Submissions

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Author Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Government and Civil Society (JGCS) must represent original, unpublished empirical or theoretical work in government studies, local innovation, and civil society governance. Submissions must not be concurrently under consideration by any other publishing outlet.

1. Manuscript Format & IMRaD Structure

Articles must be written in clear, concise English and formatted according to the official JGCS template. Papers should generally range between 6,000 to 8,000 words including abstract, references, tables, and figures.

  • Title: Concise, informative, and reflecting the core research findings (max 15 words).
  • Abstract: Structured single paragraph (200–250 words) outlining the research objective, methodology, primary findings, and theoretical/policy implications. Followed by 3–5 relevant keywords.
  • Main Text: Organized strictly using standard IMRaD sections: Introduction, Research Method, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion.

2. Citation & Reference Style

References must strictly adhere to the APA 7th Edition (American Psychological Association) format.

  • At least 80% of references must be derived from primary peer-reviewed international or reputable national journal articles published within the last 10 years.
  • Authors are required to manage citations using reference management tools such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote.
  • Active Digital Object Identifier (DOI) links must be appended to all references where available.

3. Plagiarism Screening & Originality Policy

To maintain academic integrity and adhere to international publishing ethical standards, all submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous anti-plagiarism screening prior to the peer-review process.

  • Similarity Threshold: Manuscripts must demonstrate an overall similarity index of less than 20% as verified via Turnitin or iThenticate.
  • Self-Plagiarism & Redundancy: Substantial copying of the authors' own previously published works without proper citation (text recycling) is strictly prohibited.
  • Action on High Similarity: Submissions exceeding the 20% threshold during initial screening will be returned to authors for revision or desk-rejected depending on the severity of overlapping text.

4. Author Metadata Completeness & Single Author Policy

To expedite the editorial workflow, indexation, and metadata harvesting, all submitting authors must ensure that metadata fields in the OJS system are completely and accurately filled out upon submission.

  • ORCID iD: Strongly recommended for all listed co-authors (can be registered at orcid.org).
  • Affiliation Details: Must explicitly state the full Department/Study Program, Institution/University name, and Country for every author.
  • Valid Contact Info: Active institutional or primary email addresses must be provided for seamless editorial communication.

Single Author Policy: Manuscripts written by a single/sole author are strictly reserved for Invited Keynote Authors or Highly Reputable Scholars with high citation impact records. Collaborative and inter-institutional research teams are strongly encouraged for standard submissions.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items:

  • Originality & Plagiarism: The submission represents original work, has not been previously published, is not under consideration elsewhere, and meets the maximum 20% similarity threshold.
  • Author Metadata Completeness: Full names, ORCID iDs, complete affiliations (Department, Institution), Country, and valid emails for all authors have been completely registered in the submission system.
  • Single Author Compliance: If submitted by a single author, the author confirms status as an invited scholar or demonstrates a strong high-impact citation record.
  • File Format: The manuscript file is provided in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx), or RTF document file format.
  • Reference Integrity: All bibliographic references have been thoroughly verified for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to the APA 7th Edition citation style, including active DOI links where available.
  • Illustrative Materials: All tables and figures are appropriately numbered, titled, high-resolution, and correctly labeled/cited within the main body text.
  • Copyright & Permissions: Necessary written permissions have been secured for the publication of all third-party materials included in the submission, including photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and datasets.
  • Article Processing Charges (APC): The corresponding author, on behalf of all co-authors, explicitly agrees to the journal's Article Processing Charge (APC) policy upon formal manuscript acceptance.
  • Formatting & Style: The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines and Official Template.
  • Anonymity: All author identification details (names, affiliations, email addresses) have been removed from the main manuscript file to ensure a strict Double-Blind Peer Review process.

Copyright Notice

The Journal of Government and Civil Society (JGCS) is committed to open-access publishing. We believe that open access to scholarly research promotes the global exchange of knowledge, fosters academic collaboration, and enhances the social impact of governance innovation.

Licensing Terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Articles published in JGCS are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Authors retain copyright of their published articles while granting JGCS the right of first publication under this license.

Official License Details:
Read the full legal code at Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 License

Rights of Authors & Distribution

1. Secondary Distribution & Repositories

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and distribute their published work in non-exclusive secondary venues (e.g., institutional repositories, personal academic websites, or book chapters), provided there is a clear acknowledgment of its original publication in the Journal of Government and Civil Society (JGCS) along with its DOI.

2. Preprints & Academic Network Dissemination

Authors are encouraged to share and disseminate their manuscripts via preprint servers, academic networks (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu), or institutional digital platforms prior to and during the submission process. Early dissemination increases citation visibility, scholarly feedback, and wider research impact.

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.