Author Instructions

The Journal of Social Sciences and Media Studies (JOSSAMS) accepts manuscripts that represent original scholarly contributions and must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted for consideration elsewhere. By submitting a manuscript to JOSSAMS, authors confirm that:

  1. The manuscript is an original work of the authors.
  2. The manuscript has not been published previously in any form.
  3. The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  4. The submission has been approved by all listed authors.
  5. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
  6. The research complies with relevant ethical standards and institutional requirements.
  7. Necessary permissions have been obtained for the use of copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, images, or other content where applicable.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal throughout the submission, review, and publication process and confirms compliance with JOSSAMS policies on behalf of all authors.

Manuscripts must be submitted through the official Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform of JOSSAMS.

1.       Language of the Manuscript

Manuscripts should be written in English, following either British or American English.

2.       Manuscript Formatting

All manuscripts must be prepared in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format and adhere to the following formatting requirements:

  1. Line Spacing: Single-line spacing throughout the manuscript.
  2. Page Margins:5 cm (1 inch) on all four sides of the page.
  3. Font Style: Times New Roman throughout the manuscript.
  4. Main Text: 10-point font size.
  5. Section Headings: 10-point, bold font.
  6. Manuscript Title: 12-point, bold font.

Authors must ensure consistency in formatting throughout the manuscript and comply with these specifications before submission. Manuscripts submitted in formats other than Microsoft Word will not be considered for review.

3.       Structure

Manuscripts must be organized according to the following structure:

3.1.      Title

The title must be concise, descriptive, unambiguous, and accurate, clearly reflecting the central subject and scope of the manuscript.

3.2.      Abstract

Each manuscript must include an abstract of no more than 250 words. The abstract should provide a concise introduction, overview of the research purpose, methodology, major findings, principal conclusions, and recommendations.

3.3.      Keywords

A maximum of five keywords must be provided immediately after the abstract. Keywords should be relevant and representative of the manuscript’s central research topic.

3.4.      Main Body of the Manuscript

Following the keywords, the manuscript should be organized into clearly defined sections, as appropriate to the nature and methodology of the study. The recommended structure includes Introduction, Research Objectives, Research Hypotheses, Research Questions, Literature Review, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Recommendations, and References. Authors may adapt the section headings and organization to suit the specific requirements of their research, provided that the manuscript maintains logical coherence and academic rigor.

4.       Word Count Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to JOSSAMS must contain between 3,500 and 8,000 words, inclusive. The prescribed word count includes the main text, tables, figures, and references. Manuscripts that do not comply with the specified word limit may be returned to authors for revision or may not be considered for further editorial processing.

5.       Abbreviations

Abbreviations, especially non-standard ones, should be avoided wherever possible. When their use is necessary, they should be defined at their first occurrence in the text or figure legends and used consistently thereafter.

6.       Tables

All tables included in submitted manuscripts must comply with the formatting and presentation requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th  Edition. Authors must observe the following requirements:

  1. Tables must be submitted in an editable format within the main manuscript and must not be provided as images or screenshots.
  2. All tables must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and cited in the text in the order of their first appearance.
  3. Each table must have a bold table number followed by a clear, descriptive, italicized title. All columns, including the stub column, must have appropriate headings.
  4. Tables must follow APA 7 formatting conventions, including the appropriate use of horizontal lines and avoidance of unnecessary vertical borders and excessive gridlines.
  5. Reproduced or adapted tables must include appropriate source attribution in a note below the table. Authors must obtain any necessary copyright permissions.
  6. Table notes must appear directly below the table. General notes, specific notes (identified by superscript lowercase letters), and probability notes must follow APA 7 conventions. Statistical symbols and significance levels must be clearly explained.
  7. Authors must maintain consistency in terminology, abbreviations, decimal places, statistical notation, and formatting across all tables.

7.       Figures

All figures included in submitted manuscripts must comply with the formatting and presentation requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th  Edition. Authors must observe the following requirements:

  1. All figures must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and cited in the manuscript text in the order of their first appearance.
  2. Each figure must have a bold figure number followed by a concise, descriptive, and italicized title, placed above the figure.
  3. Individual parts of a figure must be identified using lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.), with corresponding labels clearly indicated.
  4. Figures included in appendices must be numbered separately using the appendix letter followed by an Arabic numeral (e.g., Figure A1, Figure A2).
  5. Figure notes, legends, symbols, and abbreviations must be clearly presented and explained where necessary. Source attribution and copyright acknowledgements must be provided for reproduced or adapted figures, along with any necessary permissions.
  6. Figure titles and notes must be provided in the manuscript text file rather than embedded in separate figure files. Figures must be submitted in an appropriate electronic format with sufficient resolution and clarity for publication.

8.       Citation and References

All in-text citations and reference entries must adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition formatting guidelines.

9. Authorship

The Journal of Social Sciences and Media Studies (JOSSAMS) follows the principle that authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript. Authors must have contributed significantly to one or more of the following:

  1. Conception or design of the research.
  2. Development of methodology.
  3. Data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  4. Drafting or substantial revision of the manuscript.
  5. Approval of the final version.

All listed authors must:

  1. Approve the submitted manuscript.
  2. Agree to publication.
  3. Accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

The corresponding author must ensure that all eligible contributors are appropriately acknowledged and that no individuals who do not meet authorship criteria are included as authors.

JOSSAMS allows only three (03) authors per publication, and their authorship should be based on scholarly contribution rather than the number of contributors.

10.     Author Information

Authors must ensure that complete and accurate information is provided for all individuals listed as authors. The following authorship information is required:

  1. Full Names: The full names of all authors must be provided without academic titles or professional qualifications.
  2. Institutional Affiliations: The complete institutional affiliations of all authors must be provided, including Department, Institute, City, Province/State, and Country.
  3. Email Addresses: Valid email addresses must be provided for all authors.
  4. Corresponding Author: One author must be designated as the corresponding author, with their full contact details, including an institutional email address.
  5. ORCID iD: A valid 16-digit ORCID iD must be provided for each author.
  6. Author Affiliation Identification: Authors and their respective institutional affiliations must be linked using superscript numerals.

10.1.    Changes to Authorship

Authors must finalize and obtain mutual agreement on the authorship list and order before manuscript submission. Requests for changes, including the addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors, will not normally be permitted after submission. Any exceptional request requires written consent from all authors and approval by the Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor. No changes will be permitted after formal acceptance of the manuscript.

11.     Manuscript Submission Files and Requirements

To facilitate the double-anonymous peer-review process of JOSSAMS, authors are required to submit their manuscripts and accompanying documents as separate files, in accordance with the following requirements:

11.1.    Title Page

The title page must be submitted as a separate Microsoft Word file and include:

  1. Full title of the manuscript.
  2. Full names of all authors and their respective institutional affiliations.
  3. Corresponding author’s complete contact information, including institutional address, telephone number, and email address.
  4. A valid 16-digit ORCID iD must be provided for each author.
  5. Acknowledgments section.
  6. Declaration of conflicting interests.
  7. Funding statement.
  8. Ethical approval and informed consent statements, where applicable.
  9. Any additional author-identifying information required by the journal.

11.2.    Main Manuscript File

The main manuscript must be submitted as a separate, fully anonymized Microsoft Word file. It should contain the complete manuscript, including the title, abstract, keywords, main text, references, tables, and figure captions, as applicable.

Authors must ensure that the main manuscript does not contain any information that could reveal their identities or institutional affiliations. This includes:

  1. Authors’ names and institutional affiliations.
  2. Acknowledgments or other identifying statements.
  3. Identifying information in document headers, footers, or file properties and metadata.
  4. Self-identifying references or descriptions that could compromise anonymity.

11.3.    Disclosure of AI Use File

All authors are required to submit a separate Word document containing a Statement of Disclosure of AI Use along with their manuscript.

12.     Plagiarism and AI Detection

JOSSAMS considers plagiarism and unethical text reuse serious violations of academic integrity. All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin or other recognized software. Authors must ensure originality and comply with the following limits:

  1. Overall similarity must not exceed 19%.
  2. Similarity from any single source must remain below 5%.
  3. All sources and quotations must be properly cited.
  4. Manuscripts exceeding these limits may be returned for revision or rejected. Established plagiarism will result in rejection.

JOSSAMS aims for a 0% AI detection score. Scores above 0% require further editorial assessment and do not automatically result in rejection. Suspected inappropriate or undisclosed AI use may lead to author clarification and rejection in accordance with the journal's AI Use and Disclosure Policy.

13. Funding Disclosure

Authors are required to disclose all sources of financial or institutional support that contributed to the research.

Funding information should be provided in the manuscript, including:

  1. Name of the Funding Organization
  2. Grant Number (where applicable)
  3. Role of the Funder in the Research Process

If no specific funding was received, authors should clearly state that the research received no external funding.