UWJSS Policy

The UW Journal of Social Sciences offers a blend of experiences to young researchers, educationists and academicians to express and publish their original and genuine unpublished work. The journal provides a platform for academicians and policy makers to foster new paradigms in the field of Education and social sciences.

With broader scope and interdisciplinary approaches UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS) seeks to add to debates in the wider range of disciplines. It promotes research through contributions from multiple disciplines with diverse methodologies and theoretical frameworks. It welcomes research articles which cover broader areas of social and humanities sciences. Such articles should employ rigorous and innovative research methods, diverse perspectives and critical thinking.

Manuscripts from the following branches of social sciences can be submitted to the UW Journal of Social Sciences: Education, Economics, History, Linguistics, Islamic Studies, Pakistan Studies, Psychology, Political Science, International Relations, Mass Communication and Sociology.The journal considers following types of scholarly work for publication in the field of Social Sciences:

  • Empirical research articles
  • Theoretical Articles/ Review articles (Meta-Analysis)
  • Commentaries
  • Research Notes

Open Access Policy

UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS) 2523-9449 (online), 2521-8905 (print), is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

UWJSS is a peer-reviewed, subsidized open access journal where the University of Wah, Wah Cantt, Pakistan, pays the open access fee. Authors do not have to pay any article processing charges (APC)

Journal Subscription                                        

UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS) has open access policy and Available online. UWJSS does not charge any subscription fee or author fee.

Publication Frequency

This journal is published Bi-annually.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement 

(These guidelines are based on Elsevier recommendations and COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors)

UWJSS is a peer-reviewed international journal committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. In order to provide our readers with a journal of the highest quality, we state the following principles of Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. All articles not in accordance with these standards will be removed from the publication if malpractice is discovered at any time even after the publication. UWJSS is checking all papers in a double-blind peer-review process. In accordance with the code of conduct, we will report any cases of suspected plagiarism or duplicate publishing.

Authorship and Contributions Policy

The policy defines who qualifies as an author and how their contributions should be recognized.

Who is an Author?
To be listed as an author, you must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution:You made a significant intellectual contribution to the research. This includes helping with the idea, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  2. Writing or Revision:You helped to write the manuscript or critically revise it for important intellectual content.
  3. Final Approval:You have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
  4. Accountability:You agree to be responsible for the work, ensuring that questions about its accuracy or integrity are properly investigated.

Describing Contributions (CRediT System)
Authors must clearly describe their specific roles (e.g., Conceptualization, Data Analysis, Writing, Funding Acquisition) using a standard system.

Author Order

  • The first authoris typically the person who made the most significant contribution.
  • Co-authorsare listed in order of their relative contribution.
  • The corresponding authoris the main contact for the journal and readers, handling all communication before and after publication.

Changes and Disputes
Changes to the author list (additions, removals, order) after submission must be justified in writing and approved by all authors. Disputes over authorship will be mediated by the Editor-in-Chief / Editor.

Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest can bias your judgment. This policy requires everyone involved to be transparent about any such influences.

  • Authors:Must disclose all financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could be seen as influencing their research.
  • Reviewers:Must declare any conflicts with the manuscript they are reviewing and recuse themselves if necessary.
  • Editors and Staff:Must avoid handling manuscripts where they have a conflict.

Examples of Conflicts

  • Financial:Employment, consultancies, stock ownership, patents, or funding from an organization with a stake in the research.
  • Personal:Family or close personal relationships with authors or competitors.
  • Intellectual:Strong personal support for or against a theory or method discussed in the manuscript.

Consequences
Failure to disclose a conflict may lead to manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, or removal from editorial/reviewer duties.

Appeals and Complaints Policy

This policy provides a fair process for authors who disagree with an editorial decision or wish to report a problem.

Grounds for Appeal or Complaint
You may appeal a decision or lodge a complaint if you believe there was:

  • A significant error in the peer review process.
  • Unfair treatment or bias.
  • A procedural mistake (e.g., mishandled plagiarism allegations).
  • A misinterpretation of the journal's policies.

The Process

  1. Submit a formal appeal or complaint in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 15 daysof the decision or incident.
  2. The Editor-in-Chief will review the matter for validity.
  3. If needed, an independent reviewer may be appointed for a fresh assessment.
  4. You will be informed of the final outcome, which is decided by the Editor-in-Chief and cannot be challenged further.

Corrections, Retractions, and Withdrawals Policy

This policy ensures the scholarly record is accurate and trustworthy.

Corrections (Erratum/Corrigendum)

  • Published for minor errors that do not change the main conclusions (e.g., typographical errors, incorrect author names, minor data errors).
  • The original article is linked to the correction notice.

Retractions

  • Published when the core findings of an article are found to be unreliable due to major error, misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, plagiarism), or ethical breaches.
  • The retracted article remains online but is clearly marked as "RETRACTED" with a linked notice explaining the reason.

Withdrawals

  • Authors may request to withdraw a manuscript before it is officially publishedfor valid reasons (e.g., discovery of a critical error).
  • Withdrawn manuscripts are clearly labeled as such.

Research Misconduct Policy

UWJSS upholds strict ethical standards and will investigate any allegations of misconduct.

  • Plagiarism:Using someone else's work without permission or credit.
  • Data Fabrication/Falsification:Making up or manipulating research data.
  • Duplicate Publication:Submitting the same research to more than one journal.
  • Manipulation of the Peer Review Process.

The Process

  1. Reporting:Suspected misconduct can be reported confidentially.
  2. Assessment:The editorial team evaluates the allegation.
  3. Investigation:A committee may be formed to conduct an impartial investigation.
  4. Action:If misconduct is confirmed, actions may include manuscript rejection or retraction, a publication ban, and notifying the author's institution.

Research Ethics Policy

Research involving humans must be conducted responsibly and respectfully.

Human Participants

  • Manuscripts must state that the research was performed in accordance with ethical standards and approved by an appropriate ethics committee.
  • Informed consent must be obtained from all participants.
  • Research must respect the dignity, rights, and welfare of participants.

Inclusive and Respectful Language

  • Authors must use inclusive and non-discriminatory language, avoiding stereotypes.
  • Research should not promote the superiority or inferiority of any group based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, etc.

Vulnerable Groups

  • Extra care must be taken for research involving vulnerable populations to ensure no coercion and that consent is fully informed.

Data Availability and Sharing Policy

UWJSS supports transparency and encourages authors to share their data.

Data Availability Statement
All manuscripts must include a statement that clarifies:

  • Whether the data are openly availableand, if so, where (e.g., a repository name and link).
  • If the data are restricted, the statement must explain why (e.g., privacy, legal reasons) and how other researchers can request access.

Open Data
Authors are encouraged to make their data publicly available in a recognized repository to allow others to verify and build upon their work.

Reproducibility
Authors must provide sufficient detail about their methods and analysis to allow other researchers to replicate the study.

Compliance
Failure to comply with data-sharing requirements may result in manuscript rejection or the publication of a correction.

Plagiarism Policy

By submitting the Author(s) manuscript to the journal it is understood that it is an original manuscript and is unpublished work and is not under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the author's own work, in whole or in part without proper citation is not tolerated by the journal. Manuscripts submitted to the journal may be checked for originality using anti-plagiarism software.

UWJSS is equipped with plagiarism detecting software "Turnitin" to screen submitted papers.

Copyright 

The copyright is retained by the UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS). The Journal, however, grants to all users an unrestricted, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, perform and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works in any digital medium for any reasonable purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship and ownership of the rights.

Licensing

All items published by the UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS) are licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY). The license permits others to use, reproduce, disseminate or display the article in any way, including for commercial purposes, so long as they credit the author for the original creation.

Peer Review Policy

All submissions to UW Journal of Social Sciences (UWJSS) are first reviewed for completeness and only then sent to be assessed by an Editor who will decide whether they are suitable for peer review. Where an editor is on the author list or has any other competing interest regarding a specific manuscript, another member of the Editorial Board will be assigned to oversee the peer review. Editors will consider the peer-reviewed reports when making a decision but are not bound by the opinions or recommendations. A concern raised by a single peer reviewer or the Editor themselves may result in the manuscript being rejected. Authors receive peer review reports with the editorial decision on their manuscript.

Proceedings papers are reviewed by the Programme Chairs and Programme Committee members of the respective conference, with help from external reviewers selected by them.

Guidelines for Submission of Research Articles

Authors are invited to submit original research articles, review articles, and short communications via the online submission system available on the journal's website. Submissions must adhere to the formatting and style guidelines provided in the author's guide.

Roles 

Editors

  • Ensure a fair double-blind peer-review of the submitted articles for
  • They will strive to prevent any potential conflict of interests between the author and editorial and review personnel.
  • Editors will also ensure that all the information related to submitted manuscripts is kept as confidential before publishing.
  • Editor-in-Chief will coordinate the work of the Editorial Team.

Reviewers

  • Evaluate manuscripts based on content without regard to ethnic origin, gender, citizenship, religious belief, or political philosophy of the Author.
  • They must ensure that all the information related to submitted manuscripts is kept confidential and must report to the Editor-in-Chief if they are aware of copyright infringement and plagiarism on the author’s
  • They must evaluate the submitted works objectively as well as present clearly their opinions on the works in a clear way in the review form.
  • A reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the Editor-in-Chief and excuse himself from the review process.

Authors

  • Present an objective discussion of the significance of research work as well as sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the
  • Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are
  • Review articles should also be objective, comprehensive, and accurate accounts of the state of the
  • The authors should ensure that their work is entirely original works, and if the work and/or words of others have been used, this has been appropriately acknowledged.
  • Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is
  • Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is
  • Authors should not submit articles describing essentially the same research to more than one
  • The corresponding author should ensure that there is a full consensus of all co-authors in approving the final version of the paper and its submission for publication.

Deadlines of All Processes

Duration of Paper Submission: Rolling submission, with no deadline.

Review of Articles: Typically completed within 4-6 weeks of submission.

Acceptance of Articles and Publication: Authors will be notified of acceptance/rejection within 8 weeks of submission. Accepted articles are published in the next available issue.

Timelines of Publication of Issues

The UWJSS publishes Two issues per year which is published in June & December.

Withdrawal of an Article

.An article can be withdrawn before the review process begins; however, it cannot be withdrawn once the review process has started.

Author Agreement Form

Authors are required to sign an author agreement form upon submission of their manuscript, affirming that the work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and does not infringe upon any copyrights.

Review of Articles

Submitted manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers, who evaluate the quality, significance, and originality of the research. Reviewers provide constructive feedback to authors to improve the manuscript if necessary.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of their research findings. Conflicts of interest may include financial relationships, affiliations, or personal connections that could bias the work.

Correction and Retraction of Research Articles

In the event of errors or inaccuracies in published articles, the UWJSS will promptly issue corrections or retractions as necessary. Authors are encouraged to notify the editorial office if they identify any errors in their published work.

Acceptance of Articles and Publication of Articles

Upon acceptance, articles are copyedited and formatted for publication. Final proofs are sent to authors for approval before online publication. Accepted articles are published in the upcoming issue of the journal.

Steps Involved from Date of Receipt of Research Article till Publication

· Initial Submission

· Editorial Assessment

· Peer Review

· Author Revisions (if necessary)

· Final Decision

· Copyediting and Proofreading

· Online Publication

Contribution and Consents of Each Author

All authors must have made substantial contributions to the research and writing of the manuscript and must consent to its submission for publication. Each author is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Archiving Policy

In order to preserve all published scholarly content, UWJSS saves the journals’ content to University of Wah website   for   archiving   for   long-term   digital    preservation.    The    information    can    be    found on:

                     https://uwjss.org.pk/index.php/ojs3/issue/archive