Policies

Pakistan Review of Social Sciences (PRSS) – Journal Policies

  1. Aims & Scope
  2. Open Access Policy
  3. Licensing Policy (CC BY 4.0)
  4. Copyright Policy
  5. Editorial & Peer Review Policy
  6. Authorship & Contributorship Policy
  7. Submission & Publication Process
  8. Article Types Accepted
  9. Editorial Responsibilities
  10. Reviewer Responsibilities
  11. Author Responsibilities
  12. Ethical Guidelines & Publication Ethics (COPE-aligned)
  13. Conflict of Interest Policy
  14. Plagiarism & Similarity Check Policy
  15. Complaints & Appeals Policy
  16. Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal Policy
  17. Archiving & Preservation Policy
  18. Data Protection & Privacy Policy
  19. Publication Frequency
  20. Article Formatting & Preparation Guidelines

Journal Policies

1. Aims & Scope

Pakistan Review of Social Sciences (PRSS) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research in sociology, anthropology, political science, development studies, public policy, criminology, education, and other social science disciplines. PRSS publishes high-quality empirical and theoretical work that contributes to scholarly knowledge and societal understanding.

2. Open Access Policy

PRSS provides immediate and unrestricted open access to all published content.
All articles are freely available without subscription, registration, or access fees.

The journal follows the principles of the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, ensuring:

  • Free and permanent access to all published work

  • Permission to reuse, distribute, and build upon the work with proper attribution

  • Immediate deposit of articles in publicly accessible repositories

3. Licensing Policy

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

This license allows:

  • Sharing, copying, and redistributing the work

  • Adapting, remixing, transforming, and building upon the material

  • Use for any purpose, including commercial

Provided that the original authors and the journal are properly cited.

4. Copyright Policy

Authors retain full copyright to their work.
Upon acceptance, authors grant PRSS the right of first publication under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Authors confirm that:

  • The work is original

  • It is not under review elsewhere

  • All authors have approved the submission

5. Editorial & Peer Review Policy

PRSS follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process.

5.1 Submission

  • Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the online submission system.

  • Authors may suggest potential reviewers (optional).

5.2 Initial Editorial Screening

The Editor-in-Chief or an assigned editor evaluates the manuscript for:

  • Fit within journal scope

  • Scientific soundness and methodological rigor

  • Clarity and organization

  • Compliance with journal guidelines

5.3 Peer Review

  • Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent experts.

  • Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise and absence of conflicts of interest.

  • Both author and reviewer identities remain anonymous.

5.4 Review Criteria

Reviewers evaluate:

  • Originality and significance

  • Methodology and data analysis

  • Strength of results

  • Quality of the discussion and conclusions

  • Ethical compliance

  • Quality of writing and referencing

5.5 Revisions

  • Authors receive detailed reviewer comments.

  • Revised manuscripts may undergo re-review.

5.6 Final Decision

  • The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision after considering reviewers’ reports.

  • Editorial Board consultation may occur for complex cases.

5.7 Timeline

  • Initial editorial decision: ~1 week

  • Complete review cycle (including revisions): ~15 days on average

5.8 Confidentiality

All materials submitted for review are confidential. Reviewer identities are never disclosed.

6. Authorship & Contribution Policy

PRSS adheres to international authorship standards.

6.1 Authorship Criteria

All authors must have made substantial contributions to:

  • Study design

  • Data collection or analysis

  • Drafting or revising the manuscript

  • Approving the final version

6.2 Author Agreement

Authors must:

  • Approve the final manuscript

  • Agree to its submission

  • Disclose contributions honestly

  • Provide consent for publication

6.3 Changes to Authorship

Any change (addition, removal, reordering):

  • Must be requested in writing

  • Must be approved by all authors

  • Will be reviewed case-by-case by the editorial team

7. Submission & Publication Process

  • All manuscripts must be submitted through PRSS’s online system.

  • Files must be in MS Word, RTF, or OpenOffice formats.

  • Manuscripts should follow APA referencing (latest edition).

  • Only original, unpublished work is accepted.

8. Article Types Accepted

8.1 Research Articles

  • Maximum 8,000 words (excluding references and appendices)

  • Abstract up to 250 words

  • Clear theoretical or methodological orientation

8.2 Thesis/Dissertation Derivatives

  • Unpublished thesis already defended

  • Must include defense report

9. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must:

  • Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit

  • Ensure fair, unbiased, double-blind review

  • Maintain confidentiality of submissions

  • Avoid using unpublished material for personal research

  • Address allegations of misconduct

  • Publish corrections or retractions when necessary

10. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Review manuscripts objectively and promptly

  • Maintain confidentiality

  • Provide clear, constructive feedback

  • Identify uncited relevant work

  • Disclose any conflict of interest

11. Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Ensure accuracy and originality

  • Avoid plagiarism

  • Cite all sources correctly

  • Follow ethical research practices

  • Disclose conflicts of interest

  • Cooperate during peer review

  • Not submit the manuscript elsewhere simultaneously

12. Ethical Guidelines (COPE-Aligned)

PRSS follows COPE’s Core Practices for ethical publishing.

12.1 Misconduct Includes:

  • Plagiarism

  • Duplicate publication

  • Data fabrication or falsification

  • Authorship manipulation

  • Citation manipulation

12.2 Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants must include:

  • IRB approval

  • Informed consent statements

  • Data protection assurances

13. Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflict, such as:

  • Financial relationships

  • Employment affiliations

  • Intellectual or political interests

  • Personal relationships

If no conflict exists, authors must state:
“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

14. Plagiarism & Similarity Check Policy

PRSS uses plagiarism detection tools (iThenticate, Turnitin) before peer review.

  • Manuscripts with significant similarity are rejected.

  • Minor overlaps must be revised before acceptance.

15. Complaints & Appeals Policy

15.1 Complaints

PRSS considers complaints related to:

  • Editorial decisions

  • Misconduct

  • Publication ethics

Email: prss@pakistanreview.com

15.2 Appeals

Authors may appeal rejection only if:

  • They believe an error occurred in the review

  • They can provide evidence supporting the appeal

Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Editorial Board.

16. Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal Policy

16.1 Corrections

PRSS publishes corrections for:

  • Factual errors

  • Typographical issues

  • Minor inaccuracies

16.2 Retractions

Retractions occur when:

  • Misconduct is confirmed

  • Major errors invalidate findings

  • Ethical breaches are identified

Retraction notices:

  • Remain linked to original articles

  • Provide clear reasons for the retraction

16.3 Author Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal before acceptance with justification.

17. Archiving & Preservation Policy

PRSS ensures long-term preservation via:

  • PKP Preservation Network (PKP-PN)

  • Institutional repositories where applicable

18. Data Protection & Privacy Policy

PRSS protects personal data collected through:

  • Manuscript submissions

  • Peer review system

  • Website analytics (e.g., Google Analytics)

Personal data is used only for:

  • Editorial communication

  • Journal operations

  • Legal compliance

Information is never shared with unauthorized third parties.

19. Publication Frequency

PRSS publishes two issues per year:

  • January – June

  • July – December

Online-first publication is practiced. Articles are posted as soon as they complete production.

20. Article Formatting & Preparation Guidelines

Manuscript Structure

  • Title page (author details)

  • Main manuscript (anonymous)

  • Abstract: 150–250 words

  • Keywords: 3–8

  • Sections:

    • Introduction

    • Literature Review

    • Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

    • Methodology

    • Results

    • Discussion

    • Conclusion

    • Limitations

    • References (APA latest edition)

Technical Requirements

  • Times New Roman, 11-point font

  • Single spacing

  • 1-inch margins

  • Numbered pages

  • Figures: JPG/PNG, 300 dpi

  • Tables in editable format

Supplementary Files

May include: datasets, field notes, images, appendices.