Author Guidelines

Scope and Language

JCISS (Discourse: Journal of Critical Inquiry and Social Studies) welcomes original and unpublished manuscripts that contribute to critical inquiry, intellectual traditions, and interdisciplinary scholarship concerning contemporary social, cultural, religious, political, legal, educational, media, and technological issues.

The journal particularly encourages contributions related to Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the Global South while remaining open to comparative and international perspectives.

Manuscripts may be submitted in either English or Bahasa Indonesia.

Editorial Note: JCISS prioritizes manuscripts that demonstrate analytical rigor, theoretical engagement, and meaningful contributions to scholarly debates. Manuscripts that merely describe phenomena without sufficient critical analysis, conceptual development, or engagement with relevant scholarship may be declined during the initial editorial screening.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) using the following specifications:

  • A4 paper size;

  • Candara, 12-point font;

  • Single line spacing;

  • Standard margins (2.5 cm on all sides);

  • Approximately 6,000–8,000 words (excluding references);

  • Written in clear and academically appropriate language;

  • The number of authors must not exceed five.

Manuscript Structure

Each submission must contain the following sections.

1. Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately represent the content of the manuscript.

  • Maximum 14 words;

  • Avoid abbreviations, symbols, and unnecessary jargon;

  • Reflect the central theme, argument, or research focus.

2. Author Details

Author information should include:

  • Full name(s) without academic titles or degrees;

  • Institutional affiliation(s);

  • City and country of affiliation;

  • ORCID ID (recommended);

  • Email address of the corresponding author.

The corresponding author should be identified with an asterisk (*). All editorial correspondence will be conducted through the corresponding author.

3. Abstract and Keywords

The manuscript must include an abstract written in English.

For manuscripts written in Bahasa Indonesia, authors are encouraged to provide abstracts in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.

The abstract should:

  • Consist of 185–250 words;

  • Present the background, objectives, methods, findings, and conclusions of the study;

  • Be written as a single paragraph;

  • Avoid citations, references, and unexplained abbreviations.

Provide 4–5 keywords arranged alphabetically.

4. Introduction

The introduction should:

  • Establish the context and significance of the topic;

  • Present the research problem, objectives, or questions;

  • Engage relevant and recent scholarly literature;

  • Identify the scholarly gap addressed by the study;

  • Explain the originality and contribution of the manuscript.

5. Method

The methodology section should clearly explain:

  • Research design or approach;

  • Sources of data;

  • Data collection procedures;

  • Analytical methods;

  • Theoretical or conceptual framework where appropriate.

The explanation should be sufficiently detailed to enable readers to evaluate the validity and reliability of the study.

6. Results and Discussion

Results and discussion may be presented separately or in an integrated format, depending on the nature of the study.

Authors should:

  • Present findings systematically;

  • Support arguments with appropriate evidence;

  • Engage critically with relevant literature;

  • Demonstrate analytical depth and theoretical reflection;

  • Explain the significance and contribution of the findings.

All tables, figures, photographs, maps, and illustrations must be numbered sequentially, provided with titles, and referenced within the text.

7. Conclusion

The conclusion should:

  • Address the research objectives;

  • Summarize the principal findings;

  • Highlight theoretical, practical, or policy implications;

  • Suggest future research directions where relevant.

The conclusion should not merely repeat information already presented in previous sections.

8. Acknowledgements

Authors may acknowledge individuals, institutions, funding agencies, or research projects that have significantly contributed to the completion of the research.

9. References

JCISS adopts the Turabian Style, 9th Edition (Notes–Bibliography System).

References should:

  • Be listed alphabetically by the author's surname;

  • Correspond exactly with citations appearing in the manuscript;

  • Include DOI or stable URL whenever available;

  • Consist primarily of scholarly and authoritative sources.

Minimum requirements:

  • At least 25 references;

  • At least 80% of references should be derived from recent scholarly publications published within the last ten years;

  • Priority should be given to peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, and other reputable scholarly sources.

Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote.

Citation Style

JCISS uses the Turabian Notes–Bibliography system, requiring the use of footnotes throughout the manuscript and a complete bibliography at the end of the article.

Examples of Footnote Citations

Book

First citation:

  1. Azyumardi Azra, Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation (Bandung: Mizan, 2006), 45.

Subsequent citation:

  1. Azra, Islam in the Indonesian World, 58.

Journal Article

  1. Robert W. Hefner, “Islamic Schools, Social Movements, and Democracy in Indonesia,” Journal of Indonesian Islam 2, no. 1 (2008): 23–45.

Chapter in an Edited Book

  1. Talal Asad, “Thinking about Secularism,” in The Anthropology of Religion, ed. Michael Lambek (Oxford: Blackwell, 2008), 205–224.

Examples of Bibliography Entries

Book

Azra, Azyumardi. Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation. Bandung: Mizan, 2006.

Journal Article

Hefner, Robert W. “Islamic Schools, Social Movements, and Democracy in Indonesia.” Journal of Indonesian Islam 2, no. 1 (2008): 23–45.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Asad, Talal. “Thinking about Secularism.” In The Anthropology of Religion, edited by Michael Lambek, 205–224. Oxford: Blackwell, 2008.

Tables and Figures

  • Tables and figures should support and enhance the discussion.

  • All tables and figures must include clear titles and source information where applicable.

  • Images, graphs, maps, and illustrations should be submitted in high-resolution format.

  • Tables should be submitted in editable format.

  • Single-line spacing should be used within tables and figures.

Submission and Review Process

All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment followed by a double-blind peer-review process.

  • Manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers.

  • Authors may be required to revise manuscripts based on reviewer and editor recommendations.

  • The Editor reserves the right to make minor editorial changes relating to style, language, clarity, and formatting.

  • The final decision regarding publication rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Plagiarism Screening

All submissions are screened using Turnitin Similarity Check before entering the peer-review process.

As a general guideline:

  • The overall similarity index should not normally exceed 20%;

  • Properly cited quotations, references, and standard academic expressions may be excluded from similarity assessment;

  • Evidence of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, or other forms of academic misconduct will result in rejection.

Copyright, Licensing, and Ethical Responsibilities

Authors retain copyright of their published work.

All articles published in JCISS are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Authors are responsible for:

  • Ensuring the originality of their work;

  • Obtaining permission for copyrighted materials where necessary;

  • Complying with accepted standards of research ethics;

  • Disclosing funding sources and potential conflicts of interest where applicable.

For further information, authors should consult the journal’s policies regarding publication ethics, peer review, open access, copyright, licensing, and archiving.

Submission of a manuscript to JCISS signifies that the author(s) have read, understood, and agreed to comply with all journal policies and editorial requirements.