for plagiarism?

Yes. Submitted manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism and inappropriate textual similarity.

Authors are responsible for properly citing and acknowledging all sources.

  1. Can I use AI tools to prepare my manuscript?

AI-assisted tools may be used responsibly where appropriate, but authors remain fully responsible for the manuscript.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors should disclose significant AI assistance where required by the journal’s policy and must verify all AI-assisted content, references, data, and factual claims.

  1. What should I do if my manuscript is returned for revision?

Carefully address the reviewers’ and editor’s comments and submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline.

Authors are encouraged to provide a response explaining how each substantive reviewer comment has been addressed.

  1. Can I disagree with a reviewer?

Yes. Authors may respectfully disagree with a reviewer’s recommendation when they have a reasonable academic justification.

The response should explain the disagreement clearly and professionally.

  1. Who makes the final publication decision?

The final decision is made by the journal’s editorial team, based on the manuscript, peer-review reports, editorial assessment, and the journal’s publication policies.

Peer-review recommendations do not automatically guarantee acceptance.

  1. Can I suggest reviewers?

Authors may be asked to suggest potential reviewers during submission. Any suggested reviewer must have appropriate expertise and must not have a conflict of interest with the authors or the research.

The journal is not obliged to use author-suggested reviewers.

  1. What should I do if I discover an error after publication?

Contact the editorial office as soon as possible and provide details of the error.

The journal will assess the matter and, where necessary, publish an appropriate correction or other editorial notice.

  1. Who owns the copyright?

JSSH’s current publication policy provides that authors retain copyright of their work, subject to the publication and licensing terms of the journal.

Published articles are distributed under the journal’s stated Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

  1. Is JSSH open access?

Yes. Published articles are made available online as open-access scholarly content under the journal’s stated licensing terms.

  1. How can I contact JSSH?

For questions concerning submissions, editorial matters, or publication, authors should contact the journal through the contact information provided on the JSSH website.

Authors should normally use the OJS submission system for manuscript submission and editorial correspondence.