Policies

Policies

  1. Editorial Review and Peer Review Policies

Pakistan Review of Social Sciences (PRSS)employs a rigorous peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, and scientific merit of published articles.

Manuscript Submission

  • Authors submit their manuscripts electronically through the online submission system.
  • During submission, authors may be asked to suggest potential reviewers who are experts in the relevant field (optional).

Initial Review

  • The editor-in-chief or designated editor performs an initial review to assess the manuscript's suitability for the journal based on:
    • Scope and focus of the research
    • Scientific rigor and methodology
    • Clarity and presentation
    • Adherence to author guidelines

Peer Review

  • Manuscripts deemed suitable for further consideration are assigned to two or more independent reviewers with expertise in the research area.
  • Reviewers are chosen based on their qualifications and potential for a fair and unbiased evaluation. Authors may be blinded during the review process (double-blind review).
  • Reviewers are asked to evaluate the manuscript based on the following criteria:
    • Originality and significance of the research question
    • Soundness of the methodology and data analysis
    • Accuracy and completeness of the results
    • Appropriateness of the discussion and conclusions
    • Clarity, conciseness, and proper referencing
    • Adherence to ethical guidelines

Reviewer Feedback

  • Reviewers provide written feedback to the editor, including:
    • Recommendation for acceptance, revision, or rejection
    • Specific comments on strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript
  • Authors receive a copy of the reviewers' comments along with the editorial decision.

Revision and Resubmission

  • If revisions are requested, authors are expected to address the reviewers' concerns and resubmit their manuscript within a specified timeframe.
  • The revised manuscript may undergo further review by the original reviewers or additional reviewers at the editor's discretion.

Final Decision

  • The editor-in-chief makes the final decision on manuscript acceptance based on the reviewers' feedback and the revised manuscript.
  • The editor may consult with the editorial board for complex cases.
  • Authors are notified of the final decision, along with any specific instructions for publication.

Timeline

PRSS strives for a prompt and efficient review process. The time from submission to the initial editorial decision typically takes 1 week. The overall review process, including revisions and resubmissions, may take 15 days on average.

Confidentiality

PRSS maintains strict confidentiality throughout the peer review process. The identities of reviewers and authors are kept anonymous unless explicitly agreed upon by both parties.

Appeals

Authors who disagree with the editorial decision may submit a written appeal explaining their rationale. Appeals will be carefully considered by the editor-in-chief, who may consult with the editorial board or additional reviewers.

Commitment to Quality

PRSS is committed to upholding the highest standards of editorial ethics and peer review.

 

Manuscript Submission

  • All submissions must be made electronically through our online submission system (link to be provided).
  • The manuscript file should be saved in a format compatible with most word processing software (e.g., DOCX)

Manuscript Format

  • Font: Use a standard font (Times New Roman) with a size of 11 points.
  • Line Spacing: Single line spacing is preferred.
  • Margins: Set margins to at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
  • Numbering: Include consecutive page numbers throughout the manuscript.

Manuscript Content

  • Title Page: Include the title of your manuscript, the authors' full names and affiliations, and the corresponding author's contact information (email address).
  • Abstract: Provide a concise and informative abstract (maximum 250 words) summarizing the background, methods, results, and conclusions of your study.
  • Keywords: Include 3-5 keywords relevant to your research.
  • Introduction: Briefly introduce the background and significance of your research topic.
  • Materials and Methods: Describe the methodology used in your study in a clear and concise manner.
  • Results: Present your findings objectively, using tables and figures where appropriate.
  • Discussion: Interpret your results in the context of existing literature and highlight the significance of your findings.
  • Conclusion: Briefly summarize the main conclusions of your research.
  • References: Follow a recognized reference style (APA). Ensure all references cited in the text are included in the reference list and vice versa.
  • Acknowledgments: Briefly acknowledge any sources of funding or support for your research.

Authors are requested to submit their work electronically by using the Pakistan Review’s online submission system. Please follow the instructions provided on each step during the online submission process.  

About Publications

The following type of material will be accepted for publication.

Research articles

The research article should be less than 8,000 words, not including abstract, figure legends, and references (please supply a word count). The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches.

All articles should have a short title of fewer than 50 characters, an abstract that contains less than 250 words structured as follows:

  • background (including the aims of the study).
  • Methods (data collection and analysis).
  • If space is short, report only the primary outcomes.

Thesis / dissertation

Submit your unpublished thesis/dissertations that have already been defended. Please submit a copy of the defense report with your thesis/dissertations.

Reference style

Text: Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, ISBN 978-1-4338-0561-5, copies of which may be ordered online or APA Order Dept., P.O.B. 2710, Hyattsville, MD 20784, USA or APA, 3 Henrietta Street, London, WC3E 8LU, UK.
List: references should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc., placed after the year of publication.

Note: The EndNote output style for APA 6th can be found here

Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J. A. J., & Lupton, R. A. (2010). The art of writing a scientific article. Journal of Scientific Communications, 163, 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Sc.2010.00372.
Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J. A. J., & Lupton, R. A. (2018). The art of writing a scientific article. Heliyon, 19, e00205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00205.
Reference to a book:
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style. (4th ed.). New York: Longman, (Chapter 4).
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G. R., & Adams, L. B. (2009). How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In B. S. Jones, & R. Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the electronic age (pp. 281–304). New York: E-Publishing Inc.
Reference to a website:
Cancer Research UK. Cancer statistics reports for the UK. (2003). http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutcancer/statistics/cancerstatsreport/ Accessed 13 March 2003.
Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] Oguro, M., Imahiro, S., Saito, S., Nakashizuka, T. (2015). Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions. Mendeley Data, v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.
Reference to a conference paper or poster presentation:
Engle, E.K., Cash, T.F., & Jarry, J.L. (2009, November). The Body Image Behaviours Inventory-3: Development and validation of the Body Image Compulsive Actions and Body Image Avoidance Scales. Poster session presentation at the meeting of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.

Submission Preparation Checklist 

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  • The text is single-spaced; uses a 11-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

Copyright Notice  

Submission declaration

Authors have copyright but license exclusive rights in their article to the publisher. Author's submission implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

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.

We use your Personal Information only for providing and improving the Site. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

This Log Data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol ("IP") address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those page s and other statistics.
In addition, we may use third party services such as Google Analytics that collect, monitor and analyze this to improve our services. 

 

  1. Ethical Guidelines

Ethics and Malpractices Statement

PRSS is committed to meeting and upholding the standard of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process. Conformance to the standards of ethical conduct is expected of all parties involved: authors, editors and reviewers. PRSS is committed to the highest standards of both critical scholarly review and professional publishing judgment. By insisting on thorough peer review procedures combined with careful editorial assessments, PRSS performs an intellectual gatekeeping function, ensuring that only scholarship of the highest quality receives acceptance for publication. Furthermore, the following publication ethics and malpractice statements set out the specific responsibilities of all parties involved to ensure that PRSS complies with internationally accepted guidelines for ethical and culturally competent research.

 Responsibilities of the Editors

  • The Editors are responsible for examining all the submitted articles exclusively based on their academic merit, i.e., significance, timeliness, relevance, originality, and clarity.
  • The Editors would not consider the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, religious beliefs or institutional affiliation.  
  • The editors will be responsible for the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions; and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct, if required.
  • The editors and management staff will not disclose any information about a submitted article to anyone other than the corresponding author, editorial reviewers, potential peer reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher as necessary.
  • Any Editor will not use unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript in their personal research.
  • The Editors are responsible for ensuring the quality of the language used in the article and that the format and all required guidelines are fulfilled by the author(s) before peer review is processed.
  • The Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and appropriate double-blind peer-review process of all submitted articles.
  • The Editors shall ensure that the reviewers are selected according to the expertise relevant to the submitted manuscript.
  • The Editors shall seek to have at least one reviewer who belongs to or focuses on the country or region of the manuscript.
  • The Editors shall ensure that the manuscript is reviewed by a minimum of one international (foreign) and one national (local) expert of international repute.
  • Submissions from authors with any conflict of interest with the Editor(s) concerned will be assessed, evaluated and processed by another editorial member.
  • Submissions by an editor(s) will be assigned to another editorial member to ensure a fair and appropriate review process.
  • The Editors will ask all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after the publication.
  • The editorial members (editors & advisors) must be experts in the relevant field and have an international reputation in academic research.
  • The Editors shall be responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal will be published based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers, scholars and readers, the reviewers’ comments, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism.
  • The Editor-in-Chief shall confer with editors, advisors, and reviewers in making these processes and decisions.

Responsibilities of the Reviewers

  • Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in an article or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the Editor and excuse themself from the review process.
  • Any manuscript received for review shall be treated as a confidential document by the reviewers.
  • Double-blind peer reviews are conducted objectively. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  • The Reviewers should identify relevant published work that the authors have not cited.
  • The Reviewers must not use unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript in their personal research without the author's express written consent (s).

Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • In cases of alleged or proven misconduct, fraudulent publication or plagiarism, the publisher, i.e., United Frontiers Publisher, in close collaboration with the Editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification, or the retraction of the affected manuscript in the most severe case.
  • As a publisher, United Frontiers Publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and strives to ensure accessibility by partnering with organizations and maintaining its digital archive.
  • If an inaccuracy, misleading text or wrong explanations are found in the published article, United Frontiers Publisher must correct it promptly.
  • United Frontiers Publisher will forward all complaints to the Editor-in-Chief. He will be responsible for seriously investigating them regardless of who files the complaint.

Responsibilities of the Authors 

  • It is the authors' responsibility to ensure that the manuscripts are reviewed/edited by an English language expert before submission to PRSS.
  • The authors shall ensure that the referencing and citation style is maintained according to the APA guidelines (latest edition).
  • The authors shall ensure an in-text citation style used with a list of references at the end of the manuscript.
  • The correspondence author shall ensure that the manuscript is not submitted and/or is under review for publication elsewhere.
  • The correspondence author shall ensure no conflict of interest between the principal author & the co-author(s).
  • The correspondence author shall ensure that there is no plagiarism and/or similarity in the manuscript. Any data or ideas taken from other sources are cited correctly by international standards.
  • The international standards of research ethics must be followed and ensured by the authors/co-authors. 
  • Complete affiliation details of author/co-authors, either with one or more institutions, shall be provided during the manuscript submission.
  • The correspondence author shall ensure that the manuscript, once accepted for peer review, is not submitted/published elsewhere unless rejected by PRSS.
  • Author(s) shall provide a signed agreement/undertaking allowing PRSS to reserve the right to circulate the article and all other derivative works, such as translations.
  • It is the author’s responsibility to carefully read the author (s) guidelines and make sure that all the requirements and conditions of PRSS are fulfilled before submission of the manuscript.

 

  1. Publication Frequency

 

The frequency/schedule of publication is peer reviewed biannual year (i.e. two issues per volume, first from January-June, second from Jult-December each calendar year). An accepted article is published online as soon as it's final copy/layout is ready. PDF of the accepted article is uploaded on the official website after the successful completion of the editorial review as well as the peer-review processes as per PRSS policy.

 

  1. Open Access Policy

 

PRSS provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. PRSS is an “open access” journal that gives online access, free of charge and other access barriers. PRSS also supports the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing which defines an open access journal as one which grants a "free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit, and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship" and from which every article is "deposited immediately upon initial publication in at least one online repository". As an open access publication model, PRSS enables a free-of-cost dissemination of refereed research to the global community. PRSS is committed to achieving the highest quality of scientific research to drive progress in academic research with innovation. Authors publishing with PRSS retains the copyright to their work, allowing the articles to be re-used and re-distributed without restriction as long as the original work is correctly cited.  PRSS has been helping students, scholars, researchers, professionals, scientific societies, and academic institutions to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. By partnering with learned institutions and societies, PRSS supports researchers in communicating discoveries that make a difference.

 

  1. Article Format-Structure

Manuscripts should be submitted in MS-Word files by one of the authors of the manuscript through the online submission system. Submissions by anyone other than one of the authors will not be accepted. Authors are suggested to provide the names of four well-qualified reviewers. Current e-mail addresses must be provided for all suggested reviewers. PRSS reserve the right to the invited author’s suggested reviewers or send it to any other expert reviewers. If for some technical reason online submission is not successful, the author can submit the manuscript to; prss@pakistanreview.com.

Manuscript Preparation

The author needs to prepare two different files; a Title page which includes the title of the article, author names, and affiliations and the second file is the main documents without author information. 

 Essential Information

Title: Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

Author names and affiliations: Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.

Corresponding author: Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about Methodology and Materials. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that the contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author. If possible, provide the official/institutational email address for corresponding author.

Present/permanent address: If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

Other details: All the non-anonymized detail such as akcnoledgment, author role distribution, funding, ethical statement should be added in the title page.
• Prepare this document as its own, one page Word file labelled "Title page (with author details)".

Appendices should be uploaded as a separate file marked as "Supplementary material" (see below).

Article structure/style of the manuscript summary:

Title (font size 11, Times New Roman)

Abstract (150-200 words), Keywords (six-eight)

Introduction (and background):

Literature Review (relevant literature/sources)

Conceptual and Theoretical Framework (or Model)

Research Methodology (material and methods)

Results (if applicable):

Discussion (and findings)

Conclusion (suggestions and future direction)

Limitations of the study

Necessary statements (competing interests, author agreement, declaration of generative AI)

References (APA latest version)

 Article structure/style of the manuscript detail:

Title (font size 11, Times New Roman):

Active verbs are used instead of complex noun-based phrases. It is around 10 to 15 words long and summarises the main idea or ideas of the study.

Abstract (150-200 words):

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should briefly discuss a compact view of the research problem, purpose of study, research design and key findings. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, citations should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s). Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should also be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. 

Keywords (six-eight):

It does not use words or phrases from the title and supplements the title's contents. These are descriptive, representing key concepts and nouns. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes. The keywords should be placed immediately after the abstract, each beginning with a capital letter and separated by a comma (,).

Introduction (and background):

It describes the purpose, scope, context, significance, background, hypothesis(es), question(s), brief methodology, outcome(s), and outline of the remaining structure/organisation of the article.

Literature Review (relevant literature/sources)

It gives a description, summary, and critical evaluation of sources explored in relation to the research problem(s) being investigated.

Conceptual and Theoretical Framework (or Model):

The conceptual framework presents/makes the construction of the study clearer, cleaner, and more straightforward; and the theoretical framework within it explains the relationships that are explored within the study.

Research Methodology (material and methods):

It describes the actions taken for the investigation of the research problem and the rationale for the application of the specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process, and analyse the information applied to understanding the problem.

Results (if applicable):

It reports the results of the study based upon the methodology(ies) being applied and in a logical sequence without bias or interpretation if data is generated from the author’s own research.

Discussion (and findings):

It interprets and describes the significance of findings in light of what was already known about the research problem(s). It explains new understanding or insights being emerged based on studying the problem. It is connected to the introduction through research questions and/or hypothesis(es) and the literature being reviewed for the study. It discusses study results and compares it with recent research in the field.

Conclusion (suggestions and future direction):

It helps the readers to understand why the research should matter to them. It gives a synthesis of key points and, (if applicable), suggests new areas for future research.

References (list of cited sources):

It contains a list of updated published and unpublished material on the topic, including research articles from internationally reputed journals, especially those indexed in WOS, Scopus etc. References should follow APA style (latest edition).

Figure and table requirement:
All figures or photographs must be submitted as jpg or png files with distinct characters and symbols at 300 dpi (dots per inch). Tables and equations should be in an editable rather than image version. Tables must be edited with Word/Excel. Equations must be edited with Equation Editor. Figures, tables and equations should be numbered and cited as Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, etc. in sequence. Figures and tables should be embedded into the main text and not at the end of the main text.

Important points:

  • Ensure that each figure and table has a caption.
    • A caption should contain the figure or table number and then provide a brief title and a description.
    • Refer to each figure and table with its number in-text.
    • All work not your own should also have a citation at the end of the caption, e.g:
    Figure 1. Map of XYZ deep sea port with the study area marked (amended from Ali 2020: fig. 1 p. 12).
    This source should be included in the list of "References" at the end of the manuscript
    • For figures: If you (or a co-author) are not the original creator of the artwork, you must get permission to use it from the copyright holder in advance of submission.

Preparation of tables:

  • All tables should be black and white
    • Use the same font as the main text
    • Place any table notes below the table body.
    • Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.
    • Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.

Supplementary material/Appendices 
Supplementary material and appendices such as an interview guide, fieldnotes, images, and sound clips, can be published with your article to enhance it. Submitted supplementary items are published exactly as they are received (Excel or PowerPoint files will appear as such online). Please submit your material together with the article and supply a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file. If you wish to make changes to supplementary material during any stage of the process, please make sure to provide an updated file.

Reference style

Text: Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, ISBN 978-1-4338-0561-5, copies of which may be ordered online or APA Order Dept., P.O.B. 2710, Hyattsville, MD 20784, USA or APA, 3 Henrietta Street, London, WC3E 8LU, UK.
List: references should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc., placed after the year of publication.

Note: The EndNote output style for APA 6th can be found here

Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J. A. J., & Lupton, R. A. (2010). The art of writing a scientific article. Journal of Scientific Communications, 163, 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Sc.2010.00372.
Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J. A. J., & Lupton, R. A. (2018). The art of writing a scientific article. Heliyon, 19, e00205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00205.
Reference to a book:
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style. (4th ed.). New York: Longman, (Chapter 4).
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G. R., & Adams, L. B. (2009). How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In B. S. Jones, & R. Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the electronic age (pp. 281–304). New York: E-Publishing Inc.
Reference to a website:
Cancer Research UK. Cancer statistics reports for the UK. (2003). http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutcancer/statistics/cancerstatsreport/ Accessed 13 March 2003.
Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] Oguro, M., Imahiro, S., Saito, S., Nakashizuka, T. (2015). Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions. Mendeley Data, v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.
Reference to a conference paper or poster presentation:
Engle, E.K., Cash, T.F., & Jarry, J.L. (2009, November). The Body Image Behaviours Inventory-3: Development and validation of the Body Image Compulsive Actions and Body Image Avoidance Scales. Poster session presentation at the meeting of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.

 

  1. Complaints & Appeals

 

Nature and Procedure of Complaints

In case of any of the following complaints, PRSS shall acknowledge the receipt of the complaint and initiate an investigation in line with relevant guidance from written policies and procedures of the (COPE) where applicable.

Allegations of Misconduct:

In case of the allegation(s) of misconduct such as plagiarism, falsification of data, and fabrication of data, the aggrieved party may launch a formal complaint to the Editor-in-Chief.

General Complaint:

Any person may contact PRSS with a detailed written description of the concern and information supporting the matter at prss@pakistanreview.com

Appealing the Publication Decision

The Editor-in-Chief, at any stage, has complete discretion to determine whether a manuscript is an appropriate fit for consideration in PRSS. The editorial management of PRSS believes that the Editors shall not decline the manuscripts without sharing a proper and valid statement of the rejection decision with the author(s).

The Editors' decisions to rejection of the manuscript are not eligible for a formal appeal unless the author(s) believe that the editors decided based on an error in the review process of the manuscript. The author(s) may file a formal appeal against the rejection decision in such a case. However, the author(s) need to provide a written statement with a detailed description of the error that they believe has occurred and affected the review process of the manuscript. In case the author(s) believe that the decision of the manuscript's rejection has been affected by a publication ethics breach. In that case, the author(s) may contact the Editor-in-Chief with a detailed written description of the concern and the relevant information supporting the matter.

 

  1. Conflict of Interests Policy

Declaration of Conflicting Interests Policy

PRSS is committed to ensuring disclosure of the competing interests in the published manuscripts. The author(s) may have a potential conflict of interests that could affect or could be seen to affect their manuscript submitted to PRSS. Therefore, the author(s) must declare a conflict-of-interest statement during the manuscript submission enabling a written statement to be recorded within the paginated published article. A potential conflicting interest might arise from the relationships, allegiances or hostilities to particular groups, organizations or interests, which may influence excessively one's judgments or actions. The issue is particularly sensitive when such interests are private and/or may result in personal gain. The examples of conflicts of interest might include but are not limited to having received fees for consulting; received research funding; being employed by a related company, or holding stocks or shares in a company that might be affected by the manuscript, or having received funds or reimbursement for attending a related symposium or talk. If there are other interests that the reasonable reader might feel have affected the research submitted to PRSS, the author(s) must declare it at least before acceptance of the manuscript.

The manuscripts are evaluated fairly and accepted when competing interests are not declared until necessary by the policy. The editorial team of PRSS does not expect details of the financial arrangements to be disclosed when a competing interest is declared.

The author(s) must check the Manuscript Submission Guidelines of PRSS to ensure compliance with the specific requirements needed by the journal. The author(s) are required to certify in the author agreement form that:

  1. All forms of financial support are given due acknowledgement in the contribution.
  2. Any commercial or financial involvement that might present a conflict of interest related to the contribution is recorded during submission.
  3. Any potential conflict of interest shall be discussed with the Editor to decide whether its information is to be disclosed in the manuscript.
  4. The author(s) did not sign any agreement with any sponsor of the research submitted to PRSS that prevents the author(s) from publishing both positive and negative results or that forbids the author(s) from publishing the research without prior approval of the sponsor.
  5. The author(s) have checked the manuscript submission guidelines of PRSS for a Declaration of Conflicting Interests requirement and have complied with specified requirements.

The author(s) must include such a declaration at the end of the manuscript after any acknowledgments and before the Funding Acknowledgement, Notes (if relevant) and References, under the heading 'Declaration of Conflicting Interest'. If no conflict exists, please state that 'The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest'.

The same obligations apply to the editors or guest editors writing an editorial that will be published in the PRSS and to the peer reviewers, where applicable.

 

  1. Archiving Policy

It has been ensured under the digital archiving policy of PRSS that despite any accidental loss of data in our personal archival records, the published scholarly content remains available to the scholarly community through the following systems available in the OJS:

PKP Preservation Network (PN). The PKP Preservation Network (PN) provides free preservation services for any journal managed and operated through Open Journal System (OJS).

 

  1. Data Protection Policy

 

Pakistan Review of Social Sciences (PRSS) is committed to protecting the privacy of our users and authors. This privacy statement explains how we collect, use, and disclose personal information.

Information We Collect
PRSS collects personal information in several ways, including:
* Information you provide: When you submit a manuscript, register for email alerts, or contact us, you may provide us with personal information such as your name, email address, affiliation, and any information included in your manuscript.
* Usage data: We may collect information about how you use our website, such as the pages you visit and the links you click. This information is collected anonymously and in aggregate form.

How Do We Use Your Information
The personal information you provide may be used for the following purposes:
* To process your manuscript submission and communicate with you about the editorial process.
* To send you email alerts about new articles or journal issues (if you opt-in).
* To improve our website and user experience.
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  • Correction and Retraction Policy for PRSS Journal:

Correction Policy

PRSS (Pakistan Review of Social Sciences) Journal acknowledges the significance of accuracy and integrity in published research articles. In the event of errors detected post-publication, the journal adopts a Correction Policy to rectify inaccuracies swiftly and transparently. Corrections may include, but are not limited to, typographical errors, factual inaccuracies, mathematical errors, or errors in data presentation. Authors are encouraged to promptly notify the journal's editorial team upon discovery of errors in their published work. The editorial team will evaluate the nature and extent of the error and determine if a correction is necessary. Corrections will be published promptly, clearly identifying the nature of the error and providing accurate information to rectify it. Corrections will be linked to the original article to ensure visibility and accessibility to readers.

Retraction Policy

PRSS Journal upholds the principles of scholarly integrity and ethical publishing. In cases where serious errors, misconduct, or ethical breaches are identified in published articles, the journal adopts a Retraction Policy to retract the affected work. Retractions are considered in instances including, but not limited to, data fabrication, plagiarism, redundant publication, ethical violations, or significant inaccuracies that invalidate the conclusions of the article. Retraction decisions are made by the editorial team following thorough investigation and consultation with relevant stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, and institutional bodies where necessary. Retracted articles are clearly marked as such, with an explanation provided for the retraction. The retraction notice will be linked to the original article to ensure readers are informed about the retracted status. PRSS Journal maintains transparency throughout the retraction process, ensuring that readers are informed about the reasons for retraction and the corrective actions taken.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to adhere to high standards of research integrity and ethics in their submissions to PRSS Journal. Authors must promptly notify the journal's editorial team if errors are discovered in their published work and cooperate in the correction process. Authors are obligated to provide accurate and reliable data, and to avoid any form of misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification. PRSS Journal is committed to maintaining the credibility and integrity of published research through its Correction and Retraction Policy. We encourage authors, reviewers, and readers to uphold these principles and contribute to the advancement of scholarly knowledge in computer science, information systems, and security management practices.

 

Contribution & consent of each author & any other information

 

In accordance with our policy, each author must contribute significantly to the creation of the work and provide explicit consent for their inclusion as an author. All contributors are expected to adhere to ethical standards and disclose any conflicts of interest. Additionally, authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their contributions and must acknowledge the work of others appropriately. Any changes to authorship or disputes regarding contribution should be resolved through transparent communication and consensus among all involved parties.