Policies and Guidelines

1. PEER REVIEW POLICY

The double-blind peer-review process is an integral component of our commitment to ensuring unbiased and constructive evaluations of submitted manuscripts. So, by implementing a double-blind peer-review process, SSMR aims to uphold the principles of transparency, objectivity, and scholarly excellence in the publication of research in the field of sustainability.

Submission Process: Authors are required to submit manuscripts with all identifying information removed to facilitate blind review. This includes removing author names, affiliations, and any other information that may reveal the author’s identity. Manuscripts are assigned unique identifiers to maintain confidentiality during the review process. This identifier is used for all communication between authors, editors, and reviewers.

Reviewer Selection: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise and experience in the relevant field. The editorial team ensures that selected reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the authors.

Reviewing Process: Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on its originality, methodology, clarity, significance, and adherence to ethical standards. Reviewers provide constructive feedback and recommendations for improvement, maintaining a professional and collegial tone.

Editorial Decision: The Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editors make the final decision on manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection based on the feedback received from reviewers.

Confidentiality: All parties involved in the peer-review process, including authors, reviewers, and editors, are expected to maintain the confidentiality of the review process. Reviewers are discouraged from sharing or discussing the content of manuscripts under review with individuals outside of the peer-review process.

2. PUBLICATION FEE POLICY

All articles published in the SSMR are published under an open-access model, ensuring immediate and free accessibility on our website upon publication. To support the costs of the peer review process, website maintenance, and editorial staff, an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 20,000 PKR is applicable for accepted manuscripts.

Our open-access policy remains dedicated to providing researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders unrestricted access to valuable research findings, while the APC ensures the sustainability and quality of our publishing operations.

3. COPYRIGHT POLICY

The SSMR is an open-access journal committed to promoting the free dissemination of scholarly research. Authors publishing in SSMR retain the copyright to their work while granting the journal the right to publish their research under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).

Creative Commons Licensing Agreement

Disclaimer: Under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.

Under CC-by 4.0 authors are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms if the license terms are followed.

Under the following terms:

Attribution — Author must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Author may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses author or author’s use.

No additional restrictions — Author may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

4. ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

The SSMR is committed to ensuring freely accessible content to researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the public worldwide. SSMR website and content are structured to facilitate navigation, readability, and interaction for users with diverse needs. All articles published in SSMR are freely and immediately accessible to the public upon publication. By making our content freely accessible, SSMR contributes to the democratization of knowledge, supporting education, research, and informed decision-making for the betterment of society.

Open-access Statement: This journal operates under an open-access model, ensuring that all content is freely accessible without any cost to the user or their institution. This unrestricted access enables immediate and free availability of our publications, empowering users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles. Additionally, users are permitted to crawl articles for indexing purposes, pass them as data to software, or utilize them for any other lawful purpose. Our commitment to open access reflects our dedication to the widespread dissemination and utilization of scholarly knowledge for the greater benefit of the global research community.

5. PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

SSMR and its publisher, Beyond Research Advancement & Innovation Network (BRAIN), follow the ethical guidelines of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The editors, authors, reviewers and publisher of SSMR are bound to follow their guidelines. For more details, please click on the guidelines of COPE and HEC below. 

HEC Policies and Guidelines: 

https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/journals/Pages/default.aspx

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Guidelines

Guidelines for the Reviewers: https://publicationethics.org/authorship-discussion-document

Guidelines for the Editorial Office: https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines/ethics-toolkit-editors

Guidelines for Publisher: https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines/guidelines-managing-relationships-between-society-owned-journals-their-society

Guidelines for Authors: https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/complete-set-english

6. DIGITAL ARCHIVING POLICY

The Social Science Multidisciplinary Review (SSMR) recognizes the importance of digital archiving in preserving scholarly content for future generations. This policy applies to all digital content published in SSMR, including but not limited to research articles, reviews, commentaries, and supplementary materials.

Principles

Preservation: SSMR is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation of all digital content published in the journal. This includes implementing strategies to prevent data loss and degradation over time.

Accessibility: SSMR aims to make digital content accessible to researchers, scholars, and the general public worldwide. Digital archives will be easily accessible through the journal's website and other appropriate platforms.

Interoperability: SSMR will adhere to international standards and best practices for digital archiving to ensure interoperability with other digital repositories and libraries.

Digital Archiving Procedures

Submission Requirements: Authors submitting content to SSMR must agree to grant the journal the right to archive and preserve their digital work in perpetuity.

File Formats: SSMR will accept digital content in standard, widely used file formats to ensure compatibility and longevity. Preferred formats include PDF/A for text documents and JPEG or PNG for images.

Metadata: SSMR will capture and preserve essential metadata associated with each digital object, including author information, publication date, keywords, and licensing information.

Storage and Backup: Digital content will be stored on secure servers with regular backups to prevent data loss. Multiple copies of archived content will be maintained in geographically distributed locations for redundancy.

Version Control: SSMR will implement version control mechanisms to track changes to digital content over time, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of archived materials.

Access and Use

Open Access: SSMR is committed to open access principles, and archived digital content will be freely available to the public without any access restrictions.

Licensing: Authors may choose to assign specific licensing terms to their digital content, such as Creative Commons licenses, to govern its use and distribution.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs): SSMR will assign DOIs to all archived digital content to provide persistent identifiers and facilitate citation and attribution.

By adhering to this Digital Archiving Policy, SSMR reaffirms its commitment to the long-term preservation and accessibility of digital scholarly content in the field of health sciences.

7. CORRECTIONS AND RETRACTION POLICY

The Corrections and Retractions Policy outlines the procedures and guidelines for addressing errors, inaccuracies, and retractions in published content, in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Corrections Procedure

Identification of Errors: Errors or inaccuracies in published articles may be identified by authors, readers, reviewers, or editorial staff.

Notification: Upon identification of an error, the corresponding author will be contacted to provide necessary corrections.

Correction Notice: A correction notice will be published promptly in the journal, detailing the nature of the error and providing the corrected information. The original article will be updated to include a link to the correction notice.

Notification of Indexing Services: SSMR will notify relevant indexing services and databases of the correction to ensure the accuracy of bibliographic records.

Retractions Procedure

Identification of Serious Flaws or Misconduct: Serious flaws or ethical misconduct in published articles may be identified through internal investigation or external reports.

Investigation: Upon identification of serious concerns, SSMR will conduct a thorough investigation, involving relevant stakeholders such as authors, reviewers, and institutional authorities.

Retraction Notice: If the investigation confirms the presence of serious flaws or misconduct, a retraction notice will be issued, clearly stating the reasons for retraction and providing an explanation of the nature of the issues.

Publication of Retraction Notice: The retraction notice will be prominently published in the journal, and the original article will be clearly marked as retracted, with a link to the retraction notice.

Notification of Indexing Services: SSMR will notify relevant indexing services and databases of the retraction to ensure appropriate annotation of bibliographic records.

Editorial Responsibilities

Confidentiality: SSMR editorial staff will handle all corrections and retractions with strict confidentiality, ensuring fairness and due process to all parties involved.

Editorial Independence: Decisions regarding corrections and retractions will be made based on the merits of each case, independent of any external influence.

Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal decisions regarding corrections and retractions. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief, providing a detailed explanation and supporting evidence for reconsideration.

This Corrections and Retractions Policy will be periodically reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure alignment with COPE guidelines and best practices in scholarly publishing.

8. PLAGIARISM POLICY

SSMR employs a comprehensive peer review process to evaluate the originality, quality, and validity of submitted manuscripts. Editors and reviewers assess the novelty of ideas, the integrity of research methods, and the accuracy of citations. Editors and editorial staff uphold the highest standards of editorial integrity and impartiality throughout the review and publication process. Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of manuscripts are made based on the merit of the research and adherence to ethical guidelines.

The software “Turnitin” being used to check similarity index efficiently detects any instances of plagiarism by comparing the submitted content against a vast database of academic and scholarly materials. To maintain originality, referenced or cited text should not exceed 19% of the total content of the paper.

For details, please visit HEC Plagiarism guidelines at https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/journals/Pages/default.aspx and COPE Plagiarism Flow Chart at https://publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/plagiarism-published-article-cope-flowchart.pdf.

SSMR maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Any instances of plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, will be thoroughly investigated, and appropriate actions will be taken in accordance with our editorial policies. Originality and creativity in presenting arguments and viewpoints are highly valued. Authors are requested to base their analyses on recent data and publications within the field of health sciences. Utilizing up-to-date sources enhances the relevance and credibility of the research presented in SSMR.

9. AUTHORSHIP POLICY

Criteria for Authorship:

Authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work.

All listed authors must have participated in drafting or revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content.

Each author should have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript before submission.

Acknowledgment:

Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship but have made significant contributions should be acknowledged appropriately.

Examples include individuals providing technical assistance, data collection, or critical feedback.

Authorship Disputes:

Authorship disputes will be resolved according to COPE guidelines.

Corresponding authors are responsible for ensuring all listed authors meet the criteria and agree to be listed.

Changes in Authorship:

Any changes in authorship after submission require justification and consent from all authors.

Changes will be considered only before acceptance and may require editorial review.

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Conflicts of interest should be declared in the manuscript at the time of submission.

Ghost and Guest Authorship:

Ghost authorship (undisclosed contributions) and guest authorship (inclusion of individuals who did not contribute) are not tolerated.

All contributions must be disclosed, and authorship must be based on substantial involvement.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities:

Corresponding authors are responsible for all communications with the journal, including responding to queries and providing updates.

They should ensure compliance with journal policies and address any post-publication concerns.

10. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

The Social Science Multidisciplinary Review (SSMR) mandates the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the publication process to maintain transparency and integrity. Conflicts may include financial or non-financial affiliations that could influence objectivity. Authors are required to declare any conflicts in their manuscripts, reviewers must disclose conflicts that may compromise impartial evaluation, and editors will recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist. Transparent handling of conflicts ensures trust in the scholarly contributions within the field of health sciences.

11. CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

Confidentiality is paramount at the Social Science Multidisciplinary Review (SSMR), ensuring the privacy and security of all submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities, and correspondence throughout the peer review process. Manuscripts under review are treated with utmost confidentiality by editors, reviewers, and editorial staff, who are bound by nondisclosure agreements. Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality regarding the content and findings of manuscripts they assess. Editors handle all information with discretion, ensuring that unpublished data is not utilized without explicit permission. SSMR is dedicated to upholding confidentiality to foster trust and integrity in the scholarly publishing process.

By following these policies and guidelines, SSMR maintains the integrity and transparency of authorship practices, fostering trust in scholarly contributions within the field of health sciences.