Submissions

Author Guidelines

Author's Guidelines

The NepJOL and DOAJ listed and star-rated Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology (DJSA) is a Gold Open Access peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Dhawalagiri Multiple Campus, Baglung, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The journal is available at http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ &  https://doaj.org/toc/1994-2672.  The journal invites submission of manuscripts from interested researchers of the diverse fields of Social Sciences.

Aims and Scope of the Journal

DJSA is an interdisciplinary biannual journal that publishes original articles, review articles, book reviews, methodologies, short communications, and interviews of inspiring scholars from Nepali and abroad. The journal invites manuscripts from a range of scholars and researchers from Social Sciences - including but not limited to Sociology, Anthropology, Human Geography, Development Studies, Natural Resource Management, Gender Studies, and allied disciplines.  

Requirements for a Manuscript to be submitted

• Articles should be original and written in the American English language.
• Primary focuses are given to areas such as Caste and Ethnicity, Natural Resource Management, Gender and Feminism, Class, Polity, Public Policies, Rituals, Religion, Minority Issues, Public Health and Ethno-medicine, Indigenous/Local Knowledge, Social Structure, State, Migration, Health Related Issues, Development, Population, Rural/Urban Development, Governance, Vulnerabilities, Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology, Innovative Research Methodologies, Language Issues, Applied and Socio-linguistic Studies, Ecology, Landscape, Environment, Conflict Management and Peace Building, Landscape, Social dimensions of Climate Change, Risk and Hazard, Disaster, Environmentalism, Impacts of Natural Processes and Human Responses to adaptation.

Types of Manuscripts Invited

• Original Research Articles (up to 8000 words - excluding reference list, tables, and figures)
• Review Articles (up to 6000 words - excluding reference list, tables, and figures)
• Books Reviews (up to 1500 words - excluding reference list, tables, figures)
• Research Methodology (up to 4000 words - excluding reference list, tables, and figures)
• Short Communications (up to 2500 words - excluding reference list, tables, and figures)
• Interviews

Process of Submitting Manuscripts:

DJSA only accepts papers submitted online. Use the following steps to submit your manuscript online.

• Go to https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ
• Register: as an author, reader & reviewer
• Login (enter user name and password) as Author
• Start New Submission
• Go to Click Here
• Select Appropriate Section (Editorial Notes/Articles/ Reviews)
• Read the Submission Checklist and Mark Check All Six Boxes
• Checkmark Copyright Notice
• Please Use the Box to Write Any Comments/Suggestions for the Editor
• Save and Continue
• Upload Submission File (Select the paper you wanted to submit (only editable Word files are accepted).
• After uploading the file, in the review detail section, you will be asked: what kind of file is this? To solve this issue go to edit, and select the file type.
• Save and Continue
• Enter Metadata
• Save and Continue
• Upload Supplementary Files (if you have any)
• Save and Continue
• Click on Finish Submission.

Your submission is complete. (You will receive an email confirmation).

Note: Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to accept or reject the preliminary submission, whether it goes to the peer review process.

All correspondences related to editorial and subscription should be addressed to:

Editor-in-Chiefs

Dhawalagiri Multiple Campus, Baglung, Nepal

E-mail: man.khattri@cda.tu.edu.np, mankhattri@gmail.com

Title Page

A cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief would benefit the reviewers and allow authors to explain the context of the paper.

The cover letter should include the following information: a summary of the study’s contribution, the context of the research (such as details of the research process - theses, research projects, personal interest and rationale behind doing the research …), declaration of ‘not published previously’, and specify the type of article (for example, research article, systematic review, meta-analysis). It also includes justifying the value of publication of the paper in Sociology and Anthropology and the commitment of following the review process as directed by the editorial team. The title page contains the following items:

Title

Name of Author (s)

Author's Affiliation and Contact Details

Details of Corresponding Authors

A Brief Note on Author(s)

Abstract (Max 250 words); no citation, and no abbreviation if possible

Keywords (Max 5) in ascending order

ORCID

• Declarations:
• Ethical approval/conduct of the research
• Consent for publication
• Availability of data and materials
• Competing Interests
• Funding
• Authors' Contributions
• Acknowledgments
• Authors' Information
• Authors' Written Agreement for Publication in Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology

Details of Declaration

Ethical Approval/Conduct of the Research  

Ethics clearance and participation consent are required if the research requires them. The author (s) need to include the reference number and the name of the ethics committee. Please indicate "Not applicable" if you were not required to obtain ethical approval or if there is no legal provision.

Consent for Publication

You must obtain an agreement to publish personal information in your manuscript. If the manuscript is about children, the parent or legal guardian should provide authorization to publish it. Please indicate "Not applicable" in this box if your work does not include any personal information about specific individuals.   

Availability of Data and Materials

DJSA strongly encourages author(s) to share datasets on which conclusions are based. When genuinely requested, authors are requested to include “Availability of Data and Materials” as much as possible.

Competing Interests

All financial and non-financial affiliations, personal, ideological, etc., as well as competing interests, must be declared. If you have no competing interest with co-author(s) and others, write clearly, "No Competing Interest." 

Funding

All research funding sources should be declared, with the grant number and details of the Funding Agency. State ‘Not Applicable’ if no specific grant has been received.

Authors' Contributions

The individual contributions of the author(s) to the manuscript should be specified.

Acknowledgments

Please acknowledge everyone who contributed to the manuscript development or research process but does not meet the criteria for authorship, including those who provided professional writing services or materials or language editing.

Authors' Information

You may choose to use this section to include any relevant information about the author(s) that may aid the reader's interpretation of the article and help them understand the standpoint of the author(s). This may include details about the authors' qualifications, current academic positions at institutions or societies, or any other relevant background information, a maximum of 50 words.

Agreement to Publish in Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology (DJSA):  All author(s) should write as: ‘I/we agree to publish this final manuscript in Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology’ and have a digital signature.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Each author (s) must have an ORCID (https://orcid.org/) number and provide it to the journal.

Referee

Please submit the names, addresses, positions, and e-mail IDs of four potential referees (potential reviewers). Note that the editors retain the sole right to decide whether or not the suggested reviewers are assigned the role. Be aware of the conflict of interest of the referees and the author(s).

Use of AI

 I /We confirm that this paper's content was entirely human-generated.

Main Manuscript

This section must be free from the author's identity in any form.

• Title (Max 250 characters, should be specific, descriptive, concise, and comprehensible to readers outside the field)
• Abstract (Max 250 words)

Common Sections of the Main Manuscript

Introduction: Write broad context/background, literature review, define key terms/concepts, introduce the GAP and its significance, present issues/problem/research question, explain the significance of the study, try to build funnel shape (from board to specific focus of the study).

Methods:  The methods section should be detailed, clear, and precise. It must provide information such as source, nature of data, methods, and instruments used for data collection and analysis, characteristics of the population, sample design, type, size, statistical tools and processes of data analysis, software applied, limitation of methodology, and ethical declarations.

Results/Findings: Thematic analysis, presents data in tables or figures

Findings and Discussion: It is the statement of results or important findings, highlights unexpected results, compares results, comments of findings, suggesting a hypothesis.

Conclusions: restate the aim of the study, summarize the major findings, suggest implications for the field of knowledge, explain the significance of the findings, recognize and acknowledge the limitations of the study, recommendations for future study, the practice of policy (The reverse funnel)

• Notes (if any)
• References (APA 7th Edition)

Citation and Referencing Style

The DJSA strictly follows APA 7th edition style guidelines for citation and referencing. This link (https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition ) serves authors as a guideline for citation and referencing. 

Citation

The text should refer to notes numbered consecutively throughout the article and publication, and biographical references should be cited in the text by the author’s last name, date of publication, and page number. Some examples are presented as follows: In-text citation use as (Bhandari, 2016, p. 5); or if the author’s name is mentioned as a narrative citation the date and page should be written at the end of the sentence as, (2016, p. 5); for parenthetical citation based on paraphrase or summary statement cite as (Bhandari, 2016); for three and more authors e.g., (Bhandari et al., 2016); for multiple works by the same author, same year (Bhandari, 2010a) (Bhandari, 2010b); for multiple works by the same author, same citation (Bhandari, 2010, 2012); for no date (Bhandari, n.d.), if this is multiple citation n.d. should be appeared first and in press /accepted for publication at the last.  For works parenthetically write alphabetically (Dahal, 2001; Khattri, 2020; Khattri & Pun, 2005; Mishra, 2005; Thapa, 2016); for personal communication (B. Subedi, personal communication, December 30, 2020); for in-press (Subedi, in press); two authors (Khattri & Pandey, 2021).

Quotations:  Less than 0 words are included within the paragraph enclosed by double quotes. Quotations 0 or more words need to be separated from the paragraph, and the whole block is indented half-inch. Do not use double quotation marks. At the end of the sentence, use a period before the citation (Khattri & Pandey, 2021, p. 12).

Referencing: Entries in the references should be in alphabetical and chronological order as per APA 7th edition style guidelines. Some examples of reference formats are as follows:

Journal Article References:

Subedi, M. (2015). Contractual transaction: how renting a uterus makes the human body a commodity in Nepal. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 9, 1-25. http://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v9i0.14020

Referencing from Book:

Cohen, J. H., & Sirkeci, I. (2011). Cultures of migration: The global nature of contemporary mobility. The University of Texas Press.

Cooper, K., & White, R. E. (2012). Qualitative research in the post-modern era: Contexts of qualitative research. Springer.

Anzul, M., Downing, M., Ely, M., & Vinz, R. (1997). On writing qualitative research: Living by words. The Falmer Press.

Referencing from Single Book Chapter:

Akaha, T. (2020). Migration in Northeast Asia: Human development, human security, and foreign policy consequences. In T. Inoguchi (Ed.), The sage handbook of Asian foreign policy, (pp. 180-200). Sage.

Referencing from an Edited Book:

Bhattachan, K. B., & Mishra, C. (Eds.). (1997). Developmental practices in Nepal. Central Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Tribhuvan University.

Referencing from Thesis or Dissertation:

Sherestha, B. G. (2002). The ritual composition of Sankhu: The socio-religious anthropology of Newar town in Nepal. (Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis). Leiden University, the Netherlands.

Referencing from Organization as Publisher:

Tiwari, S. R. (2001). The ancient settlement of the Kathmandu Valley. Center for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Report by a Government Agency References:

National Cancer Institute. (2019). Taking time: Support for people with cancer (NIH Publication No. 18-2059). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/takingtime.pdf

Referencing from Newspaper

Pasa, L. B. (2019, May 10). Laxmi Prasad Devkotako kriti [The contribution of Laxmi Prasad Devkota]. Annapurnapost, p. 5.

Referencing From Encyclopaedia or Dictionary:

Oxford learner’s dictionary. (n.d.). Oxford-dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

Referencing from Corporate Author/s

Central Bureau of Statistics [CBS]. (1992). National population and housing census 1991(National report).

Referencing from Youtube

APA Publishing Training. (n.d.). Home [YouTube channel]. Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/user/PsycINFO/

Basic Formatting Style of Manuscripts

1. The authors are encouraged to submit the file in Microsoft Word or OpenOffice document format.
2. The authors are encouraged to prepare the text in Times New Roman 1.5 space with a 12-point font.
3. The main title should be in Times New Roman point 14, bold and centered.
4. All subheadings should follow APA 7th edition (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/headings), which is level 1(Cantered, Bold, Title Case Heading), level 2 (Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading), Level 3 (Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading), Level 4 (Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period.) Level 5 Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period.)
5. All illustrations, tables (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/tables) and figures (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/figures) required to follow APA style should be embedded in the text.

• Table: Tables should be formatted as APA 7th edition https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures with the following basic components:
• Table Number: The table should be numbered as Table 1, written above the table title in bold. Table numbers should be in the same sequence as they appear in the title of your work:
  The table title should be written below the table number. The title of the table should be brief but descriptive. Capitalize the table title in italic title case headings. If any description is needed, present it below the table. Source(s) of data/table should be provided.
• Figure: DJSA adopts APA Style figures https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures
• Figure Number: The figure should be numbered as Figure 1, written above the figure title in bold. Figure numbers should be in the same sequence as they appear in your work:
  The figure title should be written below the figure number. The title of the figure should be brief but descriptive. Capitalize the figure title in italic title case headings. If any description is needed, present the figure below. The source (s) of data/figures should be acknowledged.

6. Articles should be written and submitted in English (US).
7. Acronyms, even ones widely used, should be defined as such the first time they appear, with the abbreviation appearing in parentheses, such as World Trade Organization (WTO).
8. When using hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes, adhere to these conventions:
   To form compound words and divide words across lines, use hyphens (-).
   If you have a range of numbers, such as 75–80, use an en dash (–).
            To indicate an explanation component in a statement, use an em dash (—).
9. It is appropriate to use italics for non-English terms that are uncommon or not included in a standard English dictionary. It is not appropriate to italicize foreign word translations included in parenthesis. Book titles and journal names should also be in italics, which is less common for emphasis.
10. When employing capital letters, adhere to the following conventions:

     Generally speaking, capital letters belong solely to place names, first names, and sentence beginnings.

11. The initial letter of each word in the primary title should be capitalized.

12. All subheadings in the title case or the first letter of the word should be capitalized.

13. Spelling should follow the Oxford English Dictionary (US). Words in a language other than English should be italicized. Consistency throughout the paper is expected. Spelling should follow the Oxford English Dictionary. Words in a language other than English should be italicized. Consistency throughout the paper is expected.

Peer Review Policy

6. As a policy, DJSA follows the Double Blind Review Process. All the articles received will first go through a desk review. The Editor-in-Chief initially screens all manuscripts and checks for plagiarism through software (https://plagiarismcheckerx.com and https://app.ithenticate.com/) at the very beginning and before online publication. Those papers that passed the desk review will be submitted to at least two reviewers. The following process is followed:
7. International Submission: In the case of international manuscript submissions, DJSA asks authors to nominate at least four reviewers or referees while submitting an article. The editorial board will decide on the possible reviewers nominated by the authors for review. All reviews will be done online. The reviewers should declare no conflict of interest and agree on the timeline for review. The Dhaulagiri review form guides the reviewers for objective evaluation of the paper(s).
8. Peer Review: DJSA assigns at least two anonymous peer reviewers to review the submissions critically. The review process may take around three months and informs the author (s) of the paper's status. DJSA publishes the reviewer's details in every issue. The editor follows the progress and sends reminder(s) to the reviewers. The assigned editor checks feedback and accepts the reviewers' decisions if applicable.
9. Letter of acknowledgment: Reviewers are provided a letter of acknowledgment for their invaluable contribution to the journal's quality maintenance.
10. Submission of revised manuscript: Upon assessing the reviewer's feedback and the decision, the editor will contact the corresponding author(s) with the decision to ask to submit the revised manuscript, providing a deadline.
11. Authors are supported with a template developed by the DJSA to respond to the reviewer's feedback. When the revised manuscript is received, the editor will request the reviewers to check if the article is satisfactorily revised, addressing the feedback provided. The author is requested to submit the manuscript in a track change mode and another a clean version. After the review process is completed and the reviewers approve the article, it will be shared among the editorial board members for information and feedback.

Open Access Policy

Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology (DJSA) is a Gold Open Access that makes research freely available to the public and supports a greater global knowledge exchange.

Use of AI Policy

 DJSA does not accept manuscript content created using AI.

Plagiarism Policy

By submitting a manuscript to DJSA, the author(s) agree to check any necessary originality and good practices. We forewarn the author(s) of misbehavior and rejection in the event of a duplicate submission, falsified data, participant confidentiality breach, inappropriate awarding or denial of authorship for those who have substantially contributed, and plagiarized texts. Patch writing is also considered as plagiarism. The similarity report will be sent to the author(s). By analyzing if similarities are serious, the paper will be immediately rejected and labeled as a plagiarized article.

Archiving Policy

The journal contents are archived in NepJol (https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ)

Copyright and Permissions

Copyright on any research article published in DJSA retained by the author(s). The author(s) grant a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher. The author (s) need to submit a signature agreeing to publish the article in DJSA. The copyright is indicated on the first page of the article published. A brief introduction of the author (s) containing information on the author's full name, academic position, qualification, ORCID, and corresponding email is published at the end of the article. Author(s) need to declare any conflict of interest between authors and others while submitting a manuscript and publishing it in the Declarations section.

License

Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA). This license permits use, dissemination, and reproduction across all media as long as the source material is correctly credited. This license is not used for commercial purposes. The author (s) will be given a copy of the printed journal. The views expressed in the articles are solely of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Editorial Board.

Legal Compliance

It is assumed that manuscripts submitted to the DJSA have not been submitted before, partly or wholly elsewhere in any print or electronic media. Manuscripts are the original writing of authors. There should not be any plagiarized texts, such as published or unpublished sources, in the manuscripts. Ethically, others’ copyrights should be respected. Illegal, unauthorized, and unethical content should be avoided in the paper.  All ideas contained in the paper fall under the sole responsibilities of the author (s). The DJSA will not be responsible for any compensation claims.

Confidentiality

The manuscript submitted and any information we learn about it during the review process will be kept confidential.

Conflict of Interests

Conflicts of interest regarding financial, affiliations, personal, ideological, etc., must be declared in the declaration form while submitting an article. 

Article Processing Fees

DJSA does not charge article processing fees, nor does it charge for publications.  This journal is published in the spirit of voluntary initiation for quality journal publication. We do not pay the authors, editors, and reviewers. The researchers or any philanthropic individuals can offer monetary or material support to the journal management voluntarily, and if accepted by the journal management team, the grants will be accumulated at the Dhawalagiri Multiple Campus Baglung, which provides financial assistance to cover the cost of journal management.

Publication Frequency

The journal has adopted a policy of publishing articles online first, and the issue is published bi-annually (June and December). Author(s) are encouraged to submit manuscripts online following the author guidelines of DJSA. Author (s) can submit their articles at any time. 

Authorship

 An authorship gives a researcher accountability and recognition for their contributions to a study. A significant scientific contribution is required to meet authorship criteria. The contribution of author(s) should have made substantial contributions in the aspect of the conceptualization of research, research design, data collection, data analysis/interpretation, and writing. Those who have contributed in these aspects but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section of the Declaration. The corresponding author should ensure the order of co-author(s) in the article published. However, the editor will send the final manuscript to all listed author(s) requesting to read, approve, and give their consent to publish the article online. Every author is committed to taking full accountability for their contributions and resolving any conflicts about the honesty or integrity of any portion of their work.

Indexing Information

Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology is indexed in NEPJOL, DOAJ (18th January 2017) and Google Scholar and is a star-rated since 2017.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in the articles are solely of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors.

Misconduct

DJSA analyzes every allegation regarding prospective misconduct seriously and the author(s) are warned of its consequences.

Authors' Response to Reviewer

DJSA supports the author('s) style of responding to reviewer feedback.

Communicate with Respect

DJSA believes trust is possible only through cooperation and high-quality publishing products and services. It serves via collaborations established on mutual respect. When communicating with authors, reviewers, and readers, our staff must behave kindly and professionally. In the same way, we anticipate the public and academic community will behave to the same standards. Aggressive conduct, along with any forms of bullying, harassment, or discrimination towards journal personnel, is not accepted. We may refuse to communicate or perform business with anybody who regularly or openly disregards this policy.

Date of Revision: 2024/09/08