Author's Guidelines

The Narayan Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Social Sciences (NJMRSS), welcomes original and unpublished manuscripts from academicians, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and research scholars in the broad spectrum of Social Sciences and Associated Fields, including Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Law, Commerce, Management, Library and Information Science, Journalism and Mass Communication, Agriculture, and other allied disciplines.

Authors are requested to prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the following guidelines. Manuscripts that do not comply with these instructions may be returned for revision before being considered for peer review.

Manuscript Categories and Word Limits

We accept three primary types of manuscripts. Word counts include the main text, references, tables, and figure captions.

  • Research Articles (6,000 to 8,000 words): These must present new data, findings, and substantial theoretical or empirical contributions.
  • Review Articles (7,000 to 10,000 words): These should offer a comprehensive synthesis and critical analysis of existing literature on a specific topic.
  • Case Studies (4,000–6,000 words): Analytical studies of specific institutions, policies, programmes, or practices.
  • Short Communications (2,000 to 3,000 words): These are brief reports of preliminary findings or localized case studies that require rapid publication.

Formatting and Structure

  • Document Settings: All text must be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing. Margins should be set to 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
  • Title Page: To ensure anonymity in the review process, the main manuscript file must not contain any author names. Provide a separate Title Page containing:
  • The full title of the manuscript.
  • Author names, affiliations, and email addresses.
  • Identification of the corresponding author.
  • Abstract: The abstract must not exceed 250 words. It should concisely state the research objectives, methodology, main findings, and conclusions. Do not include citations in the abstract.
  • Keywords: Provide 4 to 6 keywords immediately below the abstract to aid in search engine indexing.

Referencing Style

The journal strictly follows the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition style for all in-text citations and the reference list. Ensure all citations in the text match the reference list exactly. For legal manuscripts originating from the Faculty of Law, authors should adapt legal citations into the APA framework as smoothly as possible, providing full URLs or DOIs where available.

Submission and Peer Review Process

  • Submission: All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the official journal website portal. We do not accept submissions via email.
  • Double-Blind Peer Review: The journal employs a strict double-blind peer review process. This means the identities of both the authors and the reviewers are concealed from each other. Authors are responsible for removing any identifying information or self-citations that could reveal their identity from the main manuscript file.

Publication Ethics

Maintaining the integrity of the academic record is our top priority.

  • Plagiarism: All submissions are screened using industry-standard similarity checking software (e.g., Turnitin/iThenticate). The overall similarity index must be below 10% (excluding quotes and the bibliography). Any manuscript exceeding this limit, or showing signs of patch-writing, will be rejected immediately.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy: In line with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) standards, AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) cannot be credited as authors. If authors use AI tools to improve the grammar, readability, or translation of their manuscript, this must be explicitly disclosed in a "Declaration of AI Use" section at the end of the paper. Using AI to generate core ideas, fabricate data, or write original arguments is strictly prohibited and constitutes academic misconduct.

Open Access, Fees and Copyright

  • Article Processing Charges (APC): The Narayan Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Social Sciences is a fully Open Access journal. There are zero submission fees and zero Article Processing Charges (APCs). All publication costs are generously borne by Gopal Narayan Singh University.
  • Copyright Transfer: Upon the acceptance of a manuscript, authors are required to sign and submit a Copyright Transfer Agreement. This transfers the publishing and distribution rights to Gopal Narayan Singh University, allowing us to effectively index and archive the work globally while protecting it against unauthorized use.