Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. SUBMISSION AND REVIEW

1.1. Proposed articles and reviews must be submitted through the online system. From the section dropdown menu, select only from ARTICLES, REVIEWS, or PRELIMINARY PROJECT RESULTS.

1.2. The articles proposed for publication will be reviewed, first and foremost, by the Editorial Board to determine whether they align with the focus of the journal and meet minimum standards of research quality. In this initial phase, failure to strictly comply with the editorial guidelines outlined in the "Guidelines for Authors" section (see below) will result in rejection.

1.3. Critical Journal of Social Sciences (hereinafter CJSS) only publishes completely unpublished works. Therefore, by submitting an article or review proposal to CJSS, the author commits that it is not under evaluation and/or selection for publication elsewhere. Additionally, if the proposal is accepted for publication in CJSS, the author commits that it has not been previously published by any means, either in full, in part, or in translation to other languages. Once published in CJSS, the work remains the property of the author, under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. The author is free to republish the article elsewhere thereafter, provided it is explicitly stated that it was first published in the CJSS journal, citing volume, year, and page numbers.

1.4. Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.

1.5. The articles that receive approval will proceed to a second round of anonymous evaluation*. This process will follow the system known as double-blind or peer review, where both the author and external reviewers remain anonymous. The Editorial Team will request at least two reports from subject-matter experts for each article, using a form that outlines the various evaluable sections, as well as a final assessment recommending or not recommending publication. In the case of one positive and one negative report, the Editorial Board may request a third report. In all cases, the final decision will depend on the Editorial Board based on the reports received and in accordance with its own criteria.

*[Currently, manuscript review may be conducted by the editor-in-chief due to the journal's developmental stage. We are in the process of building a robust network of expert reviewers and editorial team to ensure the highest level of rigor in future editions]

1.6. Whenever the text needs to be modified, as suggested by the Scientific Reviewers and/or the Executive Committee, the authors commit to accepting these suggestions and incorporating them as requested. Along with the corrected version, the author must provide a correction report indicating the changes made to the manuscript and where they have been applied.

Whenever there are changes the authors disagree with, they must provide appropriate justifications, on a case-by-case basis.

1.7. CJSS is not responsible for the content, judgments, and opinions expressed by authors and reviewers. The signer of an article is responsible for the usage licenses of any images included, if applicable.

1.8. Manuscripts submitted to CJSS cannot be considered for publication in the journal without appropriate attribution of authorship. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged copying of work and can clearly be identified when significant amounts of text are "cut and pasted" without proper and explicit attribution of authorship. Similarly, when reusing text, whether from the authors' own previous publications or those of others, proper attribution and citation are required to avoid misleading readers.

1.9. Artificial intelligence systems may be used as complementary research tools, but their use and extent of intervention in the methodology must be clearly explained. The Editorial Board, with advice from external reviewers, will only accept articles and reviews that they deem to have made appropriate use of artificial intelligence for research. In any case, articles and reviews generated exclusively by artificial intelligence, or when AI is used extensively to the extent of authorship or co-authorship, will not be accepted.

1.10. In order to be considered for publication, articles and reviews must be submitted in accordance with the Editorial Guidelines outlined in the following sections. Articles and reviews that do not strictly adhere to these guidelines will be rejected.

2. REVIEWS

2.1. Reviews should have a maximum length of 1,500 words.

2.2. Submissions must be made in Word format or equivalent, using Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.15-line spacing. The default Word margins should be used: 2.5 cm for the top and bottom margins, and 3 cm for the left and right margins. Include page numbers on all pages.

2.3. After five blank lines from the top margin of the first page, TITLE OF THE BOOK REVIEWED (uppercase, bold, and centered).

2.4. After one blank line, put Name LAST NAME LAST NAME of the author of the reviewed book (bold and centered).

2.5. After one blank line, put Place: Publisher, YEAR, XXX pages.

2.6. Immediately below, with no blank line, put ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXXXX (it must be the 13-digit number without hyphens).

2.7. After three blank lines, begin the review text. In this text, each paragraph must have a first-line indentation of 0.63 cm. Quotes from the reviewed book must include the page or pages in parentheses, with the abbreviation p. or pp. For example: "this is a quote from the reviewed book" (pp. 12-14).

2.8. At the end of the review text, leave a blank space and write the name of the reviewer, justified to the right, without bold: Name Last Name Last Name.

2.9. Immediately below, without leaving a blank space, write the reviewer’s institution, justified to the right, without bold: University of City.

2.10. For the use of quotation marks, italics, dash, etc., apply the guidelines in point 3.

3. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH RESULTS

3.1. CJSS welcomes submissions that present preliminary results from ongoing research projects. These contributions allow researchers to share valuable early findings, receive feedback from the academic community, and foster collaborative dialogue. Submissions in this category are expected to offer original insights while clearly indicating the provisional nature of the results.

3.2. Manuscripts should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words, including references, tables, and figures.

3.3. Submissions must be made in Word format or equivalent, using Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.15-line spacing. The default Word margins should be used: 2.5 cm for the top and bottom margins, and 3 cm for the left and right margins. Include page numbers on all pages.

3.4. After five blank lines from the top margin of the first page, TITLE OF THE PROYECT (uppercase, bold, and centered).

3.5. After one blank line, put Name LAST NAME LAST NAME of the author(s)  (bold and centered).

3.6. After one blank line, put the project reference code.

3.7. Submissions must include the following clearly labeled sections:

1. Introduction – Present the research topic, its relevance, and the research objectives.
2. Methodology – Describe the methods, tools, and procedures used in the research up to the current stage.
3. Preliminary Results – Report the key findings obtained so far, with appropriate supporting data.
4. Discussion – Interpret the results in relation to the research question, noting limitations and next steps in the ongoing research.

Note: These submissions will undergo peer review and must clearly specify that the findings are part of a research project still in progress.

4. ARTICLES

4.1. The maximum length for ARTICLES is 10,000 words. The manuscript can be submitted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. To submit an article proposal, the following guidelines must be followed.

4.2. Submissions must be presented in Word format or an equivalent.

4.3. All sheets must be numbered-

4.4. The default Word margins should be used: 2.5 cm for the top and bottom margins, and 3 cm for the left and right margins.

4.5. Formatting and Order from the Title to the Keywords

- This entire section should use Times New Roman, 12-point font, with single line spacing:

- After five blank lines from the top margin of the first page, TITLE OF THE PAPER IN ENGLISH (uppercase, bold, and centered). If the article originates from a research project or similar initiative requiring acknowledgment, a footnote should be added to the title in English. If the article is not derived from a research project or similar, this footnote should be omitted. The superscript number for this note should not be bold.

- After one blank line, TITLE IN SPANISH (uppercase, no bold, and centered).

- After one blank line, write Name LAST NAME LAST NAME (bold and centered).

- Immediately below, without a blank line, write University of City (no bold and centered).

- Immediately below, without a blank line, write name@extension.com (no bold and centered).

- After two blank lines, Abstract (bold): Text with no bold, no more than 150 words.

- After one blank line, Keywords (bold): Between three and five, separated by periods, in English (not bold).

- After one blank line, Resumen (in Spanish) (bold): The previous abstract written in Spanish (not bold).

- After one blank line, Palabras clave (in Spanish) (bold): The same keywords in Spanish (not bold), separated by periods.

- [This is the preferred order for a manuscript in ENGLISH. In the case of submitting a paper in SPANISH, the abstract and keywords should appear first in Spanish, followed by their translation into English. Similarly, for a paper in PORTUGUESE, the abstract and keywords should first be presented in Portuguese, followed by their translation into English.]

- After three blank lines, begin the main text of the article.

4.6. Text Formatting and Layout for the Article

- The main text of the article is in Times New Roman font. For the body text, use a font size of 12 points; for long quotations, use 11 points; and for footnotes, use 10 points. The line spacing should be 1.15 for the body text, and single spacing for long quotations and footnotes.

- Each paragraph in the main text should have a first-line indentation of 0.63 cm.

- For section titles, use Word's automatic indentation tool. The numbering of sections (headings and subheadings) should be organized as follows:

The main heading should be in bold and uppercase. Set the left indentation to 0.63 cm and apply a hanging indent of 0.63 cm.

• Example: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION

The next subheading should be in bold and lowercase. Set the left indentation to 0.63 cm and apply a hanging indent of 0.63 cm.

• Example: 1. Contemporary Educational Theories

The following subheading should be in italics and lowercase. Set the left indentation to 0.63 cm and apply a hanging indent of 1.27 cm.

• Example: 1.1. Critical Theory of Education

The next subheading should be in regular font and lowercase. It is recommended not to go - beyond this level, and it must never exceed it. Set the left indentation to 0.63 cm and apply a hanging indent of 1.27 cm.

• Example: 1.1.1.1. Emancipatory Education

You should leave one blank line (12-point size, 1.15 line spacing) before and after the title of each section.

- Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page without any indentation and with the number in superscript. Footnote calls within the text should be indicated with sequential numbering in superscript. The superscript number for a footnote in the body of the text must be placed before any punctuation marks, if present. Footnotes should be used for explanatory comments, not for citing references, which should be done in the body of the text, as indicated later (section 3.4.11). These footnotes should use the font Times New Roman, size 10, with single line spacing, and no indentation. There should be no blank space between footnotes.

- Short quotes (up to three lines or three verses) should be formatted using the same font, size, and line spacing as the body text. They should be integrated into the body of the text and enclosed in quotation marks (see the use of quotation marks in section 3.4.10). If the quote consists of verses, they should be separated by slashes ( / ), leaving a space before and after the slash. For example: “Alguna vez / alguna vez tal vez / me iré sin quedarme / me iré como quien se va”.

- Long quotes (more than three lines) in prose should be set apart in font size 11, with single line spacing, and a left indentation of 1.26 cm for the entire quote (not just the first line), without quotation marks. If the long quote contains paragraph breaks, the second and subsequent paragraphs should have a first-line indent of 0.5 cm. If there is a bibliographic reference in parentheses for a long quote, it should appear before the final punctuation mark. A line in size 12 points, with a line spacing of 1.15, should be left before and after a long quote.

- In both short and long quotes, the omission or ellipsis of text should be indicated by three ellipsis points in square brackets: […].

- Quotation marks should only be used for quotes up to three lines and the titles of articles (or similar). Double quotation marks (“ ”) should be used for quotes. If there are quotation marks inside quotes, single quotation marks (‘ ’) should be used for the inner quotation. For example: “As a rule, ‘English quotation marks’ should be used. Only in the case of quotes within quotes can ‘single quotation marks’ be used.” Quotation marks should never be used for purposes other than quoting or for article, chapter, etc., titles. For emphasis, double meanings, foreign words, or metalinguistic usage of a term, italics should be used instead.

- Images should be placed where they belong within the text and be centered. The caption text should appear below the image in Times New Roman, 11 points, single spacing. There should be a line of space (in Times New Roman, 12 points, 1.15 line spacing) before the image and after the captions.

- Tables should be placed in the appropriate location within the text and be centered. The design of the tables is free, but the font should not be smaller than 8 points. Below the table, the caption should be in Times New Roman, 11 points, single spacing. There should be a line of space (in Times New Roman, 12 points, 1.15 line spacing) before and after the tables.

4.7. Figures and Tables Submission

Authors are required to insert figures and tables in their appropriate places within the manuscript, as specified in section 3.5. In addition, all figures and tables must be submitted as separate files.

• Figures should be in JPG format with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI to ensure high-quality reproduction.
• Tables must be provided in an editable format (e.g., Word, Excel) to facilitate formatting and adjustments during the production process.

Failure to comply with these requirements may delay the review and publication process.

4.8. The system for bibliographic citations within the text should be as follows:

1. a) Author's surname, year, order within the year if necessary, colon, page(s) referenced. There should be a space between the colon and the pages cited.

• Examples: Peirce (1987: 27), Greimas (1988a: 36-38).

1. b) If the reference spans multiple pages, separate them with commas.

• Example: Peirce (1987: 27-29, 31-39).

1. c) If citing multiple authors or works, separate them with semicolons.

• Example: (Peirce, 1987: 27-29; Greimas, 1988a: 36-38).

1. d) If the cited author is enclosed in parentheses, place a comma after the surname.

• Example: (Eco, 1990).

1. e) Do not use "ibid," "ibidem," "op. cit." to refer to authors. Always use their surname and publication year whenever necessary.

4.9. At the end of the article, two blank lines should be left. Then, the BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES (in uppercase and bold) should be placed. After another blank line, the bibliographic sources are ordered alphabetically.

- Academic Journal Articles

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, volume number(issue number), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxxx

• Example: García, M. P., & Rodríguez, L. M. (2020). The impact of globalization on local economies: A socio-economic analysis. Journal of Contemporary Sociology, 45(2), 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1234/jcs.2020.02345

 - Books

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (Edition). Publisher.

• Example: Smith, J. P. (2019). The social history of the global economy (2nd ed.). University Press.

- Book Chapters in Edited Volumes

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. page range). Publisher.

• Example: Davies, R. L. (2018). Economic policy and international trade. In J. P. Smith & T. J. Park (Eds.), Global economics and politics (pp. 35-55). Oxford University Press.

5. INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE AND ETHICS

By incorporating inclusive and gender-neutral language, authors contribute to the creation of a more equitable and respectful academic environment. We also remind authors to be attentive to the implications of language when discussing different cultures, communities, and identities. Any expression that may marginalize or offend others is to be avoided, ensuring the language used in the text is reflective of our collective responsibility to foster an inclusive scholarly community. The editorial board reserves the right to suggest changes if language used does not align with these principles.