Submission Guidelines

The Journal of Sustainable Development and Policy (JSDP) welcomes original, high-quality, and policy-relevant research from across the academic, policy, development, and practitioner communities. To maintain the journal’s standards of excellence, we require all authors to follow the submission guidelines outlined below. These guidelines cover manuscript preparation, formatting, ethical declarations, and the peer review process.

Please read these instructions carefully before submitting your manuscript. Submissions that do not adhere to the journal’s requirements may be returned for revision before review.

 

  1. General Submission Information
  • Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English (British or American, but consistent).
  • Originality: Submissions must be original and not under review elsewhere.
  • Open Access: All published articles are made freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license.
  • Review Process: All submissions undergo double-blind peer review (authors and reviewers remain anonymous).
  • Word Limit: Manuscripts should generally be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including references, tables, and figures.
  • Submission Email: Manuscripts should be submitted via email to:
    submission@jsdp-journal.org

 

  1. Manuscript Structure and Formatting

Please organize your manuscript using the following structure:

  1. Title Page (Separate Document)
  • Article title (concise and informative)
  • Author names (in the order to appear), affiliations, email addresses
  • Corresponding author’s full contact details
  • ORCID iDs (if available)
  • Acknowledgments (if applicable)
  • Funding statement
  • Conflict of interest disclosure

Note: Do not include author names in the main manuscript file to ensure anonymity during peer review.

  1. Main Document (Blinded)
  • Title
  • Abstract (150–250 words): A concise summary of the study’s objectives, methods, results, and policy relevance.
  • Keywords (4–6 terms): Indexed terms related to the study topic.
  • Introduction: Background, rationale, and research objectives.
  • Literature Review / Theoretical Framework: Overview of key concepts and prior research.
  • Methodology: Detailed description of data sources, methods, and tools used.
  • Findings / Results: Presentation of evidence and key outcomes.
  • Discussion: Interpretation, policy implications, limitations, and contributions to the field.
  • Conclusion: Summary and, if applicable, suggestions for future research.
  • References: See citation style below.

 

  1. Citation and Reference Style

JSDP follows the APA Style, 7th Edition for both in-text citations and reference formatting. Examples include:

  • In-text: (Smith, 2020); Smith and Kumar (2021)
  • Reference:
    Smith, J. A., & Kumar, L. (2021). Policy integration in sustainable development. Policy Journal, 12(3), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/pj.2021.12345

We strongly recommend using reference management tools such as Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley to ensure consistency.

 

  1. Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
  • Each table and figure must be clearly titled and numbered (e.g., Table 1: Urban Emissions by Sector).
  • All visuals should be referenced in the text and included at the end of the manuscript or in a separate file if high-resolution graphics are used.
  • Use editable formats (e.g., Excel, Word tables) for tables and .PNG/.JPEG/.SVG formats for figures.
  • If figures or tables are adapted from other works, permission must be obtained, and proper credit given.

 

  1. Ethical Declarations

All submitted manuscripts must include the following:

  • Conflict of Interest Statement: Declare any personal, financial, or institutional conflicts. If none, state “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”
  • Funding Statement: Disclose the source of any funding.
  • Author Contributions (optional): Use CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) if applicable.
  • Ethics Approval: Required for studies involving human participants or animals. Include the name of the approving body and reference number.

 

  1. Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Share datasets, instruments, and protocols in public repositories (e.g., Zenodo, OSF, Dryad).
  • Include a Data Availability Statement (e.g., “The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is available in the Zenodo repository, [link].”)

JSDP supports open science and encourages transparency in data use and methodological replication.

 

  1. Peer Review Process

All manuscripts are evaluated using a double-blind peer review system:

  1. Initial Check: The editorial team reviews submissions for scope, formatting, and ethical compliance.
  2. Reviewer Assignment: Manuscripts are sent to 2–3 independent reviewers with subject expertise.
  3. Decision Process: Based on reviewer feedback, the editorial team may issue one of the following decisions:
    • Accept
    • Minor Revisions
    • Major Revisions
    • Reject
  4. Revision Cycle: Authors are given 2–4 weeks to revise and resubmit. Final acceptance is subject to satisfactory revision and editorial approval.

Review turnaround time is typically 3–4 weeks.

 

  1. Article Processing Fee (APF)

JSDP charges an Article Processing Fee only upon acceptance:

Process Type

Timeline

Fee (USD)

Standard Publication

30 days

$200

Express Publication

7 days

$300

Waivers and discounts are available for authors from low-income countries, students, and unfunded projects. See the Article Processing Fee section for full details.

 

  1. How to Submit

Please send your manuscript and title page as separate files (Word format preferred) to:
submission@americanscholarly.us

Include “JSDP Submission – [Article Title]” in the email subject line.

Optional: Authors may attach a cover letter explaining the article’s relevance and contribution to the field.

 

  1. Post-Acceptance and Publication

Upon acceptance:

  • Authors will receive a formatted proof for final approval.
  • A DOI is assigned, and the article is published in the upcoming issue or “Online First.”
  • Authors receive a publication certificate and indexing confirmation.
  • Articles are promoted via social media, academic networks, and institutional outreach.

 

  1. Special Issues and Thematic Calls

JSDP regularly invites special issue proposals on pressing or emerging themes in sustainable development and policy. Researchers interested in serving as guest editors are encouraged to contact the editorial office with a brief concept note and proposed timeline.