Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

International Journal of Social Communication

Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University  Mostaganem – Algeria
ISSN: 2437-1181 | EISSN: 2710-8139

1. Submission of Manuscripts

The International Journal of Social Communication invites researchers wishing to publish their scholarly work to carefully review the publication instructions, the Author Guidelines, and the journal’s manuscript template available on the journal’s page on the Algerian Scientific Journals Platform ASJP.

Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the platform in Microsoft Word format via the journal’s page:

https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/PresentationRevue/524

Authors must have a personal ASJP account in order to:

• Submit a manuscript;
• Track the evaluation and peer-review stages;
• Receive decisions from the Editorial Board;
• Upload revised versions;
• Enter references after the manuscript has been accepted.

A new account may be created through the following link:

https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/signup

Note: Manuscripts sent by email or through any channel outside the platform will not be accepted unless the Editorial Board explicitly requests otherwise.

2. General Guidelines for Authors

Authors are requested to read and comply with the journal’s publication instructions before submitting their manuscripts, particularly those relating to:

• The journal’s scope and academic objectives;
• The official manuscript template;
• The required number of pages, font size, and margins;
• The preparation of abstracts and keywords;
• The reference and citation style;
• Research and publication ethics;
• Originality and prior-publication requirements.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to return or preliminarily reject any manuscript that has not been prepared in accordance with the journal’s template and publication requirements.

3. Conditions for Manuscript Acceptance

A manuscript submitted for publication must meet the following conditions:

1. It must be original and must not have been previously published, either in full or in part.
2. It must not be under consideration by another academic journal at the same time.
3. Its topic must fall within the journal’s field and areas of interest.
4. It must comply with the journal’s official manuscript template.
5. It must include abstracts and keywords in the required languages.
6. All information concerning the authors must be complete and accurate.
7. It must comply with recognized standards of academic research, citation, and documentation.
8. It must be free from plagiarism, data manipulation, and falsification of results.
9. All sources used in the manuscript must appear in the final reference list.
10. The language must be academically appropriate, clear, and grammatically correct.

4. Manuscript Preparation

Authors must prepare their manuscripts using the journal’s official template, available in the “Instructions for Authors” section of the journal’s ASJP page.

All components of the template must be retained, including:

• Article title;
• Authors’ names and institutional affiliations;
• Email addresses;
• Abstract;
• Keywords;
• Introduction;
• Theoretical or methodological framework;
• Results and discussion;
• Conclusion;
• Reference list;
• Tables, figures, and appendices, where applicable.

Authors must not alter the font type, font size, margins, heading order, or other formatting elements specified in the template.

5. Submitting a Manuscript through the Platform

After preparing the manuscript in accordance with the journal template, the author must follow these steps:

1. Log in to their ASJP account.
2. Go to the page of the International Journal of Social Communication.
3. Click on “Submit an Article.”
4. Select the language of the manuscript.
5. Enter the article title.
6. Enter the abstract and keywords.
7. Enter the author’s full name.
8. Provide the institutional affiliation and email address.
9. Add the details of co-authors, where applicable.
10. Suggest qualified reviewers if the platform permits this option.
11. Upload the manuscript in Microsoft Word format.
12. Review all information entered and verify its accuracy.
13. Click on “Submit Article” to complete the submission process.

The submitting author is responsible for the accuracy of all information entered on the platform.

6. Acknowledgement of Receipt

Once the manuscript has been successfully submitted, a message will appear on the platform confirming that the submission has been registered.

The submitting author will also receive an email confirming receipt of the manuscript. Co-authors may receive emails asking them to confirm their participation in the submitted work.

An acknowledgement of receipt does not mean that the manuscript has been accepted for publication. It only confirms that the submission has been registered in the journal’s system.

7. Manuscript Screening and Evaluation Stages

7.1 Initial Screening

At the first stage, the manuscript undergoes a confidential preliminary examination by the Editorial Board or the journal’s Reading Committee to verify:

• Whether the topic falls within the journal’s scope;
• Compliance with the manuscript template;
• Compliance with the publication requirements;
• Linguistic and stylistic quality;
• The quality of the academic and methodological structure;
• Compliance with citation and documentation rules;
• The absence of apparent ethical violations.

When a manuscript does not meet the required conditions, it may be rejected at the preliminary stage or returned to the author for revision, with the reasons for the decision clearly stated.

7.2 Anonymisation of the Manuscript

When the manuscript passes the preliminary screening, all information revealing the identity of the author or authors is removed, and the manuscript is assigned a confidential identification number before being sent to reviewers.

The journal applies a confidential peer-review procedure in order to ensure the objectivity and independence of the evaluation process.

7.3 Scientific Peer Review

The manuscript is assigned to a specialist Associate Editor and subsequently sent to at least two reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject of the study.

The reviewers evaluate the manuscript using the journal’s approved evaluation form and consider the following elements:

• Originality and significance of the topic;
• Clarity of the research problem and objectives;
• Appropriateness of the methodology;
• Quality of the analysis and discussion;
• Accuracy of the findings;
• Relevance, diversity, and currency of the references;
• Quality of the language and academic style;
• The manuscript’s contribution to the advancement of scholarly knowledge.

The Associate Editor may provide an additional evaluation when necessary.

7.4 Peer-Review Decisions

The peer-review process may result in one of the following decisions:

1. Acceptance for publication without revision;
2. Acceptance subject to minor revisions;
3. Acceptance subject to major revisions and re-evaluation;
4. Rejection for failure to meet the journal’s academic standards;
5. Referral to a third reviewer when the first two review reports conflict.

When one reviewer gives a positive recommendation and the other gives a negative recommendation, the manuscript is sent to a third reviewer. The third report is taken into consideration when making the final editorial decision.

8. Evaluation Period

Reviewers are given a specified period in which to complete the peer-review process.

Depending on the nature of the manuscript and the availability of qualified reviewers, the evaluation process may take approximately two to three months.

The Editorial Board endeavours to process manuscripts as quickly as possible. However, the review period may vary from one manuscript to another.

9. Manuscript Revisions

When reviewers request revisions, the author receives a notification containing their comments and recommendations.

The author must:

• Address all comments clearly and accurately;
• Respect the deadline set for resubmission;
• Upload the revised version through the platform;
• Explain the changes made when requested;
• Avoid disregarding substantial comments without providing an academic justification.

The revised manuscript may be returned to the reviewers to verify that the requested changes have been adequately implemented.

Failure to submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline, without an acceptable justification, may result in the closure of the manuscript file.

10. Notification of Rejection

When a manuscript does not comply with the journal template, fails to meet the publication requirements, or does not satisfy the required academic standards, the author is notified of the rejection decision through their platform account or by email.

The journal is under no obligation to publish rejected manuscripts. The Editorial Board’s decision is considered final once all evaluation procedures have been completed.

11. Tracking the Status of a Manuscript

Authors may track the status of their manuscripts through their ASJP accounts by selecting:

Articles → Submitted Articles

The following information will be displayed:

• Article title;
• Date of submission;
• Journal name;
• Processing details;
• Current status.

A manuscript may pass through the following stages:

1. Manuscript under preliminary screening;
2. Accepted or declined for peer review;
3. Awaiting assignment to reviewers;
4. Assigned to reviewers;
5. Under review;
6. Revisions requested;
7. Revised manuscript under review;
8. Accepted for publication;
9. Rejected;
10. Scheduled for publication.

12. Entering References after Acceptance

After the manuscript has been accepted, the author receives a notification requesting the entry of all references used in the study into the relevant ASJP field.

The process is completed as follows:

1. Log in to the personal account.
2. Click on “Articles.”
3. Select “Accepted Articles.”
4. Open the article details.
5. Click on “References.”
6. Select “Add Reference.”
7. Choose the reference type.
8. Enter all required bibliographic information.
9. Click on “Add” to save the reference.
10. Repeat the process until all references have been entered.

Reference types may include:

• Journal article;
• Book;
• Book chapter;
• Conference paper;
• Doctoral thesis or Master’s dissertation;
• Web page;
• Document or report.

The references entered on the platform must correspond exactly to the reference list included in the manuscript.

Important notice: Authors must not click on “Finish” until all references have been entered and their bibliographic details have been verified.

The Editorial Board reviews the references entered on the platform. If errors or discrepancies are identified, the references will be returned to the author for correction before the article is scheduled for publication.

13. Publication Declaration

Following final acceptance, the author must download the publication declaration form available in the designated section of the journal’s platform.

The authors must:

1. Complete all required information;
2. Have the declaration signed by all authors;
3. Ensure that all names and signatures are clear;
4. Submit the declaration using the method specified by the Editorial Board.

The declaration generally confirms that:

• The manuscript is original and has not been previously published;
• The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal;
• All authors have approved its submission;
• The manuscript contains no plagiarism or ethical violations;
• The information and data presented in the manuscript are accurate;
• The authors accept full academic and legal responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

The manuscript will not be scheduled for publication until all required documents have been completed and submitted.

14. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes a serious violation of research and publication ethics.

Violations include, but are not limited to:

• Copying text without acknowledging the source;
• Using the ideas of others without proper citation;
• Republishing the author’s previous work without disclosure;
• Manipulating citations or references;
• Fabricating data or falsifying findings;
• Including as authors individuals who did not make an actual contribution to the research;
• Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

Submitted manuscripts are screened using the available tools and software for detecting similarity and plagiarism.

When misconduct is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to:

• Reject the manuscript;
• Withdraw or retract the article if it has already been published;
• Notify the author’s institution when necessary;
• Decline future submissions from the offending author for a period determined by the Editorial Board.

15. Authors’ Responsibilities

The author or authors bear full responsibility for:

• The accuracy of the information contained in the manuscript;
• The originality of the research;
• The integrity of the data and findings;
• Respect for intellectual property rights;
• Obtaining the necessary permissions to use photographs, tables, figures, or documents;
• The order in which the authors’ names appear;
• The accuracy of institutional affiliations and email addresses;
• The disclosure of any potential conflict of interest.

The views expressed in published articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or the publishing university.

16. Simplified Manuscript Workflow

Submission of the manuscript through ASJP
⬇
Initial screening by the Editorial Board
⬇

When the manuscript does not comply with the requirements:

It is returned to the author for revision or rejected, with the reasons for the decision provided.

When the manuscript complies with the requirements:

The author’s identity is removed and the manuscript is assigned a confidential number.
⬇
The manuscript is sent to Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2.
⬇

• Two positive reports: The manuscript is accepted or revisions are requested.
• Two negative reports: The manuscript is rejected.
• One positive and one negative report: The manuscript is referred to a third reviewer.
• Revisions requested: The manuscript is returned to the author, and the revisions are subsequently verified.

⬇
Final acceptance
⬇
Entry of references and submission of the publication declaration
⬇
Technical and language editing
⬇
Scheduling for publication