Lectio Socialis

Lectio Socialis, a distinguished journal in the realm of social sciences, is committed to fostering a dynamic and autonomous platform where scholars and researchers hailing from diverse corners of the world can disseminate their scholarly works in English. Our primary objectives encompass a multifaceted spectrum.

Firstly, the journal is steadfast in its dedication to amplifying scholarly discourse and promoting intellectual exchange on a range of critical topics. These subjects encompass, but are not limited to, the crucial issues surrounding gender disparities, mainly focusing on the pervasive problem of violence against women. Furthermore, the journal is resolutely committed to shedding light on pressing global concerns, such as the imperative battle against climate change.

A second cardinal objective of Lectio Socialis is to illuminate the intricate interplay between economic, political, and societal dynamics that underscore multifarious challenges. This extends to comprehensive examinations of poverty, deprivation, inequality, and the fundamental pursuit of social justice. Notably, our journal holds studies that incorporate a perceptive and incisive political economy framework in high regard.

Lectio Socialis is committed to promoting rigorous scholarship that enhances our understanding of social sciences. Our goal is to contribute significantly to the advancement of "emancipatory" social sciences across the globe. We believe that social sciences can be a powerful tool for liberation, empowerment, and transformative change, particularly in challenging and overcoming the constraints of economic structures. Our focus is on breaking free from oppressive systems and fostering a more just and equitable society.

Lectio Socialis is committed to fostering a broad spectrum of scholarly contributions that enrich academic discourse in the social sciences and humanities. Our journal primarily focuses on original research and comprehensive review articles that make significant contributions to Political Science, Public Administration, International Relations, and Economics. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary submissions that connect these fields with disciplines such as history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and psychology, provided they are intricately linked with policy-relevant social science themes.

The journal actively seeks original research articles that present new empirical findings or innovative theoretical approaches. These articles should display rigorous analysis, employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research methods. We also encourage research derived from master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, as long as these works offer unique insights and are not merely replications of the original research. Moreover, research presented at academic congresses and conferences is invited for submission, especially when shared previously only in abstract form.

In addition to original research, Lectio Socialis places significant emphasis on review articles that provide comprehensive overviews of recent developments in the field. These reviews should summarize key trends, debates, and challenges while offering insights into potential future research directions. By providing these critical evaluations, review articles help shape the broader academic conversation within the journal’s scope.

The journal also serves as a platform for other valuable forms of academic content. We accept critical book reviews that assess the scholarly impact, contributions, and limitations of recent publications, aiding readers in navigating new literature and understanding its relevance to ongoing policy-related debates. Furthermore, Lectio Socialis encourages the submission of translated articles, making international scholarship more accessible to a wider audience and fostering global engagement with research. Interviews with esteemed scholars are also considered for publication, especially when they provide fresh perspectives on issues related to the journal’s focus.

When an issue of Lectio Socialis has a thematic focus, it includes concise editorials that highlight prominent topics relevant to that theme. These editorials reflect the perspectives of the journal's editors or guest editors for special issues and are not subject to peer review. Their purpose is to illuminate key themes and provide scholarly context for the ongoing discussions within the journal.

To maintain the highest academic standards, all submissions must be original, unpublished works not under consideration elsewhere. Through the publication of diverse content—original research, review articles, book reviews, translations, interviews, and editorials—Lectio Socialis remains a vital platform for advancing scholarly excellence and shaping the evolving dialogue within the social sciences and humanities.

Lectio Socialis adheres to a continuous publication model, where accepted articles are immediately published and attributed to the annual issue, which is released at the end of the year (December).

The following rules delineate the parameters for manuscript submission, preparation, and citation:

1. Manuscript Length and Publishing Criteria

- Submissions must be relevant to the journal's aim and scope.

- The main text of the manuscripts should ideally be between 4000 and 10000 words. Submissions exceeding the upper word limit may be considered at the Editor-in-Chief's discretion.

- Manuscripts must be unique to Lectio Socialis and have not previously been published or are under review elsewhere.

- Only manuscripts written in English will be considered for the review process. Submissions in other languages will not be accepted.

2. Submission Process

- Manuscripts must be submitted via the Lectio Socialis webpage on DERGİPARK (www.dergipark.org.tr/lectio) after journal subscription.

- Submissions through email will not be accepted.

- The submission should include the author's name, contact information, and ORCID along with the paper title.

- The first page should include the paper's title and author names and affiliations. The second page should repeat the title, abstract (between 150 and 220 words), and 5 keywords. The subsequent pages should be numbered.

- The contribution rate and specific type of each author must be disclosed at the end of articles with multiple authors. This promotes transparency and ensures that credit is given where it is due, while also establishing clear expectations and accountability for each author's contribution to the article's creation. A scholarly paper should only be authored by people who have made significant contributions to its intellectual content. Participation in acquiring funding or general supervision of the research group is insufficient for authorship. All authors should be responsible for fairly assessing their own and their co-authors' roles in the project. You are recommended to refer to the Definition of Authorship and Contributors carefully in ICMJE and Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT). Individuals who do not meet the requirements but have made a significant contribution to the work may be acknowledged as appropriate in the publication. The editorial office considers the authorship list to be final by the time the original submission is received. Any changes to the authorship list, including additions, deletions, and rearrangements, should be done before the work is approved for publication. The corresponding author should give the editorial office the reasons for the change in the authorship list, as well as written confirmation from all authors (including existing authors and author(s) to be added and/or deleted) who agree with the change. The editorial office must authorize any requests for authorship changes before they can be implemented.

An example of an author contributions section:

Author contributions:
J. Erbas: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing—Original Draft
A. Aslan: Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Writing—Review & Editing
M. Lee: Investigation, Software, Visualization
All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

    - Any research that involves collecting data from human participants through methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and experiments using qualitative or quantitative     methods.

    - Any research that involves the use of humans or animals (including materials/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes.

    - Clinical studies conducted on human subjects.

    - Clinical studies conducted on human subjects.

    - Research conducted on animals.

    - Retrospective studies that comply with personal data protection laws.

    - Furthermore, when submitting case reports that mention obtaining an "Informed Consent Form," it is crucial to obtain permission from the owners before using any scales, surveys, or photographs that belong to others. It is also important to ensure that all ideas and works of art used are in compliance with copyright regulations and to state this explicitly.

An example of an "Ethics Approval Statement" to be included at the end of an article is as follows:

This study was granted ethical approval by the Human Subjects Ethics Committee of Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University, with decision no. 2019/1 during their meeting held on January 7th, 2019, in Istanbul, Turkey. All procedures that involved human participants were carried out in compliance with ethical standards, and informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

3. Peer Review Process

The meticulous review process at Lectio Socialis ensures the integrity and quality of published works while upholding the highest standards of academic rigor. Reviewers invited to evaluate submitted manuscripts must be independent of the editorial board and the authors' affiliations. The following stages delineate the journey from manuscript submission to potential publication:

Initial Evaluation: When submitting a manuscript to Lectio Socialis, the editorial team will evaluate it to ensure that it aligns with the journal's scope and adheres to formatting guidelines. Please note that manuscripts authored by journal editors and editorial board members will not be considered for publication. If such a manuscript is submitted, it will be immediately returned without undergoing the review process.

Scope and Format Review: Submissions within the journal's scope undergo a comprehensive evaluation to verify their alignment with the journal's thematic focus. This preliminary assessment typically concludes within a maximum of two weeks.

Third Reviewer: In instances where one reviewer rejects the manuscript and another either accepts it or recommends minor revisions, a third reviewer may be engaged to ensure a balanced evaluation. If a second reviewer requests significant revisions, the decision to involve a third reviewer rests with the editor.

Author Revisions: Authors must respond to reviewers' comments and make any necessary revisions within a set timeframe—typically two weeks for minor revisions and up to four weeks for major revisions. Requests for extensions may be accommodated through communication with the editor. If the manuscript undergoes major revisions, it is sent back to the reviewers who recommended major revisions for a second evaluation. When submitting the revised version of a manuscript, it is important for the corresponding author to provide a separate file titled "Respond to Reviewers." This file should include a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments and suggestions, explaining how each comment has been addressed in the revised manuscript. This will help ensure that the revised manuscript meets the requirements and expectations of the reviewers and increases the likelihood of its acceptance for publication.

Final Decision: Based on the reviewer recommendations, the editor assigned to the submitted manuscript makes the final decision. Upon completion of the review process, manuscripts that have garnered favorable assessments proceed to the production phase, marking a significant stride toward potential publication.

Publication: An accepted manuscript will be sent for copy editing, layout editing, and proofreading before publication. Correspondence between the authors and editors will be required at this stage in order to improve the language and/or look of the article. After the production stage is completed, authors are required to check the PDF file of the final version before the article is published. The publisher will register a DOI for the article after publication, and the article is immediately accessible to the public.

4. Manuscript Editing and Formatting

- Upon successful review, the editing process will commence.

- All manuscripts must be paginated.

- Utilize the provided template for manuscript formatting, accessible through the provided link (please click on the link).

- Sentence Case for Titles, Headings, and Captions: In keeping with the stylistic standards of "Lectio Socialis," all article titles, headings, subheadings, and table and figure captions should be formatted in sentence case. This means that the first letter of the title, as well as the first letter of any proper nouns, should be capitalized. All other letters should be in lowercase unless grammar dictates otherwise.

By adhering to these formatting guidelines, authors ensure consistency and readability across the journal's publications. If you have any questions or require clarification regarding formatting, please contact the editorial team.

5. Plagiarism Prevention and Language Editing

- Plagiarism is strictly prohibited, and all submissions will undergo scrutiny through tools like intihal.net, Turnitin, and iThenticate.

- Authors are encouraged to consider language editing, particularly if English is not their first language.

- When submitting a manuscript, the use of AI is typically restricted to language editing tasks, such as grammar and spelling checks, and should not be used for more substantive editing or decision-making tasks. While AI technology can be helpful in identifying errors or inconsistencies in text, it is important to note that it is not a substitute for human expertise and judgment. Authors should carefully review and revise their own work, before submitting their manuscript. Additionally, it is important to disclose any use of AI tools or technology in the manuscript submission process to ensure transparency and ethical practices.

6. COPE Compliance

Lectio Socialis adheres to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Codes of Conduct.

7. Open Access Policy

Lectio Socialis is an advocate of open access, promoting unfettered access to published articles with proper attribution. Authors are not subject to charges for submissions or publication.

8. Dataverse

We expect authors who make quantitative inferences in their manuscripts to submit data and log files to our Dataverse archive prior to publication. We encourage authors using qualitative data to submit data to Dataverse if this would facilitate greater research transparency and accessibility.

9. Review Timeframe

The peer-review process typically spans three months on average.

10. Withdrawal and Retraction

If authors decide to withdraw their submission from the journal, they must provide a formal letter to the journal editors outlining the reasons for their decision. Consent from all co-authors is required for the removal of a submission initiated by one author. The final determination regarding the withdrawal rests with the journal editors, including the Editor-in-Chief. Withdrawing a paper currently in the peer review process is significantly more complex than retracting a new submission, as editors and reviewers have invested considerable time and effort in evaluating the manuscript. Authors must present a compelling scientific rationale for withdrawing an article that has undergone peer review; only legitimate and cogent reasons will be taken into account. It is important to note that an article should only be retracted if serious issues or weaknesses are identified, as withdrawing a manuscript post-submission for peer review is generally deemed unacceptable. Upon approval of the withdrawal request, the submission will be removed from the journal's online submission system, and authors will receive a confirmation email regarding the withdrawal. The withdrawal process is considered complete once authors have received this confirmation from the journal's editorial office. Authors may withdraw submissions for accepted papers that have not yet been formally published, which includes newly accepted papers and those in press.

The retraction of an accepted article in publication is typically initiated by the editor. The rationale for retracting an accepted article in press is similar to that for a published article. At this stage, the article will not proceed to production or finalization. A panel will be convened to investigate allegations of misconduct. If the claims are substantiated by credible evidence, the accepted paper or article in press will be marked for retraction. Any appeals against the panel's decision must be submitted to the publisher within two weeks of the decision date. If no appeal is submitted within this timeframe, the submission will be deleted from the journal's online submission system, and a confirmation email regarding the retraction will be sent to the authors.

Readers may contact the editorial office to report allegations of potential academic misconduct, including ethical violations in research and publication, regardless of the severity of the issues. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, research falsification, data fabrication, presenting others' work as one’s own, simultaneous submissions to multiple publications, and infringement of intellectual property rights. Upon receiving reports of alleged misconduct, the publisher will initiate an investigation, and authors are required to cooperate with the inquiry. A panel will be established to review the claims. If the allegations are confirmed with adequate evidence, the published work will be marked for retraction in both HTML and PDF formats. A notification email regarding the panel's decision will be sent to all authors. Any appeals concerning the panel's decision must be submitted to the publisher within two weeks of the decision date. If authors do not submit an appeal within this period, a confirmation email regarding the article's retraction will be sent to them.

With reference to Core Practices, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) has established the highest standards of publication ethics, which Lectio Socialis expects all parties involved in its publication process to abide by.

The confidentiality of submitted manuscripts must be maintained. Editors cannot disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone except the corresponding author, reviewers, and potential reviewers.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been submitted to or published in another journal.
The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have made significant contributions to the work and that all have agreed to the final manuscript before submission.
Authors are required to provide accurate and detailed accounts of the research conducted. Raw data must be provided upon request, and authors should be willing to make their data publicly available whenever possible.
Any ethical concerns related to research involving human or animal subjects must be properly addressed in the manuscript, and authors must provide documented evidence of ethics committee approval.
Authors are expected to disclose all sources of financial support and any potential conflicts of interest.
If a significant error is discovered in a published work, authors must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate in the retraction or correction of the article.
Authors are required to include an Author Contribution section, following the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system, detailing the contributions of each co-author.
Example:

Authors retain rights to their published materials under a CC-BY license, which allows others to copy, distribute, and adapt the work, including for commercial purposes, provided proper credit is given.

Data and Reproducibility Policy

Lectio Socialis encourages authors to follow discipline-specific standards and practices regarding data sharing and reproducibility. For clinical trials or other research requiring approval, registration with the appropriate institutional or repository bodies is mandatory. Authors are also encouraged to deposit their raw datasets in a community repository if the data is not included as supplementary material. In cases where a dataset is shared, a data availability statement should be included in the manuscript. This statement should detail the availability of the research data as well as any potential limitations due to factors such as privacy concerns or biosecurity issues. Transparent data sharing is vital to enhancing the replicability, transparency, and credibility of scientific findings.

Authors are encouraged to adhere to the FAIR Data Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), ensuring that all datasets and metadata are assigned a unique and persistent identifier. Lectio Socialis reserves the right to review the credibility of the dataset and may collaborate with relevant institutions to ensure the scientific integrity of the research. Compliance with COPE’s guidelines on both published and unpublished data is strictly required. Corresponding authors are expected to respond to all inquiries about their datasets. If significant issues with the dataset arise, the manuscript may be rejected. Datasets must be properly cited in the manuscript to credit the creators. The original dataset sources should be listed in the reference section and must include details such as author(s), year of publication, repository/archive name, and the dataset’s DOI.

Dataverse

Lectio Socialis now hosts replication files for published manuscripts in our Dataverse archive.

We expect authors who make quantitative inferences in their manuscripts to submit data and log files to this Dataverse archive prior to publication. We encourage authors using qualitative data to submit data to Dataverse if this would facilitate greater research transparency and accessibility. 

Lectio Socialis Dataverse Usage Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for authors to submit their research data to the Lectio Socialis Dataverse repository after article acceptance. The submission process supports transparency and the replicability of published work. All articles are encouraged to include replication data, with quantitative submissions required to meet specific criteria.

For more details on the submission process and data requirements, visit the Lectio Socialis Dataverse repository here: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/lectio/

1. Registering as a Dataverse User

- After registration, email your registration details (excluding the password) to the Journal (lectiosocialis@gmail.com). 

2. Uploading Your Dataset

- Submit for Review: Once all files are uploaded, select the ‘Submit for Review’ button in the top right-hand corner.

3. Terms of Use

All datasets are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) to facilitate easy sharing and reuse of data. If you prefer different terms, after saving your dataset, go to ‘Edit’, select ‘Terms’, and choose custom terms of use.

4. Citation Format

After uploading the data, you will receive citation details. Include this citation in the acknowledgments section of your article, formatted as follows:

> "Replication data for this article is available at: [DOI link provided by Dataverse]"

For questions about this process, please contact info@lectiosocialis.org 

AI-Generated Content Policy

Lectio Socialis places clear guidelines on the use of AI content-generation tools (AIGC) to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of academic writing. While AIGC tools can be utilized for specific tasks like language refinement, their excessive use for generating entire texts is strongly discouraged.

Authors and editors are permitted to use AIGC tools for language embellishment, but they must take responsibility for ensuring the coherence of the language and the accuracy of the statements made in the text. The use of such tools must not replace significant contributions that are expected from human authors in the design, implementation, analysis, and writing of the article.

Authorship must be attributed solely to individuals who have played a meaningful role in the creation of the work, in accordance with standard academic practice. Contributions by AIGC tools or other non-human entities do not qualify for authorship. Any portion of the content generated by an AIGC tool should be disclosed transparently in the Materials and Methods or Acknowledgements sections of the manuscript. Authors should specify the reasons for using the tool, the tool's name and version, and the exact content it generated.

To ensure ethical use, the AIGC tool employed must be both stable and publicly accessible. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the tool meets these criteria and for providing clear documentation on how and why it was used.

Malpractice Policy

Lectio Socialis is committed to preventing publication malpractice and upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal has strict procedures in place to address any unethical behavior, including informing the authors’ affiliated institutions about any confirmed breaches.

At Lectio Socialis, we firmly believe in the importance of equitable access to academic knowledge. It is with this principle in mind that we wish to emphasize that we do not impose any charges upon authors for manuscript submission, evaluation, or publication. Our commitment is to provide a platform for the dissemination of diverse ideas and perspectives without any financial barriers. We invite you to submit your work to us with confidence in the knowledge that we place great value on your contribution and are dedicated to promoting inclusivity in academic publishing.

At Lectio Socialis, we also recognize the importance and value of reviewers in ensuring quality and independence in academic publishing. We greatly appreciate their voluntary contribution, which helps improve the quality of the manuscripts we publish. Their spirit of solidarity and commitment to advancing academic knowledge without any financial gain is truly commendable. Without their valuable input, we would not be able to provide high-quality academic content accessible to everyone. Therefore, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our reviewers for their valuable time and expertise.

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