Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering Horizon Pedagogical and Social Journal (HPSJ) as a venue for publishing your research. Authors are encouraged to carefully review the following guidelines before submitting manuscripts. Compliance with these requirements will facilitate the editorial and peer-review process and improve the quality and consistency of published articles.

1. General Requirements

Originality

Submitted manuscripts must be original works that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by another journal, conference proceeding, or publisher at the time of submission.

Language

HPSJ accepts manuscripts exclusively in English. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts meet appropriate standards of academic writing, grammar, spelling, and clarity.

Scope

Manuscripts must fall within the journal’s scope, including:

Education and Pedagogy
Social Sciences
Language, Communication and Cultural Studies

Plagiarism Screening

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening using professional similarity-detection software. The overall similarity index should generally not exceed 15–20%. Similarity reports are evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively by the Editorial Board.

2. Manuscript Preparation

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content and objectives of the research.

Author Information

The following information must be provided for each author:

Full name
Institutional affiliation
Academic degree and/or position
ORCID iD (mandatory)
E-mail address
Identification of the corresponding author

Abstract

The abstract should contain 150–250 words and clearly present:

Research objective
Methodology
Main findings
Conclusions and implications

Keywords

Authors should provide 5–8 keywords that accurately represent the content of the manuscript.

Main Text Structure

Research articles should normally include the following sections:

Introduction
Literature Review (if applicable)
Methodology
Results and Discussion
Conclusion
References

Alternative structures may be accepted when justified by the nature of the study.

3. Types of Contributions

HPSJ welcomes the following categories of manuscripts:

Original Research Articles
Review Articles
Case Studies
Short Communications
Theoretical and Conceptual Papers

4. Formatting Requirements

File Format

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

Page Length

The recommended length is 8–12 pages. Manuscripts exceeding this limit may be considered at the discretion of the Editorial Board when justified by the significance and scope of the research.

Text Formatting

Font: Times New Roman
Font Size: 12 pt
Line Spacing: 1.5
Margins: 2 cm on all sides
Page Numbers: Required

Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

All tables, figures, graphs, and images must be numbered consecutively.
Each item must include a title or caption.
Sources must be indicated where applicable.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for copyrighted materials.

References

All references and in-text citations must follow APA (7th Edition) style. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all bibliographic information.

5. Submission and Peer Review Process

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal’s official submission system or via the editorial e-mail address indicated on the journal website.

Initial Editorial Screening

The Editorial Board conducts an initial assessment to determine:

Relevance to the journal’s scope
Compliance with submission requirements
Academic quality and originality
Technical and formatting adequacy

Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are subjected to a double-blind peer-review process involving at least two independent reviewers.

Editorial Decision

Based on reviewers’ recommendations, the Editorial Board may decide to:

Accept the manuscript
Accept with minor revisions
Request major revisions
Reject the manuscript

The final publication decision rests with the Editorial Board.

6. Publication Ethics

HPSJ adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authors must:

Ensure the originality of their work.
Properly acknowledge all sources.
Avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, and data falsification.
Disclose any conflicts of interest.
Identify all sources of financial support or funding.
Ensure that all listed authors have made substantial contributions to the research.

Any ethical misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, or other appropriate editorial actions.

7. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

Authors must transparently disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT and similar technologies, in the preparation of their manuscripts.

AI tools may be used to assist with language editing, formatting, or idea organization; however, they cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and content of the submitted work.

8. Publication Frequency

Horizon Pedagogical and Social Journal is published quarterly, with four issues per year.

9. Editorial Rights

The Editorial Board reserves the right to:

Accept or reject submitted manuscripts.
Request revisions or additional documentation.
Obtain additional expert opinions when necessary.
Retract published articles in cases of proven ethical violations, scientific misconduct, or significant errors.

Note to Authors

Manuscripts that do not comply with these guidelines may be returned to the authors prior to peer review. Authors are encouraged to carefully review all requirements before submission.

The Editorial Board of Horizon Pedagogical and Social Journal (HPSJ) wishes all authors success in their scientific endeavors and looks forward to receiving high-quality scholarly contributions.