Author Guidelines

Welcome to Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences (FSPS). The journal invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit original scholarly work in sociology, political sciences, and related social-science disciplines.

All manuscripts are subject to editorial assessment and, where appropriate, external peer review. Authors should ensure that their submissions comply with the requirements below.

1. Scope of the Journal

Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences publishes scholarly research that contributes to knowledge and discussion in sociology, political sciences, and related fields.

The journal welcomes original research, review articles, theoretical and conceptual papers, case studies, and applied research covering areas including, but not limited to:

  • Sociology of Development
  • Political Theory
  • Comparative Politics
  • International Relations
  • Social Movements
  • Public Policy and Governance
  • Political Economy
  • Social Inequality and Justice
  • Social Change and Development
  • Political Sociology
  • Institutions and Governance
  • Human Rights and Social Justice
  • Related interdisciplinary social-science research

Manuscripts must fall within the journal's scope and meet appropriate academic and ethical standards.

2. Types of Articles Accepted

The journal accepts the following types of submissions:

Research Articles

Original empirical or analytical research that makes a scholarly contribution to the relevant field.

Review Articles

Critical and comprehensive reviews of existing scholarly literature on a relevant topic.

Theoretical and Conceptual Papers

Papers presenting new theoretical arguments, conceptual frameworks, or significant theoretical analysis.

Case Studies and Applied Research

Research examining specific social, political, institutional, or real-world cases using appropriate scholarly methods.

Short Communications

Concise scholarly contributions presenting preliminary findings, emerging research, or significant observations.

Book Reviews

Critical reviews of recently published books relevant to sociology, political sciences, or related disciplines.

The editorial team may determine whether a submitted manuscript is appropriate for the selected article type.

3. Submission Process

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal's online submission system.

Step 1 — Registration

Authors should create an account on the journal's online submission system.

Step 2 — Online Submission

Authors should log in and submit the manuscript through the journal's:

Online Submission System

The manuscript should comply with the formatting and submission requirements described in these guidelines.

Step 3 — Initial Editorial Screening

Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine whether they:

  • fall within the journal's scope;
  • meet the basic submission requirements;
  • demonstrate sufficient scholarly quality;
  • comply with ethical requirements; and
  • are suitable for external peer review.

A manuscript may be rejected or returned to the author at this stage if it does not meet the journal's basic requirements.

Step 4 — Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers through the journal's double-blind peer-review process.

Step 5 — Revision

Authors may be requested to revise their manuscript in response to reviewer and editorial comments.

Step 6 — Editorial Decision

Following peer review and any required revisions, the editor will make the final editorial decision.

Possible decisions include:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Reject

Step 7 — Acceptance and Production

After formal acceptance, the manuscript proceeds to the publication-production stage.

Step 8 — APC Payment

Where applicable, the Article Processing Charge is requested only after formal acceptance.

Payment of the APC does not influence the editorial or peer-review decision.

4. Manuscript Preparation

Language

Manuscripts should be written in clear academic English.

Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscript professionally reviewed for language, grammar, and clarity before submission.

Length

Research articles should normally contain approximately 5,000–8,000 words, including references.

Short communications should normally contain no more than 3,000 words.

Other article types may have different appropriate lengths depending on their purpose and content.

File Format

Manuscripts should normally be submitted in:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx), or
  • LaTeX where appropriate.

Title Page

The submission should include:

  • Article title
  • Full name of each author
  • Institutional affiliation
  • Country
  • ORCID, where available
  • Corresponding author's email address
  • Corresponding author's institutional information

Abstract

Research articles should include an abstract of no more than 250 words summarising the purpose, methodology, main findings, and contribution of the research where applicable.

Keywords

Provide 3–5 keywords that accurately describe the main subject areas of the manuscript.

References

Authors should use APA style for citations and references unless otherwise specified by the journal.

All sources cited in the manuscript should appear in the reference list, and all references listed should be cited in the manuscript.

Authors should verify the accuracy and completeness of their references before submission.

5. Ethical Requirements

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts comply with applicable ethical and scholarly standards.

Originality

Manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal at the time of submission.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated material, falsified information, and other forms of academic misconduct are not permitted.

The journal may use similarity-detection or other research-integrity screening tools.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript should be listed as authors.

All listed authors should approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its submission.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

Research Ethics

Where research involves human participants, personal data, animals, or other activities requiring ethical oversight, authors must comply with applicable ethical standards and provide relevant approval or consent information where appropriate.

6. Article Processing Charges (APC)

Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences does not charge a submission fee.

An Article Processing Charge is applicable only after a manuscript has been formally accepted following completion of the editorial and peer-review process.

Indian Authors

INR 2,000 per accepted article

International Authors

USD 80 per accepted article

The APC helps support editorial administration, production, online publication, hosting, and maintenance of the journal's publishing platform.

No APC payment is requested before formal acceptance.

Payment of an APC does not influence peer review or the editorial decision.

Authors experiencing financial difficulties may contact the editorial office to request consideration for a waiver or discount.

Waiver and discount requests are considered independently of the editorial and peer-review decision.

Payment instructions will be provided to authors after formal acceptance.

For complete information, see the journal's Fees & Charges / APC Policy.

7. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their published work, subject to the terms of the journal's publication agreement.

Published articles are made available under the applicable Creative Commons license stated on the individual article page and in the published article.

The license permits reuse according to its specific terms, provided the original author(s) and source are appropriately credited.

Authors should consult the licensing information displayed with their article before redistributing or adapting the published work.

The copyright and licensing terms for scholarly articles are separate from the copyright applicable to the journal website, logo, branding, and other publisher materials.

8. Revision and Resubmission

Where revisions are requested, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the timeframe specified by the editorial office.

A revised submission should normally include:

  • the revised manuscript;
  • a point-by-point response to reviewer comments; and
  • a marked-up version showing substantial changes, where requested.

Authors should address reviewer comments carefully and explain any changes that were not made.

A revised manuscript may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by the editorial team.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical standards of their manuscripts.

Authors should disclose substantial use of generative AI tools in manuscript preparation, content generation, analysis, or other substantive aspects of the work.

Routine spelling, grammar correction, language editing, or formatting assistance generally does not require disclosure.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authors remain responsible for verifying facts, references, quotations, data, and other material generated or assisted by AI tools.

Generative AI tools should not be cited as sources.

10. Contact Information

For questions concerning manuscript submission, peer review, publication, or editorial matters, please contact:

Editorial Office
Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences
Scientific Forefront

Email: prithivraj@scientificforefront.org

Authors should use the official journal submission system for manuscript submissions rather than sending manuscripts directly by email unless specifically requested by the editorial office.