Submissions

Author Guidelines

General Submission Guidelines

Submissions must be original, unpublished work and not under consideration elsewhere.

·         Originality

The author must ensure that they have written and submitted an entirely original work to the editorial board. All submissions are checked by an automatic plagiarism detection tool, subject to human review.

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research study. All persons who have made a substantial contribution to a given scientific study should be listed as co-authors. In cases where other individuals have participated in certain essential aspects of a research project, their contribution should be acknowledged, or their names should appear in the list of contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that the manuscript includes only all genuine co-authors, and that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have given their consent for its submission for publication.

AI tools may not be credited as authors (see Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems below).

·         Referencing Sources

The use of works and/or phrases from other authors must be carried out in accordance with good academic practice, and such quotations must be clearly identified as such in the appropriate manner (see Guidelines for bibliographic references and citations).

Information obtained from third parties that has not been made publicly available – for example, information received in private communication, such as during a conversation, correspondence, or discussion with others – may under no circumstances be used or published without the explicit written permission of the source of that information.

Information acquired in the course of providing confidential services, such as the peer review of manuscripts or project documentation for funding purposes, may likewise not be used in any way without the express written consent of the author of the material involved in those services.

·         Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems

Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems for assistance – including for data processing, text editing, data visualisation, bibliography formatting, and similar purposes – must be declared and described in detail at the time of the manuscript’s initial submission. Declarations must include name of AI tool(s), version(s), and description of what the tool did (what task(s) with what extent). Sofia-SSHjournal uses STM’s Recommendations for a Classification of AI Use in Academic Manuscript Preparation (2025) to help authors define, evaluate, and disclose different kinds of AI contributions in preparing academic manuscripts.

The author remains solely responsible for the quality of all submitted textual and other materials. To avoid any doubt, the presence of false data or statements, inauthentic sources, omissions, inconsistencies, or any other flaws or deficiencies in the submitted texts and/or materials constitutes grounds for immediate rejection of the manuscript and for referral to the relevant ethics bodies.

The author may not claim authorship of any scholarly text, data, plans, or similar materials that have been created, in whole or in part, through the use of generative AI systems. The submission of entirely or partially automatically generated texts or materials for publication in the journal is strictly prohibited.

·         Submissions and/or Publication of the Same Manuscript in Multiple Journals

The author may not publish manuscripts containing identical or substantially similar text, or describing the same aspects of a single research study, in more than one journal or as the same primary publication. The author must not submit for consideration in another journal any material that has already been published.

The journal’s editorial board must give explicit authorisation in cases of a secondary publication, which must accurately reflect the same data and interpretations as those contained in the primary document. The secondary publication must include a reference to the primary source.

The above paragraph does not apply to cases of secondary publication through deposit in a non-commercial repository (so-called “green Open Access”) under Article 60, paragraph 2 et seq. of the Bulgarian Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act (CRRA) and Article 80, paragraph 2 of the Law on the Promotion of Scientific Research and Innovation (LPSRI).

Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal also constitutes unethical behaviour in scholarly publishing and is not permitted.

The above rules likewise apply to translations of the primary publication into another language.    

·         Language:

Sofia-SSHjournal accepts submissions in English or Bulgarian languages. Manuscripts should be written in clear and concise language. Non-native English speakers are encouraged to have their work professionally edited before submission.

·         Types of Contributions

Research Articles: Empirical or theoretical contributions (6,000–8,000 words).

Essays and Reflections: Exploratory or argumentative pieces (3,000–6,000 words).

Book Reviews: Critical assessments of recent academic publications (1,000–2,000 words).

Special Issues: Proposals for thematic issues are welcome and should include an abstract, rationale, and list of potential contributors.

Copyright, Open Access and Re-Use

Sofia-SSHjournal is an Open Access journal, published under a CC-BY 4.0. licence.

·         Authorship

Authorship of submitted manuscripts belongs to the respective author or co-authors.

The use of third-party images in submitted materials is permitted only with the consent of the original author (including cases where such images are published under an appropriate standard licence) and with proper attribution to the source.

·         Licensing Terms

By submitting a manuscript to the Sofia-SSHjournal, the author licenses to Sofia-SSHjournal their exclusive rights to the primary publication (making available to the public in an online and/or print issue of Sofia-SSHjournal) and non-exclusive rights of use for all other uses, over the scholarly text, together with any supplementary materials, submitted data/databases, graphics, and images, if applicable, for all forms of use (including reproduction, distribution, and making available to the public), worldwide and for an unlimited duration.

The author retains the right to secondary publications in accordance with Bulgarian legislation. Specifically, if the scholarly text results from research funded wholly or partially by public funds, the author has the right to deposit the work in a not-for-profit open-access repository (e.g. the institutional repository of their higher education institution or the Bulgarian Open Science Portal (BPOS)), provided that proper reference is made to the primary publication on the Sofia-SSHjournal website.

·         Open Access and Re-Use

Sofia-SSHjournal is an Open Access journal.

The reuse of Sofia-SSHjournal and the publication herein is authorised under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This means that reuse is allowed provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated.

Manuscript Preparation

1.      Formatting

·       File Format: Submit manuscripts in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or RTF document file format.

·         Font and Spacing: Times New Roman, 12 pt; single-spaced, 2.5 cm margins.

·        Title Page: Include the manuscript title, author(s)’ full name(s), institutional affiliation(s), ORCID iDs, and contact information (email).

·        Anonymized Version: For review, submit a separate anonymized version without author details or acknowledgments.

·         Use Journal Submissions Template; (Journal Submission Template.BG)

2.      Abstract and Keywords

·         Provide an abstract of 150-250 words.

·         Include 4–6 keywords reflecting the content and scope of the article.

3.      Referencing Style

·        Use Guidelines for bibliographic references and citations for all citations and references.

·        Ensure all references cited in the text are included in the reference list and vice versa.

4.      Figures and Tables

·        Embed figures and tables within the text, and also provide them as separate files.

·        Include captions and sources. Ensure images are high-resolution (300 dpi minimum, file formats .jpg, .jpeg or .tiff).

5.      Acknowledgments

·        Mention any funding sources, research assistance, or institutional support in a separate section before the references.

Submission Process

·       Online Submission: Submit manuscripts via the journal’s online platform [Submissions].

·       Deadlines: The journal accepts submissions year-round. Thematic calls for papers will include specific deadlines.

·       Review Timeline: Authors can expect an initial decision within 8–12 weeks of submission.

·       Peer Review: All submissions undergo double-blind peer review. Authors and reviewers remain anonymous during the process.

Ethical Considerations

·       Authors must adhere to ethical standards in research and publication. (see Publication Ethics Statement)

·       Plagiarism, data fabrication, and redundant publication are grounds for rejection or retraction.

·       Where applicable, ethical approval for research involving human subjects must be stated.