Submissions

Author Guidelines

Guideline Policy

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science considers manuscripts that are prepared in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards for academic publishing. Authors are strongly encouraged to adhere to the ethical publication practices outlined by organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and discipline-specific editorial standards. These guidelines ensure scholarly integrity, transparency, and consistency across all submissions.

Our editorial policies encompass best practices in manuscript preparation, authorship criteria, conflict of interest disclosures, plagiarism avoidance, and ethical considerations relevant to the fields of humanities, literature, and social science.

General Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation

All manuscripts submitted to The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science must conform to the following guidelines to ensure smooth processing, ethical compliance, and consistency in peer review:

Conflict of Interest Statement: All authors must submit a completed conflict of interest disclosure. This should transparently outline any financial, academic, or personal relationships that could influence the interpretation of the research.

Blinded Manuscript: Submissions must be anonymized for double-blind peer review. This includes removing author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or any references that may disclose author identity from the main manuscript file.

Title Page: A separate title page must be submitted that includes:

Full names of all contributing authors

Institutional affiliations

Email addresses

ORCID IDs (where applicable)

Author contributions and acknowledgments

A cover letter introducing the manuscript

Author Metadata: Authors must input accurate metadata in the submission system, including name, institutional affiliation, contact information, and author order.

Supplementary Documents: Depending on the nature of the manuscript, authors must submit relevant supporting materials as supplementary files, such as:

Authorship Declaration Form

Consent to Publish (when involving identifiable individuals or organizations)

Ethical Review Board approval (if applicable)

Copyright permissions (for reused content)

Submissions that fail to meet these initial formatting and ethical documentation requirements will be returned to authors for correction before entering the review stage.

Downloads

Instructions for Authors (PDF)

Authorship Declaration Form

Consent to Publish Form

Title Page Template

Reporting Guidelines

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science encourages the use of appropriate reporting standards that align with research type and discipline. While humanities and social science scholarship varies in structure, manuscripts should reflect scholarly rigor, clarity, and reproducibility of interpretation.

Authors are advised to consult and use the following where relevant:

PRISMA – for systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the social sciences

CARE – for case-based reports in qualitative inquiry

SRQR – Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research

RAMESES – for realist evaluations or syntheses

RARE – for arts-based research documentation

Completed checklists for applicable reporting guidelines should be submitted as supplementary files during the submission process.

Adhering to these reporting standards supports academic rigor, enhances manuscript quality, and promotes international best practices in interdisciplinary research publishing.

Methods

The Methods section should offer sufficient detail to allow other scholars to replicate or critically assess the study's approach within the interdisciplinary context of humanities, literature, and social sciences. It must describe the research design, sources, procedures, and tools used in a clear and transparent manner.

Authors must specify:

The setting or context of the research (e.g., archival study, ethnographic field site, classroom, cultural institution, literary corpus, social movement, etc.).

The timeframe or historical period covered by the study.

The research design or methodology employed (e.g., qualitative analysis, comparative literature, discourse analysis, ethnography, historiography, survey, phenomenology, grounded theory, or mixed-methods).

Criteria for inclusion and exclusion of texts, participants, or data.

Research questions, themes, or hypotheses being explored.

The data collection techniques (e.g., interviews, textual analysis, archival research, participant observation), including relevant tools, software, or platforms used (e.g., ATLAS.ti, NVivo, R, Python for text mining).

Information about source materials—such as literary texts, oral histories, social media data, public records, or institutional reports—including how they were obtained and analyzed.

If the study involved human participants, a statement regarding ethics approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethical oversight must be included, along with informed consent procedures where applicable.

Authors should cite established methodological frameworks with appropriate academic references. When using novel or adapted methodologies, provide rationale, detailed description, and limitations. Avoid vague terminology and ensure that the approach aligns with academic expectations within the respective discipline.

Results

The Results section should present findings in a logically organized and well-supported manner, using textual narrative, quotations, themes, tables, or figures where appropriate. The presentation must reflect the methodological approach and directly relate to the stated objectives or research questions.

Clearly present primary themes, insights, or findings derived from the analysis.

When applicable, use descriptive statistics, coded themes, or visualizations (e.g., word clouds, timelines, thematic maps) to summarize qualitative or mixed-method data.

Include quotations or excerpts from textual or participant sources to support claims, ensuring proper contextualization.

Avoid redundancy between text and visual representations.

When appropriate, divide this section into subsections, such as:

Contextual/Demographic Overview – Background on texts, communities, or groups studied.

Emerging Themes or Categories – Main patterns or conceptual findings.

Interpretative Observations – Analytical insights derived from content or participant feedback.

Comparative or Cross-Cultural Findings – Where relevant, highlight contrasts or parallels across datasets, cultures, or narratives.

Avoid making interpretive claims in this section. Those belong in the Discussion.

Discussion & Conclusion

The Discussion section should begin with a succinct summary of the major findings and then delve into a deeper interpretive analysis. Authors should reflect on how their results contribute to broader debates, theoretical frameworks, or social issues within the humanities, literature, and social sciences.

Compare findings with previous research or theoretical expectations, citing relevant literature.

Discuss the implications of the findings for the field—e.g., educational reform, cultural understanding, literary critique, policy impact, or sociopolitical change.

Highlight any novel contributions or unexpected insights and suggest reasons for divergence from established theories or earlier studies.

Acknowledge the study’s limitations —such as small sample size, regional or linguistic constraints, interpretative subjectivity, or access to archival material.

Consider the influence of contextual variables like class, race, gender, language, nation, or institutional structures, and how they may shape findings or interpretations.

Future Research Directions may include:

Expanding the analysis across cultures, regions, or periods.

Including more diverse literary genres or sociocultural contexts.

Applying alternative theoretical lenses or interdisciplinary frameworks.

Conclusion: End with a concise reflection on the significance of the study, rooted in the evidence presented. Avoid overstating results. Emphasize the scholarly, pedagogical, or cultural relevance of the research without making unsupported claims.

Distinguish clearly between what has been shown and what is speculative, and refrain from referencing unpublished data or personal communications unless absolutely necessary and properly documented.

References
General Considerations Related to References

Authors submitting to the Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science must provide accurate and complete references that support the scholarly integrity and traceability of their work. Priority should be given to original research sources and primary materials wherever applicable.

References should not be selected to unduly promote the personal, institutional, or commercial interests of any individual. Excessive self-citation must be avoided and justified only when directly relevant to the manuscript’s content.

Authors are discouraged from citing material from predatory or non-academic sources. While review essays may provide helpful syntheses, they should not substitute citations of primary works or peer-reviewed sources.

Reference lists should be concise and curated, citing only key works that significantly support the research arguments. Supplementary references for extended reading may be included in appendices or supplementary files.

For unpublished materials:

Cite accepted but unpublished work as “in press” or “forthcoming.”

Manuscripts under review or not yet accepted should be noted as “unpublished observations” and require written author permission.

Personal communications must be cited sparingly and require written consent from the communicator, including date and author identification in parentheses.

Persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI, repository links) should be included for data, archives, or digital sources, where applicable.

Citations must be numbered consecutively in the order of appearance in the text using Arabic numerals in parentheses, e.g.:

“Narrative strategies in postcolonial literature often reflect hybrid cultural identities [1].”

All references must follow the standardized citation format outlined below and be consistent throughout the manuscript.

Reference Style and Format

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science adopts the Vancouver referencing style, modified slightly to accommodate humanities and social science literature, and aligned with guidance from the National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine, 2nd edition.

General Formatting Rules

Use square brackets for in-text references placed after the punctuation:
e.g., “Social memory plays a central role in historical fiction. [4,5]”

For works with more than six authors, use “et al.” after the sixth name.

Include DOI or stable links for electronic sources, archival data, or digitized manuscripts when possible.

Only cite unpublished or personal communications when absolutely essential and with documented permission.

Datasets, recordings, and multimedia sources should be cited with appropriate attribution and access information.

Reference Examples

Article in a journal:
Said EW. Representations of the intellectual. The Harvard Review of Philosophy. 1994;4(1):12-19.

Article in a journal supplement:
Spivak GC. Can the subaltern speak? Critical Inquiry. 1988;15(Suppl 1):271-313.

In press article:
Nandy A. Future of dissent in Indian democracy. Soc Cult Crit. In press.

Published abstract:
Bakhtin MM. Dialogism and carnival in literature [abstract]. Mod Lang Notes. 2001;116:204.

Article in conference proceedings:
Chakrabarty D. Subaltern histories and postcolonial archives. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cultural Studies Association; 2008 May 16–18; New York. Edited by Jones H. London: Routledge; 2009. p. 101-117.

Chapter in a book:
Hooks B. Teaching to transgress. In: Giroux HA, editor. Postmodernism, Feminism, and Cultural Politics. New York: Routledge; 1994. p. 83-97.

Entire journal issue:
Hall S, editor. Rethinking race and representation. Cultural Studies. 2001;22(3):1–102.

Complete conference proceedings:
Smith J, editor. Proceedings of the International Humanities Colloquium; 2010 Sep 10–12; Montreal. Montreal: Concordia University Press; 2011.

Complete book:
Fanon F. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press; 1963.

Monograph or book in a series:
Bhabha H. The location of culture. In: Said EW, series editor. Theory and Interpretation of Culture. London: Routledge; 1994. (Vol. 2).

Institutional author:
UNESCO. Cultural Diversity and Globalization: A Report. Paris: UNESCO Publishing; 2011.

Doctoral thesis:
Tagore R. Poetic Consciousness in Bengali Renaissance [PhD thesis]. Kolkata (IN): University of Calcutta; 2012.

Tables

Tables should be employed to present data in a structured, concise, and clear manner, facilitating easier interpretation and meaningful comparisons. They should support the narrative and avoid duplication of content already detailed in the text. The purpose is to organize relevant data—whether qualitative summaries, survey responses, or comparative thematic categorizations—into a format that enhances comprehension.

Each table must be self-explanatory, with a brief, descriptive title placed above the table that enables independent understanding without referencing the main text.

Tables must be numbered consecutively in the order of their first appearance in the manuscript (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, etc.).

Each column should have a clear heading. If nonstandard abbreviations are used, these should be explained in footnotes, not within the header.

Superscripts or symbols (e.g., *, †, ‡) may be used to indicate clarifying notes or data distinctions, with definitions provided as footnotes beneath the table.

Redundancy should be avoided—do not simply restate narrative content. Instead, use tables to enrich your presentation of key comparisons, frequency counts, or coded qualitative results.

If data originates from another published or unpublished source, proper citation and permission (if required) must be obtained and noted.

Extensive tables not suited for print can be submitted as supplementary electronic files. An in-text note must indicate their location (e.g., "See Supplementary Table 1 available online").

Submission Requirements:

Tables must be submitted as editable text (e.g., Word or Excel format), not as images.

Indicate the desired location within the manuscript using notations like [Insert Table 1 here].

All tables must accompany the manuscript to facilitate peer review.

Illustrations (Figures)

Figures enhance manuscript clarity and should visually reinforce the points made in the text, including conceptual models, charts, artwork interpretations, historical timelines, infographics, or statistical visualizations.

Image Format & Quality: Submit high-resolution images in TIFF or JPEG format. All illustrations should be clean, high-contrast, and publication-ready. Blurry or low-resolution images will not be accepted.

Reproduction Standards: If photographs or artworks are used (e.g., archival material, cultural artifacts, performance stills), ensure appropriate permissions are obtained and sources are acknowledged.

Figure Numbering: Figures must be numbered consecutively based on their first mention in the manuscript (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2).

Legends for Illustrations: Submit figure legends on a separate page with Arabic numerals corresponding to each figure. Clearly define all arrows, letters, symbols, and scales.

Previously Published Figures: Any reused figure must credit the original source, and written permission from the copyright holder must be provided unless in the public domain.

Placement Notation: Do not embed figures in the text. Use a placeholder like [Insert Figure 1 here] in the manuscript body.

Units of Measurement

Given the humanities and social sciences' multidisciplinary nature, authors should adhere to consistent units of expression throughout their manuscript.

Use the metric system (e.g., kilometer, liter, gram) where measurements are necessary.

Timeframes should be indicated clearly (e.g., “between 1995 and 2005” or “20th century”).

Currencies must be reported with the symbol and year of valuation (e.g., USD 1,000 in 2010).

In cultural or historical analyses, use both local and internationally recognized units or references to aid reader comprehension.

Avoid mixing different unit systems within the same dataset or section.

Quantitative results (e.g., survey statistics, demographic data) should be uniformly labeled using clear statistical descriptors (e.g., percentages, mean scores, standard deviation).

Consistency and clarity in measurement reporting support accurate interpretation and broader scholarly understanding.

Abbreviations and Symbols

To maintain clarity and accessibility across diverse academic audiences, the following policies on abbreviations and symbols must be followed:

Standard Abbreviations Only: Authors should use only commonly recognized and standard abbreviations. Avoid nonstandard or discipline-specific abbreviations that may confuse readers from other fields.

No Abbreviations in Title and Abstract: Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract. These sections must remain clear and fully descriptive to enhance discoverability and comprehension.

First Mention Rule: On first use within the main text, write out the full term followed by its abbreviation in parentheses—for example, Modern Language Association (MLA). Use the abbreviation alone in subsequent mentions.

Units of Measurement Exception: Universal scientific units (e.g., kg, cm, mL) do not require definition.

Symbols: Use symbols consistently and ensure that they conform to recognized academic or linguistic usage. Define symbols clearly at their first appearance, either in the text or in legends to tables and figures.

Accurate and consistent use of abbreviations and symbols enhances clarity, promotes interdisciplinary comprehension, and maintains high editorial standards.

Types of Manuscripts

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature, and Social Science accepts a wide range of manuscript types to support critical engagement, cultural analysis, and scholarly dialogue across the disciplines of humanities and social sciences:

Editorials: Invited essays by scholars or editorial board members that address current debates, emerging trends, or reflections within interdisciplinary research.

Original Research Articles: In-depth analytical studies presenting original research across literature, history, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, gender studies, cultural studies, and related fields. These must include a structured abstract (with Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion), 3–5 keywords, and clear sections including Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Review Articles: Comprehensive literature reviews, theoretical syntheses, or critical essays that provide new perspectives or consolidate scholarship in specific interdisciplinary areas. Systematic reviews must adhere to appropriate guidelines (e.g., PRISMA).

Brief Reports or Case Studies: Concise studies of specific events, practices, policies, or archival discoveries, limited to 1500 words, with no more than three tables/figures and up to 20 references.

Case Reports: Detailed presentations of unique literary, cultural, or social case examples, such as rare textual interpretations or ethnographic encounters. These are limited to 1000–1200 words.

Letters to the Editor: Commentary or academic correspondence responding to recent publications or relevant scholarly developments (maximum 500 words and five references).

Creative Forms: Including but not limited to poetry, short fiction, reflective essays, or visual essays with scholarly framing, particularly when contributing to interdisciplinary conversations.

Additional accepted formats may include:

Short Communications

Theoretical Notes

Field Reflections

Pedagogical Dialogues

Forum Essays or Symposia
All submissions must meet the journal’s formatting, ethical, and citation standards. Unless specified, all content is peer-reviewed.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online via the journal’s submission system at [Insert Journal Website URL]. Figures and tables may be embedded within the Word document or submitted as separate files. Each file must not exceed 4MB in size.

Authorship Criteria

The journal adheres to ethical authorship practices consistent with international standards. An author is someone who has made a significant intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. Authors must meet all the following criteria:

Substantial contributions to the conception, design, analysis, or interpretation.

Drafting the manuscript or revising it for meaningful intellectual input.

Final approval of the version to be submitted/published.

Accountability for the work's integrity and accuracy.

Individuals who contributed in non-authorial roles (e.g., editing, logistics, translation, or technical assistance) should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section—with their consent.

Ghost authorship and honorary authorship are unethical and discouraged. Authorship conflicts will be resolved per COPE guidelines.

Copyrights

By submitting a manuscript, the author(s) grant the journal the right of first publication. Copyright remains with the author(s), but the journal holds the right to distribute and archive the published version.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism constitutes a serious breach of academic integrity. All submissions are subject to plagiarism screening. If plagiarism is detected, authors will be contacted for clarification and correction. Unresolved issues or confirmed misconduct will lead to retraction or rejection, in line with COPE’s procedures.

Archiving Policy

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science (JIHLS) is dedicated to the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. To ensure enduring availability and scholarly record integrity, the journal employs the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system. This digital preservation initiative allows libraries worldwide to host secure and permanent archives of the journal’s material for future restoration, retrieval, and access.

This distributed archiving strategy guarantees that, even in cases of system failure or data loss, JIHLS articles remain accessible to researchers, educators, and readers globally. The journal actively encourages digital archiving by institutional repositories and libraries as a measure of scholarly preservation and academic continuity.

Post publication Dispersion

Authors publishing with JIHLS are encouraged to share their final, published work across academic and public platforms. These include institutional repositories, scholarly networks, personal websites, academic forums, or social media platforms.

The journal operates under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which supports open access principles by allowing redistribution, reproduction, and reuse of published work in any medium, provided proper citation of the original authors and journal. This policy enhances the visibility and academic reach of published articles while preserving author rights.

Case Report

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science accepts case reports that detail exceptional or thought-provoking instances within the humanities, literary studies, cultural analysis, or social science discourse. These may include critical incidents, community interventions, notable fieldwork, archival discoveries, pedagogical innovations, or socio-cultural phenomena of academic interest. Manuscript titles should end with the phrase “A Case Report.”

The case narrative must be detailed and contextualized. Authors should provide background information including cultural, historical, or institutional settings; timeline of key events; stakeholders involved; research approach or theoretical orientation; methodological interventions; and outcomes or implications.

In the discussion section, authors are expected to critically assess the case’s relevance to existing literature, theoretical paradigms, or interdisciplinary debates. Comparative analysis with similar scholarly or documented cases is encouraged, drawing on recent and reputable sources—at least 80% of which should be post-2010—to maintain contemporary relevance.

Visual aids such as photos, diagrams, or charts must be submitted in high-resolution JPEG or TIFF formats. Low-resolution or unclear images will not be considered for publication.

Innovation & Technique

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science (JIHLS) welcomes submissions that showcase innovative methodologies, interpretive frameworks, tools, or creative techniques within the disciplines of humanities, literary studies, cultural theory, and social sciences. Manuscripts in this category should emphasize originality, interdisciplinary relevance, and practical or theoretical impact.

Authors are expected to provide a thorough account of the innovation’s conceptual basis, development, and application. This may include:

Novel methods of textual or discourse analysis

Emerging ethnographic or qualitative field techniques

Interdisciplinary data visualization approaches

Pedagogical strategies in humanities or social science education

Technological integrations in archival studies or digital humanities

The submission should detail the theoretical foundations (if applicable), implementation context, and observed outcomes or transformations. The innovation’s relevance to current academic challenges, gaps in literature, or methodological limitations must be clearly stated.

Where applicable, authors should discuss ethical considerations, limitations, and potential scalability across disciplines. Visuals, case illustrations, or pilot results that support the innovation’s effectiveness are encouraged.

This section aims to foster inventive scholarship that bridges traditional boundaries and enhances methodological richness across interdisciplinary humanities and social research.

Quality Improvement Project

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science encourages the submission of Quality Improvement Projects (QIPs) focused on enhancing research practice, pedagogy, community engagement, cultural programming, or academic infrastructure within the humanities and social sciences. Suitable projects may include:

Curriculum development in interdisciplinary fields

Inclusive teaching initiatives or assessments

Community-based cultural studies interventions

Institutional reforms in humanities scholarship dissemination

Workflow optimization in literary or historical archives

Submissions should include a clear definition of the problem or area for enhancement, supported by contextual background or baseline data. Authors must describe the strategy or intervention undertaken, the methodology applied, and measurable or observed outcomes.

Attention should be given to sustainability, stakeholder participation (such as educators, students, or communities), and any challenges encountered during the process. Projects with the potential for replication or that contribute to improved scholarly or pedagogical practice are especially encouraged.

This category supports reflective academic practice, continuous improvement, and the strengthening of humanities and social science ecosystems through evidence-informed action.

Articles

Section Default Policy
All manuscripts submitted to JIHLS are subject to peer review and editorial oversight to ensure high academic standards and relevance across disciplines.

Copyright Notice

Authors publishing in Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Literature and Social Science retain full copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. All published content is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This license permits the reuse, adaptation, and distribution of the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper credit is given to the original authors and journal, and any derivative works are licensed under the same terms.

Authors are encouraged to widely share their published work via personal websites, institutional repositories, or scholarly platforms to increase accessibility and academic engagement.

By submitting to the journal, authors confirm they have secured all necessary permissions for publication, including rights to any third-party material, figures, or content.