SOCIETAS: Studies of Community Service and Sustainable Communities welcomes original scholarly manuscripts on community service, community empowerment, and sustainable community development. Authors are requested to follow these guidelines to ensure that manuscripts meet the journal's academic and editorial standards.

1. General Requirements

• Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
• Submissions must be relevant to the focus and scope of SOCIETAS.
• Manuscripts should present clear objectives, appropriate methods, and findings or outcomes supported by evidence.
• Authors must ensure that the manuscript is free from plagiarism and complies with publication ethics.
• Manuscripts must be prepared using the official SOCIETAS article template, where available.
• All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its submission to SOCIETAS.

2. Types of Manuscripts

SOCIETAS considers scholarly contributions such as:

• Community Service Articles: Reports of planned and implemented community engagement activities, including objectives, methods, implementation, outcomes, and lessons learned.
• Research Articles: Original research that contributes evidence, analysis, or new insights relevant to community empowerment and sustainable development.
• Community Development and Innovation Articles: Studies of innovative approaches, collaborative practices, and evidence-based solutions to community challenges.

3. Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should be organized clearly and logically. The structure may vary according to the type of article, but the following sections are generally recommended:

• Title: Concise and informative, reflecting the main topic of the manuscript.
• Author Information: Full names, institutional affiliations, and the corresponding author's email address.
• Abstract: A brief summary of the background, objectives, methods, main results, and conclusions.
• Keywords: Relevant terms that represent the main concepts of the manuscript.
• Introduction: Background, problem statement, relevant literature, objectives, and the significance of the work.
• Methods: Description of the research design or community engagement approach, participants or beneficiaries, procedures, and methods of analysis or evaluation.
• Results and Discussion: Presentation and interpretation of findings, outcomes, or impacts, supported by relevant evidence and literature.
• Conclusion: Key findings, contributions, limitations where relevant, and recommendations.
• Acknowledgments: Recognition of individuals or institutions that contributed to the work, where applicable.
• References: Complete bibliographic details of all sources cited in the manuscript.

4. Formatting and Style

• Use the official SOCIETAS article template and follow its formatting instructions.
• Write in clear, formal, and academically appropriate language.
• Use consistent headings, paragraph formatting, tables, figures, and units of measurement.
• Tables and figures must be numbered, titled, and referred to in the manuscript text.
• Ensure that all images, tables, and other materials are original or used with appropriate permission and attribution.
• Apply the reference and citation style specified in the journal template or current author instructions.

5. References and Citations

Authors must cite all sources used in the manuscript and ensure that every in-text citation has a corresponding entry in the reference list. References should be accurate, complete, and consistently formatted according to the journal's prescribed citation style. Authors are encouraged to use relevant and reliable primary sources.

6. Ethical Considerations

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their work complies with applicable research and publication ethics. Where research involves human participants or community beneficiaries, authors should obtain appropriate consent and ethical approval where required. Any potential conflicts of interest, funding sources, and relevant contributions must be disclosed.

7. Submission Procedure

1. Register or log in to the SOCIETAS online journal system.
2. Complete the submission metadata, including the manuscript title, abstract, keywords, and author details.
3. Upload the manuscript file prepared according to the journal template.
4. Upload any supplementary files required for the submission, where applicable.
5. Review all submission information and complete the submission process through the OJS system.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all information entered during submission is accurate and that the manuscript complies with the journal's requirements.

8. Peer Review and Editorial Decision

Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening and, if suitable, are sent for double-blind peer review. Authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts in response to editorial and reviewer comments. The final decision regarding publication rests with the editor.

9. Copyright and Open Access

SOCIETAS provides open access to its published content. Authors should review the journal's copyright notice and open access policy before submitting their manuscripts to understand the applicable publication and reuse terms.

10. Final Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

• The manuscript is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.
• The manuscript is relevant to the focus and scope of SOCIETAS.
• The manuscript follows the journal template and author guidelines.
• All authors have approved the final version and submission.
• All citations and references are complete and consistent.
• Ethical requirements and disclosures have been addressed.
• The manuscript file and submission metadata are complete.