THE GUIDELINES OF THE ETHIOPIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND
LANGUAGE STUDIES (EJSSLS)
1. Preamble
The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS), which is hosted by
the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, of Jimma University, released its First Issue in
June 2014. According to The Editorial of the first issue of EJSSLS, the journal had been
established for three main reasons:
The first reason is the existence of a number of disciplines; diversified research based
postgraduate programs, and large number of instructors who have been involved in
research. Second, for the College, having its own journal encourages more instructors
(from other universities also) in the area of social sciences and language studies to
involve in research and publications. Researchers from this College have been publishing
their manuscripts in the Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences and somewhere else
for the college did not have its own journal. Though the Ethiopian Journal of Education
and Sciences has contributed a lot in this regard, because of its limited capacity, scope
and focus areas, it could not host manuscript contributors from the College of Social
Sciences and Humanities as needed. Third, the college now has enough experienced
researchers, assistant professors, and instructors who have terminal degrees. Hence,
problems related to sustainability of publication, internal reviewers and editors have been
reduced (Tesfaye, 2014, p.i).
In addition to addressing the three aforementioned reasons, the Journal was launched with the
vision of being one of the most preferable journals in Africa and with the mission of
disseminating quality publication to the wider readership. To make realizable these vision and
mission, basic requirements such as well equipped journal office, editorial board and
international advisory board members were assigned, and constitution was ratified tentatively.
The Journal at its inception had 8 editorial board members all from College of Social Sciences
and Humanities of Jimma University representing the then departments.
Since its inception in June 2014 to the present reputable stage, the journal has passed through
ups and downs; it has encountered challenges such as delay of review process, burden of the job
on a few editorial board members, passivity of most of the international advisory board
members, lack of incentives for the editors of the journal, manual management of manuscripts,
attempts of hacking or downing of the webpage of the journal, absence of plagiarism checker,
and resistance of most manuscript contributors to follow the journal’s guideline, to mention just
a few but predominant ones.
Despite these challenges, because of the commitment of some of the editorial board members
and some concerned internal and external reviewers, appreciative authors, supportive deans andThe Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 2
administrative director of the College, the Journal has published a number of quality publications
from Ethiopia and out of Ethiopia both online and in print, and now it has reached a stage of
reputability. It has surpassed three volumes and six issues which is the minimal requirement for
reputable journal (Promotion legislation of Jimma University, 2015). Consequently, the number
of articles contributed to the journal started rising. All these imply the importance of improving
the guidelines of the Journal. At the inception of the journal, its guideline was not complete; yet
it was accepted by the editorial board just to launch the Journal. For example, it lacked policies
related to correction and retraction of manuscript. Further, as compared to the Journal’s
emerging stage, now it requires copy right modification, more supportive editorial board and
international advisory board members, full time managing editor, copy editor, content and layout
editor, and secretary, just to mention some. Hence, to better fulfill its vision and mission, it is
important not only to improve the guidelines of the Journal based on the lessons that have been
learnt from the past four years’ experiences, but also to endorse it.
After incorporating these additional elements, for further comment, the guideline has been
dispatched to the editorial board members, some international advisory board members, and the
consultant office of the University. After considering the given comments, it has come in its
present form. But this does not mean that the guideline is complete; it will be improved further
as needs arise.
Using this opportunity, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the betterment of
the guideline. I am also very grateful to Ato Birhanu Beyene (Jimma University, school of Law)
and Dr. Birhanu Abera (Addis Ababa University) who supplied me with the materials that are
very helpful in preparing the guidelines of the Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and
Language Studies. Last, but not least, my heartiest thanks goes to Mr. Yosef Alemu,legal
consultant of the University, Dr. Tesfaye Refera, Publication Director of Jimma University, and
Mr. Chimdi Wakuma, law graduate, who gave professional comments on the content and
structure of the guideline.
Tesfaye Gebeyehu
Editor-in - Chief
The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS)The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 3
2. Nomenclature
The name of the journal shall be The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies
(herein after referred as “the journal”).
3. Operational Definition
3.1. Author: An “author” is generally considered to be someone who has made substantive
intellectual contributions to a published study. S/he must take responsibility for at least
one component of the work, should be able to identify who is responsible for each other
component, and should ideally be confident in their coauthors’ ability and integrity
(Guidelines and Procedures for Publication and Extension (2013, p.6).
3.2. AC: AC means academic commission (herein after referred as the AC).
3.3. JU: JU means Jimma University (herein after referred as the JU).
3.4. CSSH: CSSH means College of Social Sciences and Humanities (herein after referred
as the College).
4. Policy of the Journal
4.1
Editorial Policy
Editorial policies are subjected to protect and strengthen the journal’s integrity and quality
aiming reader's interest. All the articles are produced with respect to the scope of the journal
based on their significance, novelty and usefulness to the Journals readership. Decisions on
manuscripts are not affected by the author's origin, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, race or
political beliefs. No government policies or agencies away from the journal will determine the
decision. Decisions taken are strictly based on the articles validity and importance to the
scientific readers.
4.2. Aims and Scope
4.2.1
Aims
It aims to provide a platform for the research community to share their findings, insights and
views about all aspects of Social Sciences and Language.
4.2.2 Scope
The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS) is an open access
peer-reviewed journal published in both printed and online versions (The online version is free to
access and download) two times in a year (June and December). The journal accepts the researchThe Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 4
papers from the diverse fields of social sciences, languages, and allied disciplines. The quality
research in the areas of applied linguistics, communication, public relations, media studies,
environmental studies, and related fields, is also invited for its publication in the journal. Papers
can be submitted in the form of full-length original research, review articles, book reviews,
commentaries, and Editorials - Policies, news and comment or letters to editor.
4.3 Readership
The primary audience of this publication would be academicians, research scholars, graduate
students, and anyone interested in research.
4.4
Author Guidelines
Submission of a paper implies that all authors have seen and approved the manuscript and its
contents, and that they are aware of the responsibilities connected to authorship. Signatures from
all the authors are not required; it is the corresponding author’s responsibility to obtain
agreement from all authors supporting the submission. The corresponding author will be notified
upon receipt of a new manuscript and upon acceptance of a manuscript, and the editorial board
corresponds only with the Corresponding Author, whose responsibility is to communicate with
all other authors.
4.5 Declaration
Submission of a manuscript implies that it reports unpublished work and that neither itself, nor
parts of it, have been published or are under consideration for publication elsewhere. By
submitting a manuscript to the Journal, the authors guarantee that they have the appropriate
authority from their employers and/or funding agencies to publish the work. Any related work
under consideration, review, revision or accepted for publication elsewhere must accompany the
submission if they are relevant to its scientific assessment. Authors should submit complete
unpublished and original works, which are not under review in any other journals. When
submitting the manuscript, the authors should declare that the manuscripts have not been
published or are under consideration for publication elsewhere.
4.6
Conflicts of Interest
In the interests of transparency and to help editors and reviewers assess any potential bias, the
Journal requires authors of original research papers to declare their specific contribution to the
work (in a copy transfer form, see Appendix E) and any competing commercial interests in
relation to the submitted work. It is difficult to specify a threshold at which a financial interest
becomes significant, but as a practical guideline, we would suggest this to be any undeclared
interest that could embarrass you were it to become publicly known. Referees and editors are
also subject to Conflict of Interest regulations.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 5
4.7
Data Collection and Presentation
Presented data must represent the findings in a fair and accurate manner. This includes
appropriate statistical analysis and image processing. For further details, please refer to the
General Guide to manuscript submission.
The Editors deserve the right to request original versions of figures and the source data that were
used to assemble the figure from the authors of a paper under consideration, or of a paper already
published in The Journal.
4.8 Originality and Plagiarism
4.8.1 Originality
The editors require that any information published in the Journal represents a substantially novel
contribution to the scientific record. Any manuscript submitted to The Journal should therefore
not contain content that has been formally published in a peer reviewed journal or another citable
form, whether in print or electronic. This includes websites, blogs and the news media. Any text,
data, material, images, ideas or quotes should be attributed to the original source, even if it is by
the same authors.
4.8.2 Plagiarism
The publisher and the Journal (EJSSLS) have a policy of “Zero Tolerance on the Plagiarism”.
The plagiarism issue is checked through two methods: plagiarism prevention tool
(ithenticate.com) and reviewer check. All submissions will be checked by plagiarism checkers
like iThenticate before being sent to reviewers.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 6
4.9. Correction and Retraction Policy
4.9.1
Correction Policy
When any errors are noticed on published manuscripts, authors should inform the journal’s
Editor-in-Chief and/or Managing editor Corrections are made at the journal’s discretion. EJSSLS
encourage readers and authors to notify them (the board members) if they find errors, especially
errors that could affect the interpretation of data or information presented in an article. Article
retraction may be due to infringements of professional ethical codes, such as multiple
submissions, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data or the like.
Occasionally, a retraction will be used to correct errors in submission or publication.. If there is
no reason to doubt the validity of the findings or the reliability of the data, it is not appropriate to
retract a publication solely on the grounds of an authorship dispute. The correction procedure
depends on the publication stage of the article:
Online First publication
The Online First (or ‘published ahead of print’) version is considered the version of record, and
not an opportunity to make changes prior to print publication. EJSSLS will consider replacing
this version with an updated version which corrects the error and notifies that the change has
been made (in a correction notice at the end of the article). The correction notice will be retained
in the print version for record.
If the article has already appeared in an issue, a correction notice will be printed in the next
available print issue. The online version of the article will link to the correction notice, and vice
versa.
4.9.2. Retraction Policy
Retractions are considered by editors of EJSSLS in cases of evidence of unreliable data or
findings, plagiarism, duplicate publication, duplicate submission (to different journals) , and
unethical research. The editors of the Journal may consider an expression of concern notice if an
article is under investigation. The retraction procedure depends on the publication stage of the
article.
Online First publication
A new version of the article will be posted containing just the metadata, with a retraction note
replacing the original text. A retraction notice will also be published in the next available print
issue. The original text will remain accessible.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 7
Publication in an issue or a continuous publication journal
A replacement version of the article will be posted containing just the metadata, with a retraction
note replacing the original text. The PDF will be replaced with a version watermarked with
“Retracted” but the original text will remain accessible. A retraction notice will also be published
in the next available print issue.
In rare cases, the editors may have to remove the original content for legal reasons. In such cases
the editor (s) will leave the metadata (title and authors) and replace the text with a note saying
the article has been removed for legal reasons. A retraction notice will also be published online
and/or in print.
Retraction notices are indexed and linked to the original records in EJSSLS Web.
5.
Citation
Comprehensive and accurate citation of the relevant literature is essential. We require citation of
the primary literature wherever appropriate. See General Guidelines for Manuscript Submission.
6.
Language Policy
English is the language the Journal uses. In the future, local languages (Afan Oromo and
Amharic) may be considered based on need and feasibility assessment.
7.
Reviewing Process
EJSSLS follows double-blind system for peer-review.
a)
Paper Selection and Publication Process
i.
After receiving a manuscript, the Editor gives code or identity number to the
manuscript. The author and reviewers may use this in further correspondence for
enquiries.
ii.
After receiving a manuscript, the Editor sends an E-mail of confirmation to the
corresponding author within 1-3 working days. If the author does not receive this
confirmation in this given time, s/he has to contact without delay the contact
person/editor.
iii. Initial decisions are held by Editors-in-Chief and submitted manuscripts will undergo
unbiased preliminary assessment for the suitability to the scope of the journals.
iv. As an extension to the process, the assessed manuscripts are returned to the author for
revision if they are not relevant and consistent to the guidelines of the journal. This
saves the precious time of the reviewers and speeds up the review process.
v. If/when the assessed manuscripts are found relevant and consistent to the policy or
guide of the journal, they will be forwarded to at-least two expert reviewers in the field.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 8
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.
xi.
8.
Both reviewers and authors’ identities remain anonymous. Reviewers are given 2-3
weeks to send their fair and constructive reviews to Editor, and Editors-in-Chief are
aimed to take the final decision within 6 weeks from the manuscript submission.
The editorial board members decide accepting or rejecting a manuscript based on
reports from at least two reviewers.
The result of review is notified by E-mail.
The authors revise paper provided that his manuscript is accepted.
After publication, the corresponding author will receive two copies of printed journals,
free of charge.
E-journal in PDF can be downloaded freely from the journal’s webpage.
Copyrights
According to the Guidelines and Procedures for Publication and Extension (2013, p.13),
1.9.1.7., of Jimma University, JU owns the copyright of the published articles within JU hosted
Journals, and authors of accepted manuscripts for publication in JU hosted Journal shall sign
Copyright Transfer Agreement (Please see Annex 12 or Appendix E). In the same guideline JU
makes the publications to be made available freely (open access).
9.
Submission Policy
Manuscripts should be submitted in A4 paper in single spacing (for cost
minimization of the printed version). Signed manuscript submission form should
accompany the manuscript (it can be copied from the Journal’s Webpage)
To facilitate the rapid publication and reduce administrative costs, EJSSLS accepts only
electronic submissions both in word and PDF formats.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
Page | 9
10. Subscription Fee
The subscription fee per issue and postage service varies for individual subscribers, institutional
subscribers, and countries (local and overseas). The fee is determined based on the existing
situation as publication and postage prizes may vary from time to time or Issue to Issue.
11. Structure of The Journal
1) Bodies of the Journal
a) The journal shall have such bodies as:
1) Advisory board
2) The Editorial board
3) Managing Editor
4) Secretary
b) The Editorial board
The number of members the editorial board shall be seven (Guidelines and Procedures for
Publication and Extension, 2013, p.5). The board shall compromise: one Editor- in- Chief, one
associate Editor-in Chief, and five editors. The Editor-in-Chief shall assign additional associate
editors when the journal publishes separate sub-sections to be handled by a particular associate
editor in chief.
1.
2.
The Editorial Board shall be directly accountable to the Collage AC.
The term of office for the editor – in – Chief shall be four years and for other
editors three years.
3. A web site manager and a secretary are hired for the office work.
4. The editorial board shall, from time to time, contact and convince individuals
with an outstanding contribution to the academic world or to the society to be
members of the advisory board.
c)
General Eligibility Criteria for Appointment to the Editorial Board
The eligibility criteria for appointment as an editor in the editorial board shall include the
following:
• Demonstrated scholarly expertise and ethical leadership.
• A minimum of two publications is required.
• Demonstration of excellence in the review process,
• Stated commitment to attend meetings and to carry out responsibilities.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 10
d)
Nomination and Election Process
Editorial
Board
members
shall
be
nominated
and
elected
as
follows:
The Social Sciences and Humanities Collage Academic Commission (AC) members must
nominate from the academic staff fulfilling the eligibility criteria and elect from the nominated
ones through a vote, and candidates who get 3⁄4 and the highest of the votes of the attending AC
members shall be appointed as member of the editorial board. In composing the editorial board,
the AC shall ensure the members’ expertise on various fields and disciplines.
If a candidate is appointed by the AC Members, she/he shall serve for a specified term of three
years except the editor-in-chief whose term of office shall be 4 years, and a member who is
absent for 4 months shall be replaced by other member. Continued membership of the Editorial
Board will be reviewed every four years for the editor- in chief and three years for other
members by the AC. The AC can remove an editor including the editor in chief before his/her
term expires when and if the editor is not in a position to discharge his/her responsibilities
mentioned in this document and other relevant documents for any reason (e.g. Recklessness,
absence, sickness, etc).
e) General Responsibility of the Editorial Board and Its Members
1. Develop its own working procedures and revise, improve, or change authors’, editors’ and
reviewers’ guide which are appended to this document and issue other guides of similar nature.
2. Editors should hold the responsibility for the whole Journal content.
3. Contribute to Journal development and management through generous relationship with
other board members.
4. Update reviewers and authors with new policies and guidelines.
5. Assure the integrity in the published work.
6. Encourage authors for submission of sound articles that falls within the scope of the journal.
7. Editors should ensure the protection of individual data and maintain confidentiality.
8. Every Editorial Board member should ensure submission of at least one manuscript in a
year.
9. Ensure constructive, fair and timely feedback to the authors for their contribution.
10. Elevate Journal's reputation among their affiliated academic community.
11. Represent and promote the journal at academic meetings and conferences.
12. If or when appropriate, encourage authors whose primary language is not English to seek
mentorship or assistance from a colleague prior to submitting a manuscript for review.
f) Editor-in-Chief‘s Responsibility
1. The Editor-in-Chief must have a minimum of three publications in a peer reviewed journals
and an academic rank of an assistant professor or above.
2. The Chair of the Editorial Board is the Editor(s)-in-Chief.
3. The Editor-in-Chief has a vital role in the success of a Journal. He should guarantee the
quality and integrity of the content found in the Journal. It is his/her primary responsibility toThe Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 11
educate and communicate the vision to the authors, readers, editorial board members and
publisher. The Editor-in-Chief should put consistent efforts to enhance quality and elevate the
significance of published articles to the corresponding community.
4. Editor-in-Chief should take the whole responsibility of the Journal and she/he should be
familiar with the subject literature, research design, statistics, publication ethics and standards.
He/she should also possess extensive editorial and interpersonal skills.
5. Should strive for the development of the Journal and suggest the publisher for further
improvisations with additional policies.
6. Should encourage submission of quality articles by writing Editorials on the Journal's
performance.
7. Should be responsible in selection and rotation of Editorial Board members, maintenance
and development of Journal, participation in review process and look for appropriateness.
8. Should conduct annual meetings and educate the Editorial Board members with updated
information and new policies of the Journal.
9. Set annual objectives and assign responsibilities to the Board members for peer review
process and ensure their timely completion.
10. Sets annual objectives on peer review process and timely publication, evaluate the
performance of Board members and encourage promotions appropriately.
11. Should act accordingly in taking action to improve the objectives that are not achieved
timely.
12. Generally, after the peer review process and initial editing, the manuscript comes to the
Editor-in-Chief for the final approval. The final decision to accept or reject of an article will be
held with Editor-in-Chief. She/he should cross check the content quality, writing style and
construction, grammar, spellings, data presentation and organization prior to take the final
decision.
13.
Should ensure that the manuscript is neither plagiarized nor published elsewhere. If theThe Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 12
paper found plagiarized or infringed, the Editor-in-Chief has the right to reject the article straight
away.
14. Should supervise and support the publisher in handling complaints and appeals, responding
genuinely to ethical problems regarding publication of any duplicate or fraudulent work.
g) Associate Editor –in- Chief Responsibility
1. The Associate Editor-in-Chief must have a minimum of two publications in peer reviewed
journals, an academic rank of assistant professor and above.
2. She/he assists the Editor-in-Chief in judging a manuscript to be accepted or rejected,
supports in taking decisions and communicating with other Board members. S/he, fills the role of
both serving as an editorial board member in review process as well as ensuring the publication
of high quality papers in the Journal.
3. Senior Editor should assist the Editor-in-Chief and also involve in the peer review process.
4. She/he is responsible for the quality of Journal content and the published articles.
5. Encourage submission of high quality papers.
6. She/he provides fair and constructive feedback to the contributors, Editors and Reviewers.
7. She/he provides Editorials on the Journal performance and promoting new policies when
introduced.
8. She/he assists Editor-in-Chief in conducting annual meetings and educates the Editorial
Board members with updated information and new policies of the Journal.
9. She/he assists Editor-in-Chief in setting annual objectives and assigns responsibilities to the
Board members for peer review process and ensures their timely completion.
10. She/he should ensure that the manuscript is neither plagiarized nor published elsewhere.
11. Should support Editor-in-Chief in handling ethical issues, complaints and appeals regarding
the publication standards.
12. She/he suggests publisher with new policies and for the development of the Journal.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 13
13. She/he needs to take up the role of Editor-in-chief when not available.
h) Editors’ Responsibilities
1.
The Editor must have a minimum of two publications in peer reviewed journals and an
academic rank of assistant professor or above.
2. The Editor has to assist both the Senior Editor and the Editor-in-Chief in guaranteeing
the quality of content found in Journal and communicating its vision for the journal to
authors, Editorial Board members, readers, and publisher. Associate Editor should be
mindful with the policies of the Journal and publisher, Author guidelines, Editor
Guidelines and Reviewer guidelines.
3.
The Editor should guide the Authors, Editors and Reviewers with the guidelines.
4. She/he encourages submission of high quality articles in the Journal and assist Senior
Editor in monitoring the content quality.
5. She/he participates in conducting annual meetings and other meetings.
6. She/he monitors the manuscripts for writing style, language, presentation according to
the Journal's policy and instructions.
7. She/he should ensure effective peer review process and timely publication.
8. She/he should ensure the integrity of the Journal content and quality in the published
articles.
9. She/he should ensure that the manuscript is neither plagiarized nor published elsewhere.
10. She/he suggests publisher with new policies and for the development of the Journal.
11. She/he should suggest eminent reviewers during the peer review process.
12. She/he should carry out any task assigned to him by the editors- in -Chief.
i)
The Managing Editor
The Managing Editor who is accountable to the Editorial Board has the following duties and
responsibilities.
1. The Managing Editor must have a minimum of two publications in peer reviewed
journals and has a minimum of MA degree in Communication or related fields.
2. Be able to handle open journal system.
3. Holds and manages the office of publication.
4. Works closely with the Editor-in-Chief.
5. Calls for manuscript contribution periodically.
6. Collects manuscripts from contributors, acknowledges the receipt of them, and codes
any manuscript for evaluation and edition.
7. Makes preliminary screening of manuscripts and presents suggestions for the Editorial
Board in general and editor-in-Chief in particular.
8. Collaborates with editor- in- chief to determine issues’ content and topics
9. Distributes manuscripts selected for review to designated evaluators
10. Reminds manuscript evaluators to return the evaluated manuscripts within the allocated
time.
11. Collects reviewed manuscripts from evaluators in electronic copies.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 14
12. Disseminates comments received from evaluators back to manuscript contributors and
collects final improved versions of manuscripts from contributors with explanation notes
how the issues raised by assessors have been treated by the author(s).
13. Resolves issues that arise during the review process especially when contributors resist
accepting comments given from manuscript assessors.
14. Makes communication tactfully with contributors and reviewers.
15. Communicates regularly with a progress report and asks questions or clarifications if
necessary.
16. Sends again the improved manuscripts to the evaluators so that they check whether their
comments have been incorporated especially when the manuscript is suggested for
major revision.
17. Presents the selected manuscripts for publication to the editorial board members
18. Sends the selected manuscripts for publication to copy editor
19. Sends finally selected manuscripts for typesetting, checks that those manuscripts are
properly typeset, and submits them to the selected online and print publisher.
20. Disseminates the Journal and makes sure that the copy of the Journal has been
disseminated in hard copy to the concerned stakeholders.
21. Disseminates the Journal and makes sure that the copy of the Journal has been
disseminated in soft copy (PDF) to the contributors.
22. Ensures the manuscripts are always available online.
23. Writes editorials of EJSSLS
24. Prepares agenda for the meetings of the Editorial Board in consultation with the Editor-
in-Chief.
25. Records minutes of the Editorial Board.
26. Keeps confidential information related to manuscripts submitted to the Journal.
27. Supervises the activities of the office secretary.
j). Content and Technical Editor
The primary responsibility of the technical editor is to make sure that the Journal is technically
accurate — no errors in the text or in any non-text elements (for example, illustrations and
tables).The content and technical editor performs the following functions.
1. Checks and verifies all facts and references.
2. Ensures that the document’s structure reflects the hierarchy of the content (i.e., more
important information should precede secondary information).
3. Ensures the readability of the manuscript.
4. Verifies that navigational aids such as cross-references and links are accurate and
functional.
5. Checks illustrations and captions are correct.
6. Ensures consistency throughout the entire manuscript and the Journal.
7. Checks and verifies all graphics, figures, listings, tables and other non-text items.
8. Checks the images against the text and convert the final images to the appropriate output
form (file type). Make sure the files are properly named.
9. Carries out technical editing in compliance with the formats of EJSSLS.
10. Oversees proofreading procedures and edit copy when necessary
11. Oversees the webpage of the Journal and updates it.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 15
12. Edits the content of manuscripts in consultation with specialized experts of various
disciplines, when necessary, to ensure that an article is up to the desired standard by the
EJSSLS.
13. Compares the final version of the document with the marked-up version to make sure that
all corrections have been made
14. Consults contributors, whenever necessary, for further clarification of content.
15. Checks that all the necessary information to understand a given manuscript is properly
appended at the end of each paper.
k). Language and Layout Editor (Copy Editor)
A copy editor should be excellent in written English, including spelling and grammar. A copy
editor makes sure that a text is readable, accurate and ready for publication. The language and
layout editor performs the following activities.
1) Checks text to ensure it is well written and logically structured.
2) Ensures the text is in line with the EJSSLS’ format.
3) Ensures documents for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style, and s/he provides
guidance to authors to ensure accuracy, completeness, organization, logic, clarity,
relevance, and stylistic consistency.
4) Edits the overall language of an article, corrects or improves so that it maintains the
standard language in similar article of similar reputable journals.
5) Edits the discourse of a manuscript whether it is up to the standard of a research
discourse.
6) Ensures that the language style and the overall organization of a manuscript are readable
to the major target readership of the EJSSLS.
7) Monitors the diction, mechanics and syntax of a manuscript in such a way that it is
readily comprehended by the target readership.
8) Checks that the overall layout of a manuscript including margins, line spacing and
layout of the EJSSLS are properly maintained.
9) Checks that all the manuscripts have been organized as per styles and formats of
EJSSLS.
10) Maintains the overall standards of the EJSSLS in terms of language and layout in
general.
l). Manuscript Assessors
The manuscript assessors have the following duties and responsibilities.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Assess articles using the manuscript assessment format or checklist given in this
publication guide.
Review the given manuscript within the EJSSLS’s set deadline for assessment
and submit to the Managing Editor or the Editor-in-Chief.
Treats the manuscript as confidential.
Return the manuscript without review to Managing Editor or the Editor-in-Chief
if the manuscript is not the area of their academic specialization, or if they thinkThe Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 16
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
the manuscript is not anonymously sent to them, or if they lack time to review,
without undue delay.
Will not retain or copy the submitted manuscript in any form; to comply with
data protection regulations, as appropriate.
Respect the intellectual independence of authors.
Make known any conflicts of interest that might arise.
Provide professional supports for the quality of the Journal.
m). Secretary (Typist)
The secretary typist performs the following duties and responsibilities.
1. Has MA in TEFL/Communication.
2. Keeps information related to manuscripts of the Journal confidential.
3. Handles the secretarial activities of the publication office, such as organizing and
keeping files, typing letters and reports, and dispatching outgoing letters, and
recording incoming letters.
4. Maintains routine correspondences with Managing editor and Board Members.
5. Typesets the selected manuscripts for publication and makes them camera-ready for
publication.
6. Follows up-to-date formats for typesetting and selecting the most appropriate design
for the Journal.
7. Arranges appointments and editorial board meetings, and prepares materials for them;
8. Compiles or organizes manuscripts according to their types (e.g. accepted, pended,
rejected; Original article, Review article)
9. Performs other duties being accountable to the Managing Editor.
10. Schedule appointments and update event calendars.
11. Prepares reports.
12. Handles incoming and outgoing telephones, mail and faxes.
13. Prepare memos, invoices, or other reports.
14. Checks whether the necessary Inc and papers for print are available.
15. Transfer comments on a print copy to soft copies.
16. Maintains databases and filing systems, whether electronic or paper.
17. Performs basic bookkeeping
n). Privileges of the Authors, Advisory Board, Editorial Board and Support Staff
1. The Journal shall be published bearing the names of the Advisory Board members,
Editorial Board members, and support staff.
2. A copy of every issue of the Journal will be distributed to the Advisory Board members,
Editorial Board members, support staff, and the assessors of the articles which appeared
in the issue free of charge.
3. Two copies of the issue of the Journal will be given free of charge to the authors in which
their articles appeared.
4. Owns recognition letter.The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies’ Guidelines
P a g e | 17
12. Amendments of the Constitution
This constitution may be amended only in accordance with the following procedure. First, a
proposed amendment shall be introduced at a meeting of the editorial Board of editors by the
editor-in-Chief. If the proposed amendment is approved by 3⁄4 of the total number of editorial
board members, next it shall be introduced to the Collage’s AC by at least 3 members of the AC
or the Board of Editors. If the proposed amendment is approved by 1⁄2 of the AC members, the
amendment shall come in to force. Then the Senate will be notified about the amendments
through formal letter.
13. Ratification Date
This constitution shall become effective when approved by 3/4 of the total members of the
Academic Commission on the meeting called for that purpose. This constitution has become
effective as of ----------------------.