INDIAN SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Mailing Address:
Flat No. 1046, Sector C, Pocket -1 , Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070
Telephone: 011 26132510
Email: societyinsoso@gmail.com Website: www.insoso.org
Guidelines for ISS Periodicals
A. General Guidelines:
a) Indian Sociological Society publishes three journals Sociological Bulletin (in English), Bhartiya Samajshastra Sameeksha (in Hindi), Explorations (E-Journal of ISS) (in English) and one Bulletin (in English) titled ISS E-Newsletter.
b) In order to meet the objectives of the society, these journals play an important role by publishing peer reviewed standard original research articles based on empirical/theoretical works of the practitioners of sociology in India and abroad.
c) The objective of the E-Newsletter is to present information about ISS and about the profession of sociology in India.
d) Neither the journals nor the newsletter will duplicate information that is already available on the ISS website or any of the journals and/or newsletter of ISS.
e) The format for the Sociological Bulletin (SB), Bhartiya Samajshastra Sameeksha and Explorations the ISS E journal has been standardised through MC resolutions.
f) All English language journals of the Society will use APA, 6thed as its in-house style.
g) The SB will have three issues per year and will publish not more than one thematic/special issue per year and will have the following format: 3-5 peer reviewed articles together with Book reviews. The editor of the SB will be called the Managing Editor.
h) The SB will publish one Presidential Address (of the two year term of the President) and the yearly M.N.Srinivas and Radhakamal Mukerjee lectures without any peer review.
i) The Bharatiya Samajshastra Sameeksha will publish 2 issues every year and will include in addition to peer-reviewed articles, book reviews and special thematic issues, conversations and discussions.
j) The bi-annual ISS E-journal Explorations will publish the following sub-sections: Peer reviewed Articles, Conversations, Research in Progress, Reflexive Essays, Discussion Forum, and Letters to the Editor,
k) The ISS Bulletin, E Newsletter will have 3 issues (March, July and November) a year and provide information on the profession of sociology in India. It may cover activities of its Life members and departments teaching sociology in the country; local, national and international workshops, seminars and conferences being organised by Life Members and Departments; announcements, obituaries, information regarding the achievements of the Life members of the Society, their work, publications and honours; information regarding new books and research projects taken by the members of the society. It will also publish the report of the Secretary at the AISC GBM.
l) The life members of the ISS will be entitled to get a free e-copy of the Sociological Bulletin, and e-Journal of the ISS.
B. Common Guidelines for regarding the ISS Journals
The proposed common guidelines for Sociological Bulletin, Bhartiya Samajshastra Sameeksha, Explorations (E-Journal of ISS) are as follows:
I Advertisement and Appointment of Editor
a) To appoint the Editor of a journal, the MC of ISS will set up a committee of the President, 2 members from the MC and 2 external appointees who are Life Members of the Society.
b) The call for Editorship will be advertised on the website and applicants given a month’s notice to submit their applications.
c) The Editor should be a Life Member of the Society working in the profession of Sociology for at least 10 years in the rank of Professor. S/he should have published books, chapters in edited books and journal articles and should have had at least 3 years of experience of editing in a reputed professional journal in the capacity of Associate Editor/ Co-editor/ Book Review Editor/Member of Editorial Board/Editorial Advisory Board. The MC may however, relax any of these qualifications in exceptional cases.
d) The appointment of the Editor will be for 5 years on the recommendation of the committee constituted for this purpose by the MC. In exceptional circumstances, the Editor may be reappointed for one more term (of five years) on successful completion of his/her term by the MC on the recommendation of the review committee constituted for this purpose. The process of the search of new editor must be started after completion of 3 years of the term of the present Editor.
e) Members of existing Managing Committee and those who are RC Conveners cannot be the Editor.
f) Every Editor can appoint a Assistant Editor and Editorial Assistants after consulting the Editorial Board/ President and MC.
g) The MC will appoint the Assistant Editor in case of the Sociological Bulletin and Bharatiya Samajshastra Sameeksha and Explorations the ISS E-journal after being recommended by the Editor/Editorial Board/President. The Assistant Editor will be a Life Member of the Society
h) The Editor’s job is voluntary. Once the Society accrues monies from royalty charges it can create a fund for Editors of the three publications for appointing copy editors, proof readers and student assistants.
II Tasks and Responsibilities of the Editor
a) Editors of journals find writers or authors, review proposals and submissions from writers. They also maintain a network of professional contacts of writers who have already published and of subject experts.
b) The Editor will ensure that the articles published in the journal are original articles, are not translated and that they go through a process of double blind peer review.
c) Before sending an article for review, the Editor will first read the article and decide whether it fits in the scope of the journal and whether it should be sent for review.
d) Editors in association with the Editorial Boards members need to make a review template for reviewing of articles.
e) The Editor can invite and review proposals for Special/Thematic issues. Such a proposal will include a concept note which outlines the main issues being raised in the papers together with their theoretical and empirical contribution to the specialisation/field of study. This proposal shall include the abstracts of proposed articles.
f) For Special/Thematic issues the Editor will implement the following reviewing procedures: Once the proposal of Special/Thematic issue is received the Editor of the journal sends this proposal to the Editorial Board for principled acceptance. If it is accepted the final papers will be reviewed through a double blind peer review process.
g) The Editor will prepare a master list of reviewers for each specialisation of the subject after consulting the Editorial Board.
h) In case of an article for which a reviewer is not specified, the Editor will take the advice of the Editorial Board for suggestions of new reviewers.
i) Editors will inform writers and authors the reasons for asking for minor and major changes in their articles and in case of rejection the reasons for the rejection of the article.
j) The most important task of the editor is copy editing. The editor is responsible for the clarity and accuracy of content that is published. S/he checks the copy from authors and writers to ensure that it is factually accurate and conveys its meaning clearly. Editors check references and clarify queries on the article with contributors. The editor also checks grammar, spelling and punctuation, using in-house style rules as reference.
k) Editors will advertise and promote the journal that they edit, represent it for the ISS, participate in writing and other professional workshops on behalf of the Society and give updated information regarding its contents page and Editorial Board and Editorial Advisory Committee members to the publishers and to the ISS website when such changes need to be reported.
l) The Editor will write a report on the work done and submit it to the MC and present it personally at the MC meetings. The Editor will try to ensure that s/he will attend the meetings of MC and update the MC about the developments in the journal from time to time. In exceptional circumstances the Editor can take leave of absence from attending MC meetings.
m) The Editor will prepare an annual report which will be written and circulated in advance for the yearly Editorial Board meeting which will take place at the All India Sociological Conference every year. The Editor will ensure that s/he attends the Editorial Board meeting at the AISC conference without fail.
III Appointment of Editorial Board and Editorial Advisory Committee Members and their tasks and responsibilities
a) The President will appoint members of Editorial Board (EB) and Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) in consultation with the Editor and the MC.
b) The EB/EAC members should be ISS Life Members, recognised specialists in their area of research. In addition to their recognition as specialists in their field of research, the EB/EAC members should represent different age groups, genders, regions and the President will ensure that the EB/EAC remain as inclusive as possible.
c) Members of existing Managing Committee and those who are RC Conveners cannot be the Members of EB/EAC of ISS Journals except the President, Secretary and Treasurer-all three will be ex-officio.
d) The appointment of EB/EAC will be coterminous with the term of the Editor. In case the Editor is given a second term, the President and the MC needs to appoint a new EB/EAC committee
e) The Editorial Board will help the Editor prepare a master list of reviewers in the various field of specialisation, for Special/Thematic issues and also a list of reviewers for book reviews. The books received from the publishers must be sent to an expert in the area of spcialisation not below the rank of Associate Professor in consultation with the Editor.
f) In addition to the preparations of reviewers list, reviewing articles, the Editorial Boards of the SB, Sameeksha and Explorations should help the Managing Editor to evolve practices to upgrade its quality, thereby ensuring that these become internationally recognized professional journals.
g) The Editorial Board is entrusted with the task of taking policy decisions concerning the journal. It also advises the Managing Editor on issues that s/he may not be in a position to resolve at his/her end. Generally, the Editorial Board meets once a year; this meeting coincides with the All India Sociological Conference. At this meeting, it discusses the annual report prepared by the Managing Editor and along with the decision(s) taken at this meeting; this report is then presented at the meeting of the Managing Committee of the Society.
h) In case of any urgent issue, which cannot wait until the Editorial Board meets; the Editors may consult the Editorial Board through email.
i) The role of the EAC members is to help the Editor to review papers and suggest names of possible reviewers. This will help the journal to upgrade its quality, thereby making it an internationally recognized professional journal.
j) In case a member of EB or EAC resigns midway of his/her term, the President will appoint a new member in consultation with the Editor and the MC for the remaining part of this term.
C. Appointment of Editor, Co-Editor and Editorial Members of the ISS E-Newsletter:
a) The ISS e-Newsletter will be published at an interval of 4 months i.e. 3 issues in a year-in March July and November of every year.
b) The Secretary of the Society will be the Editor of the ISS e-Newsletter.
c) The Editorial Board of the ISS E-Newsletter will consist of 5 members: Secretary as Editor, a Co-editor, and 2 members appointed by the MC from within the MC and the President.
d) The tenure of the editor and editorial board will be coterminous with the President and Secretary’s terms. However, the tenure will start from the March issue of the E-Newsletter after the election of the new Secretary, so that the first issue of that year has to be published by the old team till the MC appoints new team (as MC meeting usually takes place in the month of March).