Manuscript Types

Indonesian Social Science Review (ISSR) accepts submissions that offer significant theoretical contributions, conceptual depth, and empirical rigor in public policy, media and communication, government studies, and political science. To maintain international editorial standards and research integrity (COPE guidelines), ISSR defines clear criteria and eligibility requirements for each manuscript type.

1. Original Research Articles (Primary Focus)

Original empirical research forms the core of ISSR's publications.

  • Expectations: Must feature a strong theoretical framework, conceptual novelty, clear methodological design, and actionable theoretical/policy implications.
  • Methodology: Qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, or conceptual approaches.
  • Author Eligibility: Open to all researchers, academics, and practitioners.

2. Systematic Review Articles

ISSR welcomes systematic reviews that follow standard, reproducible methodological protocols.

  • Accepted Methods: Systematic Literature Reviews (SLR), Scoping Reviews, and Bibliometric / Scientometric Analyses.
  • Methodological Rigor: Papers must follow explicit reporting guidelines (e.g., PRISMA) detailing database selection, search strings, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and quality assessment.
  • Author Eligibility: Open to all scholars (regardless of academic rank), provided the systematic methodology is executed with high scientific rigor and transparency.

3. Narrative Literature Reviews & Secondary Document Studies

Qualifications for Non-Systematic Reviews & Secondary Document Analysis:

Narrative literature reviews, critical conceptual essays, or manuscripts relying predominantly on secondary documentary sources (e.g., historical documents, policy texts, archive material without a systematic protocol) are subject to specific author qualification criteria:

  • Rank Requirement: Must be single-authored or co-authored by at least one scholar holding the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor.
  • Rationale: Non-systematic document syntheses rely heavily on extensive scholarly expertise, deep contextual knowledge, and mature critical judgment to ensure authoritative evaluation rather than descriptive summary.

4. Unaccepted Manuscript Types

ISSR does not accept or publish short-form or non-empirical commentaries. Submissions of the following formats will be desk-rejected automatically:

  • Book Reviews
  • Editorials / Letters to the Editor
  • Opinion Pieces, Essays, or Commentaries
  • Conference Reports or Event Summaries
  • Short Communications or Brief Notes

5. Summary of Methodological Distinctions

The distinction between review types at ISSR is defined as follows:

  • Systematic Review (Open to All): Defined by a predefined, audit-friendly, and repeatable protocol to minimize bias in data selection. Focuses on comprehensive data synthesis across databases.
  • Narrative / Secondary Document Review (Senior Scholar Requirement): Focuses on theoretical synthesis, historical perspective, or critical commentary driven by expert interpretation, requiring established domain leadership.

Manuscript Templates Download:

Please adjust your submission according to the respective manuscript type template available for download here: ISSR Templates Folder.