NOTES FOR AUTHORS

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Authors should submit the research paper/ article to shodh1984@gmail.com. Some articles are dealt with by the editor immediately, but most are read by outside referees. For submissions that are sent to referees, we try to complete the evaluation process within three months. Quality of the paper is the paramount goal of us so we put extra effort to maintain the sanctity. Absolute technical requirements in the first round are: ample line spacing throughout (1.5 or double), an abstract, adequate documentation using the author-date citation system and an alphabetical reference list, and a word count on the front page (include all elements in the word count). Regular research papers/articles are restricted to an absolute maximum of 4000 words, including all elements (title page, abstract, notes, references, tables, a biographical statement, etc.). Paper submission in the English language is acceptable only in soft copy (MS WORD, font- Times New Roman, font size-12 and 1.5 space) and Hindi language Kurti Dev 10, font size 12, and space 1.5.

TYPES OF ARTICLES

In addition to Regular Articles, Shodh publishes the Viewpoint column with research-based policy articles, Review Essays, Book Reviews and Special Data Features.

THE MANUSCRIPT

The final version of the manuscript should contain, in this order:
i. Title page with name(s) of the author(s), affiliation
ii. Abstract
iii. Main text
iv. List of references

NOTES:

  • Authors must check the final version of their manuscripts against these notes before sending it to us.
  • The text should be left justified, with an ample left margin. Avoid hyphenation. Throughout the manuscripts, set line spacing to 1.5 or double. The final manuscript should be submitted in MS Word for Windows.

LANGUAGE

Shodh is a Bilingual Journal, i.e. English and हिन्दी. The main objective of an academic journal is to communicate clearly with an international audience. Elegance in style is a secondary aim: the basic criterion should be clarity of expression. We allow UK as well as US spelling, as long as there is consistency within the article. You are welcome to indicate on the front page whether you prefer UK or US spelling. For UK spelling we use -ize [standardize, normalize] but -yse [analyse, paralyse]. For US spelling,-ize/-yze are the standard [civilize/analyze]. Note also that with US standard we use the serial comma (red, white, and blue). We encourage gender-neutral language wherever possible. Numbers higher than ten should be expressed as figures (e.g. five, eight, ten, but 21, 99, 100); the % sign is used rather than the word ‘percent’ (0.3%, 3%, 30%). Underlining (for italics) should be used sparingly. Commonly used non-English expressions, like ad hoc and raison d’être, should not be italicized.

THE ABSTRACT

The abstract should be in the range of 200–300 words. For very short articles, a shorter abstract may suffice. The abstract is an important part of the article. It should summarize the actual content of the article, rather than merely relate what subject the article deals with. It is more important to state an interesting finding than to detail the kind of data used: instead of ‘the hypothesis was tested’, the outcome of the test should be stated. Abstracts should be written in the present tense and in the third person (This article deals with…) or passive (… is discussed and rejected). Please consider carefully what terms to include in order to increase the visibility of the abstract in electronic searches. Provide 4-5 keywords with abstract.

TITLE AND HEADINGS

The main title of the article should appear at the top of pg. 1, followed by the author’s name an institutional affiliation. The title should be short, but informative. All sections of the article (including the introduction) should have principal subheads. The sections are not numbered. This makes it all the more important to distinguish between levels of subheads in the manuscripts preferably by typographical means.

TABLES

Each Table should be self-explanatory as far as possible. The heading should be fairly brief, but additional explanatory material may be added in notes which will appear immediately below the Table. Such notes should be clearly set off from the rest of the text. The table should be numbered with a Roman numeral, and printed on a separate page.

FIGURES

The same comments apply, except that Figures are numbered with Arabic numerals. Figure headings are also placed below the Figure. Example: Figure 1.

REFERENCES

References should be in a separate alphabetical list; they should not be incorporated in the notes. Use the APA form of reference.

PROOFS AND REPRINTS

Author’s proofs will be e-mailed directly from the publishers, in pdf format. If the article is coauthored, the proofs will normally be sent to the author who submitted the manuscripts. (Corresponding author). If the e-mail address of the corresponding author is likely to change within the next 6–9 months, it is in the author’s own interest (as well as ours) to inform us: editor’s queries, proofs and pdf reprints will be sent to this e-mail address. All authors (corresponding authors and their co-authors) will receive one PDF copy of their article by email.

COPYRIGHT

The responsibility for not violating copyright in the quotations of a published article rests with the author(s). Obtaining permission for a brief quote from an academic article or book is unnecessary. However, written permission must be obtained with a long quote or a Figure or a Table. The author must consult the original source to find out whether the copyright is held by the author, the journal or the publisher, and contact the appropriate person or institution. In the event that reprinting requires a fee, we must have written confirmation that the author is prepared to cover the expense. With literary quotations, conditions are much stricter. Even a single verse from a poem may require permission.

MODE OF FEE PAYMENT

Since the Sodh will be available offline and online mode, printing and website maintenance cost is required. We have charged nominal amount Indian rupees 1000 only. Payment can be done through various modes as follows: Paytm, Phonpe, Google pay (Mobile No. 94708 28492) or the given bank details
Account Holder’s Name: Vikash Kumar
Account No: 30196121948
IFC Code No: SBIN0000177
Name of Bank: State Bank of India
Nature of Account: Saving
For any further details contact on Mobile No. 9470828492