Instructions to Authors

The Asian Journal of Life and Social Sciences (Asian J. Life Soc. Sci.; AJLaSS) is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality original research and review articles in the domains of Life Sciences and Social Sciences. The journal covers a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Health and Agricultural Sciences, Sociology, International Relations, Economics, Management, Mass Communication, Psychology, Education, and Public Health. The journal aims to provide a scholarly platform for academic exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Manuscript Categories

AJLaSS accepts the following types of contributions:

  • Original Research Articles
  • Review Articles
  • Short Communications

Each type must be clearly indicated at the time of submission.

Language Requirements

All manuscripts must be submitted in clear and grammatically correct English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to have their manuscript professionally proofread prior to submission.

Ethical Approval & Compliance

Authors must adhere to the journal’s publication ethics and research ethics policies. Any study involving human or animal subjects must be approved by an Institutional Ethical Review Board/Committee (IERB/C). A valid Certificate of Ethical Approval must be submitted along with the manuscript, certifying compliance with internationally accepted ethical guidelines.

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Title: The title should be concise, informative, and relevant. Avoid jargon, and abbreviations. Include both common and scientific names where applicable.

Author Names and Affiliations: List the full names of all authors. Affiliations should be complete and include department, institution, city, and country. Include institutional email addresses for all authors if available.

Corresponding Author: Provide full contact details for the corresponding author, including telephone number, fax (if applicable), and email address.

Abstract: The abstract should be of 150–250 words, summarizing the aim, methodology, significant results, and conclusions. Avoid citing references or using non-standard abbreviations unless essential (in which case, they must be defined at first mention).

Keywords: Provide 4–6 relevant keywords immediately following the abstract. Avoid repeating words already used in the title.

Abbreviations: Define all abbreviations at first mention in the manuscript. Use standard abbreviations and maintain consistency throughout the manuscript.

Introduction: Provide a brief background to the study, citing relevant and recent literature. State the research problem, hypotheses, and objectives clearly.

Materials and Methods: Include sufficient detail to allow replication of the study. Describe the materials, organisms, experimental designs, and statistical analysis techniques used. Previously published methods must be cited appropriately.

Results: Present the findings clearly and logically. Use tables and figures for data representation and refer to them appropriately in the text.

Discussion: Interpret the results in the context of existing research. Highlight novel findings, discuss their implications, and avoid repetition of results. Keep references relevant and concise.

Acknowledgments: Include a brief acknowledgment section before the references, recognizing individuals or institutions that contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship. Mention sources of financial support and grant number/reference, if applicable.

References: Use a consistent citation style (APA 7th, 2019 Edition). Ensure that all references cited in the text are listed in the reference section and vice versa. Provide DOIs for journal articles wherever available.

Style: APA 7th Edition: Use the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition format for all citations.

In-text Citations: In-text citations are brief and direct readers to the full reference list.

a) Single Author

  • Format: (Author, Year)
  • Example: (Smith, 2020)

If the author is part of the narrative:

 

  • Example: Smith (2020) demonstrated that…

b) Two Authors

  • Format: (Author1 & Author2, Year)
  • Example: (Ali & Khan, 2021)
  • Narrative: Ali and Khan (2021) found..

c) Three or More Authors

  • Format: (FirstAuthor et al., Year)
  • Example: (Sharma et al., 2022)
  • Narrative: Sharma et al. (2022) reported…

d) Multiple Works by the Same Author

  • Format: (Author, 2018, 2020)
  • Example: (Iqbal, 2018, 2020)

e) Multiple Sources in One Citation

  • Alphabetical order and separated by semicolons:
  • Example: (Ahmad, 2019; Khan & Zafar, 2020; Lee et al., 2021)

f) Organizations as Authors

  • Format: (Organization Name, Year)
  • Example: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023)

On second citation:

(WHO, 2023)

 Journal Article:

Khan, A. R., & Ali, S. H. (2021). Role of antioxidants in drought stress mitigation. Journal of Plant Sciences, 12(4), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1234/jps.2021.0124

Ahmad, T., Khan, M. A., & Rehman, H. (2021). Role of soil microbes in climate-resilient agriculture. Journal of Environmental Studies, 45(3), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxx
Book

Format:

Author(s). (Year). Title of the book (Edition if applicable). Publisher.

Example:

Smith, J. D. (2020). Introduction to machine learning (2nd ed.). Springer.

Smith, J. D. (2019). Climate and crop biology. Oxford University Press.

 Book Chapter:

Author(s). (Year). Title of the chapter. In Editor(s) (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. pages). Publisher.

Example:

Rauf, M. A., & Hussain, M. (2018). Statistical modeling in biology. In Z. Ahmed (Ed.), Advances in biological data science (pp. 45–72). Oxford University Press.

Jones, M. E., & Clark, R. T. (2018). Adaptation to abiotic stress. In K. L. Peters (Ed.), Plant physiology in changing environments (pp. 55–72). Springer.

 Conference Paper

Format: Author(s). (Year, Month). Title of the paper. Name of the Conference, Location. https://doi.org/xxx

Example: Zhang, H., & Yu, L. (2020, August). Deep learning for crop prediction. International Conference on Agricultural AI, Beijing, China. https://doi.org/10.1109/icai2020.67890

 Thesis or Dissertation

Format: Author. (Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis/Doctoral dissertation, Institution]. Repository URL

Example:

Ahmed, T. (2021). Gene expression analysis of stress-induced Arabidopsis [Doctoral dissertation, Bahauddin Zakariya University]. https://thesis.bzu.edu.pk/ahmed2021.pdf

 Online Resource:

Format: Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of the web page. Site Name. URL

Example:

World Health Organization. (2022, March 5). Climate change and health. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health

World Health Organization. (2020). Global report on health and environment. https://www.who.int/reports/2020/environmental-health

Dataset or Software

Format: Author or Organization. (Year). Title of the dataset or software (Version). Publisher or Repository. DOI or URL

Example:

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2021). Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/

Special Instructions to Authors

(Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Law, and Commerce)

In addition to the general manuscript guidelines of AJLaSS, authors submitting to the Social Sciences and Humanities section are requested to adhere to the following discipline-specific instructions. These recommendations are designed to ensure clarity, consistency, and academic rigor in fields such as Sociology, Psychology, Education, Law, Economics, Political Science, International Relations, History, Linguistics, Literature, Commerce, and related disciplines.

Introduction

The Introduction should provide a well-defined context for the research, grounded in an appropriate theoretical framework. Authors must clearly articulate the problem statement and specify the research objectives or questions. A brief but critical review of relevant literature should be included, covering both classical and contemporary perspectives. For empirical studies, the Introduction should also explain the socio-political, legal, economic, or cultural context in which the study is situated, thereby demonstrating the scholarly and practical relevance of the work.

Methodology (or Materials and Methods)

For social sciences and humanities, the section traditionally titled “Materials and Methods” in life sciences can be replaced with “Methodology.” This section must provide a clear description of the research design, whether it is qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, doctrinal (in legal studies), historical, or interpretive in nature. Authors should describe their sampling strategy, data collection procedures, and the sources of information, such as interviews, surveys, legal documents, archives, case law, or secondary data sets. The analytical techniques used such as statistical tests, coding frameworks, discourse analysis, or comparative legal analysis should be described with enough detail to allow replication. In studies involving human subjects, ethical approval and informed consent procedures must be explicitly mentioned.

Results or Findings

The results or findings should be presented in a coherent and logically structured manner, aligned with the stated research questions or hypotheses. For empirical work, statistical analyses should be clearly described, and for qualitative research, thematic or narrative structures should be logically explained. The use of subheadings to group related findings is encouraged. In theoretical or interpretive research, this section may be titled “Findings” or “Analysis” as appropriate. Authors must focus on the interpretation and meaning of the results, not merely their description.

Discussion

The Discussion section should critically evaluate the significance of the findings and relate them to existing literature. Authors are expected to interpret their results in a way that advances theoretical understanding, informs policy or practice, or offers new insights into societal issues. This section may also include interdisciplinary implications, where relevant, and should reflect upon the strengths and limitations of the study. Suggestions for future research should be made where appropriate, emphasizing how the study contributes to broader scholarly discourse.

Figures, Tables, and Maps

All visual elements, including figures, tables, and maps, must be clearly labeled, referenced in the text, and accompanied by descriptive captions. Maps must include essential cartographic elements such as a legend, scale bar, north arrow, and data source. If visual content is adapted or reproduced from other sources, proper permissions and attributions must be provided. Authors must ensure that visual data is ethically presented and enhances the understanding of the research findings.

Data Repositories and Supplementary Materials

To promote transparency and replicability, authors are encouraged to deposit relevant research data, interview protocols, anonymized transcripts, coding frameworks, or legal datasets in open-access data repositories such as Zenodo, OSF, or Figshare. A DOI or stable URL to the repository should be provided in the manuscript. Supplementary materials, such as extended tables, data summaries, or appendices, may be submitted for online publication alongside the main article.

Software and Digital Tools

Authors should name any software tools used for data analysis or interpretation, such as SPSS, R, NVivo, MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, or GIS applications. The version of the software should be specified, and, where applicable, a brief explanation of the tool’s function within the research process should be provided. If custom code, scripts, or macros were developed, authors are encouraged to share them via repositories such as GitHub or as supplementary materials with appropriate documentation.

Manuscript Submission

Submit your manuscript online at:

https://submissions.eminentscientists.com/index.php/AJLaSS

  • Manuscripts must be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) file.
  • Figures may be uploaded separately in high-resolution format.
  • All authors must approve the final version before submission.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

There are no APC till December, 2025

Ethical Compliance

Manuscripts found to violate plagiarism policy, duplication, or ethical misconduct will be rejected. AJLaSS follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Review Process

All submissions undergo:

  • Initial editorial screening
  • Single-blind peer review by at least two reviewers
  • Editorial decision based on reviewer feedback

 Plagiarism check

Before uploading to the journal e-system, the manuscript should be subjected by the authors to “Turnitin” software or any of the other similar tools for checking similarity index. Overall, the similarity index should be well below 15%. The authors are advised to strictly follow the guidelines for plagiarism check outlined by several international publishers.

 Article Processing Charges (APC)

Starting from 1st January, 2026, the articles published in AJLaSS are subject to payment of APC as decided by the journal’s Advisory Board. All authors have to pay USD 200 for an International and Rs. 25000 for a local contribution.

 APC Waiver

Authors’ requests for APC waivers are considered on a case-by-case basis by the AJLaSS Editorial board, and are permitted in cases of financial hardship. Requests for APC waivers will be only considered when made at the stage of manuscript submission, and those made during the review process or after manuscript acceptance are not considered

 Copyright and License transfer

Soon after acceptance of a manuscript, the AJLaSS Editorial Office sends a 'Copyright form' to the corresponding author for completing and signing it properly. The document can be signed by the corresponding author on behalf of all authors of a manuscript. Please see “Open Access, Licensing & Distribution Policy” of AJLaSS for guidelines.