Journal Management Policy

  1. Introduction

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is committed to maintaining transparent, ethical, accountable, and efficient journal management. The journal aims to publish high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly articles that contribute to the development and dissemination of knowledge in the social sciences, community development, and related interdisciplinary fields.

TSSS recognizes that effective journal management requires clearly defined governance structures, editorial independence, responsible financial administration, qualified editorial personnel, transparent publication procedures, and adherence to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics.

This policy outlines the journal's governance arrangements, editorial responsibilities, financial management, publication procedures, and ethical commitments. It aims to ensure that the journal operates with transparency, professionalism, accountability, and long-term institutional sustainability.

TSSS follows the relevant Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

The journal is published by Universitas Sam Ratulangi, through the Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM), Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

  1. Description

Journal management encompasses the strategic, administrative, editorial, operational, financial, and ethical activities required to ensure the effective and sustainable publication of scholarly research.

For TSSS, journal management includes:

  1. Governance, ownership, and institutional accountability.
  2. Editorial independence and transparent decision-making.
  3. Financial management and publication fee policies.
  4. Open-access publishing and copyright licensing.
  5. Editorial Board selection, composition, and management.
  6. Manuscript submission, peer review, and publication procedures.
  7. Professional development of editors and editorial staff.
  8. Ethical advertising, marketing, and journal promotion.
  9. Digital archiving and long-term preservation.
  10. Journal performance assessment and reporting.
  11. Compliance with publication ethics and research integrity standards.

TSSS seeks to provide an accessible and credible scholarly publishing platform for academic researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and community development professionals.

The journal supports scholarly contributions concerning economic and social development, education, culture, public policy, community empowerment, technology-based social innovation, environmental sustainability, and other topics consistent with its officially stated aims and scope.

Through effective management, TSSS aims to strengthen the quality, visibility, accessibility, and societal relevance of published research.

  1. Policy

3.1. Governance and Ownership

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is published by Universitas Sam Ratulangi, through the Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM), Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The publisher provides an institutional framework supporting the journal's scholarly publishing activities.

The journal's editorial operations are managed by the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Board, and other authorized editorial personnel.

The governance structure is intended to ensure:

  • Transparent institutional responsibility.
  • Clearly defined editorial roles.
  • Accountability in manuscript management.
  • Compliance with publication ethics.
  • Independence of scholarly evaluation.
  • Sustainable journal operations.
  • Responsible dissemination of scholarly knowledge.

The journal's ownership, publisher identity, editorial composition, and contact information should be publicly available on its official website.

3.2. Editorial Independence

TSSS upholds the principle of editorial independence.

Decisions concerning manuscript acceptance, revision, rejection, or publication must be based on:

  1. Originality and scholarly contribution.
  2. Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
  3. Methodological rigor and research validity.
  4. Accuracy and reliability of research findings.
  5. Clarity and quality of scholarly presentation.
  6. Compliance with research and publication ethics.
  7. Independent peer-review assessments.

The Editor-in-Chief and designated editors are responsible for editorial decisions in accordance with the journal's established policies.

Editorial decisions must not be improperly influenced by the publisher, institutional authorities, funding organizations, advertisers, sponsors, personal relationships, or political and commercial interests.

Payment of publication fees does not guarantee manuscript acceptance or favorable editorial treatment.

Authors must be evaluated fairly, regardless of institutional affiliation, nationality, professional status, or financial circumstances.

3.3. Financial Management and Revenue Sources

TSSS operates as an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal.

All published articles are freely accessible to readers without subscription or access fees.

The journal applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) of IDR 400,000 per accepted manuscript, in accordance with the fee information published on its official website.

There is no manuscript submission fee.

The APC is charged following formal acceptance of the manuscript for publication, in accordance with the journal's official payment procedures.

Publication charges may support journal operations, including:

  • Editorial administration.
  • Peer-review management.
  • Manuscript preparation and production.
  • Website operation and maintenance.
  • DOI registration and metadata management.
  • Digital archiving and preservation.
  • Technical and administrative publication services.

The journal's institutional publisher may also provide administrative, technical, and infrastructural support, subject to applicable university policies and available resources.

All financial arrangements must be managed transparently and must not interfere with editorial independence.

An author's ability or inability to pay publication fees must not influence the academic assessment or acceptance decision.

Information concerning APC rates, payment procedures, applicable exemptions or waivers, and changes in publication fees should be clearly communicated through the journal's official website.

Official Author Fees Page:

https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/v3/index.php/ssj/authorfees

3.4. Open Access and Licensing

TSSS provides immediate open access to its published scholarly articles.

Readers may freely access, read, download, and share published content in accordance with the applicable copyright and licensing conditions.

Authors retain copyright ownership of their published work and grant the journal the right of first publication.

The journal's published copyright notice identifies the applicable license as the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Under this license, users may share and adapt licensed material, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given and the ShareAlike requirements are satisfied.

The license requires users to:

  1. Acknowledge the original authors and publication source.
  2. Provide a link to the applicable license.
  3. Indicate whether modifications have been made.
  4. Distribute shared adaptations under the same or a compatible license, as permitted by the license.

The full license terms are available at:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

TSSS is committed to ensuring that copyright and licensing information is clearly communicated through its website and published articles.

3.5. Editorial Board and Editorial Team

TSSS maintains an Editorial Board comprising qualified academics and researchers with expertise relevant to the journal's aims and scope.

Editorial expertise may include:

  • Social sciences and humanities.
  • Education and educational innovation.
  • Economic and community development.
  • Public policy and governance.
  • Sociology and community studies.
  • Culture and social transformation.
  • Environmental and sustainability studies.
  • Interdisciplinary research and community engagement.

Editorial appointments should be based on academic qualifications, relevant research experience, subject expertise, editorial competence, and commitment to publication ethics.

The journal's publicly listed editorial leadership includes:

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Agustina Tangapo, S.Si., M.Si.

Managing Editor: Roni Koneri.

The journal maintains an official Editorial Team page containing its editorial personnel and their institutional affiliations.

Editorial Board members are expected to contribute to the quality, integrity, and development of the journal through appropriate editorial responsibilities.

The publisher and editorial leadership should periodically review the composition and effectiveness of the Editorial Board.

Institutional support or remuneration for editorial personnel, where applicable, must follow authorized university policies and must not compromise editorial independence.

3.6. Operational Processes and Editorial Systems

TSSS employs an electronic journal management system based on Open Journal Systems (OJS) to support manuscript submission, editorial assessment, peer review, revision, production, and publication.

The journal maintains documented procedures for:

  1. Manuscript submission.
  2. Initial editorial screening.
  3. Assessment of relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
  4. Originality and ethical compliance evaluation.
  5. Reviewer assignment.
  6. Independent peer review.
  7. Editorial decision-making.
  8. Manuscript revision.
  9. Copyediting and production.
  10. Online publication.
  11. Post-publication corrections and ethical concerns.

The journal promotes blind peer review in accordance with its published review procedures.

Editorial decisions are made by authorized editors based on reviewer recommendations, scholarly quality, and compliance with journal policies.

Manuscript records and editorial correspondence must be managed confidentially and responsibly.

TSSS publishes two issues annually, scheduled for April and October, in accordance with the publication frequency stated on its official website.

3.7. Training and Ethical Development

TSSS encourages the continuing professional development of editors, reviewers, and editorial staff.

Relevant professional development activities may include:

  • Publication ethics and research integrity.
  • Editorial decision-making.
  • Peer-review management.
  • Conflict of interest identification.
  • Plagiarism prevention.
  • Responsible use of generative artificial intelligence.
  • Digital publishing technologies.
  • Research data transparency.
  • Copyright and open-access licensing.
  • Digital preservation and indexing.
  • Journal quality assessment and accreditation.

The journal encourages editorial personnel to refer to internationally recognized resources, including COPE guidelines and relevant scholarly publishing standards.

Professional development should support consistent editorial practices, ethical decision-making, and continuous improvement in journal quality.

3.8. Advertising and Marketing

TSSS is committed to maintaining ethical and transparent advertising and promotional practices.

Advertising, sponsorship, and marketing arrangements, if implemented, must not compromise editorial independence or influence manuscript evaluation and publication decisions.

Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.

Any financial relationships involving advertisers or sponsors must be appropriately managed to avoid conflicts of interest.

The journal's promotional activities, including calls for papers, website announcements, email communications, and academic outreach, must be accurate, professional, and non-deceptive.

Promotional materials must not contain misleading claims regarding:

  • Journal accreditation.
  • Indexing status.
  • Publication fees.
  • Peer-review procedures.
  • Acceptance rates.
  • Publication timelines.
  • Editorial qualifications.
  • Journal ownership or institutional affiliation.

TSSS does not permit deceptive or coercive manuscript solicitation practices.

Any formal policy concerning paid advertising should accurately reflect the journal's actual operational arrangements.

3.9. Archiving and Digital Preservation

TSSS recognizes the importance of long-term preservation and continued accessibility of published scholarly content.

The journal seeks to maintain appropriate digital preservation and backup arrangements to protect published articles, metadata, and essential publication records against loss, corruption, or technical disruption.

Potential preservation mechanisms may include:

  • Institutional repositories.
  • Journal website backups.
  • Secure storage of digital publication files.
  • Recognized digital preservation networks.
  • Appropriate national or institutional archiving services.

The journal may consider preservation initiatives such as the PKP Preservation Network, LOCKSS, or CLOCKSS where available and formally implemented.

Reference to these services does not necessarily indicate current participation.

The journal's Archiving Policy should accurately identify preservation procedures and services that are operationally implemented.

Digital preservation activities should be coordinated with the journal's publisher and responsible technical administrators.

3.10. Journal Metrics and Performance

TSSS recognizes the importance of monitoring journal performance to support accountability, quality improvement, and institutional sustainability.

Where reliable information is available, the journal may periodically report:

  1. Number of manuscripts submitted.
  2. Number of manuscripts accepted and rejected.
  3. Manuscript acceptance rates.
  4. Average peer-review duration.
  5. Average editorial processing time.
  6. Publication timeliness.
  7. Article downloads and website visits.
  8. Citation performance.
  9. Indexing and accreditation status.
  10. Editorial and reviewer participation.

Reported journal metrics must be accurate, clearly defined, and appropriately contextualized.

Performance statistics must not be manipulated or presented in a misleading manner.

Journal assessment should consider both quantitative indicators and qualitative aspects of scholarly publishing, including editorial integrity, methodological quality, research relevance, and ethical compliance.

  1. Implementation and Operational Requirements

4.1. Website Transparency

The official TSSS website serves as the primary platform for communicating journal information, editorial policies, and publishing practices.

The website should provide accessible and accurate information concerning:

  • Journal title and identity.
  • Publisher and ownership.
  • Aims and scope.
  • Editorial Team.
  • Author Guidelines.
  • Peer Review Policy.
  • Publication Ethics.
  • Copyright and licensing.
  • Open Access Policy.
  • Article Processing Charges.
  • Publication frequency.
  • Digital archiving and preservation.
  • Indexing and accreditation.
  • Contact information.

Official Website:

https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/v3/index.php/ssj/index

All published information must be consistent with actual journal practices and should be reviewed periodically.

4.2. Editorial Office Management

The editorial office coordinates the journal's administrative, communication, and publication activities.

Responsibilities include:

  1. Managing manuscript submissions.
  2. Conducting preliminary administrative checks.
  3. Coordinating manuscript assignments.
  4. Facilitating communication with editors and reviewers.
  5. Monitoring peer-review progress.
  6. Communicating editorial decisions.
  7. Coordinating accepted manuscripts for publication.
  8. Maintaining publication records.
  9. Managing author inquiries.
  10. Coordinating post-publication corrections and ethical matters.

The editorial office is expected to maintain professional, timely, transparent, and respectful communication with authors, reviewers, editors, and readers.

Complaints, appeals, corrections, retractions, and allegations of misconduct must be handled according to the journal's relevant publication ethics policies.

4.3. Selection and Governance of Editorial Personnel

Editorial appointments should be based on appropriate scholarly qualifications, research expertise, editorial experience, professional integrity, and commitment to the journal's scholarly objectives.

The journal seeks to maintain an Editorial Board with appropriate disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity.

Editorial personnel should receive clear information concerning:

  • Their editorial roles and responsibilities.
  • Ethical obligations.
  • Confidentiality requirements.
  • Conflict of interest disclosures.
  • Manuscript evaluation procedures.
  • Expected professional conduct.

The journal's editorial leadership should periodically evaluate the structure, composition, and effectiveness of the Editorial Board.

4.4. Management of Editorial Conflicts of Interest

TSSS is committed to identifying, disclosing, and appropriately managing conflicts of interest involving editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff.

Editorial personnel must disclose relationships or interests that could reasonably compromise their impartiality.

Potential conflicts may include:

  • Financial interests.
  • Personal relationships.
  • Institutional affiliations.
  • Recent research collaborations.
  • Academic supervision relationships.
  • Direct involvement in submitted research.

Editors with significant conflicts of interest must withdraw from handling the affected manuscript.

An appropriately independent editor should be assigned to ensure impartial manuscript evaluation.

Manuscripts submitted by editorial personnel must undergo independent review and editorial decision-making without the involvement of the authors in those editorial decisions.

These procedures should be consistent with the journal's Competing Interests (Conflict of Interest) Policy.

4.5. Use of Supporting Software and Digital Tools

TSSS uses the OJS platform to support the management of manuscript submission, editorial communication, peer review, and publication.

Additional software and digital services may be used, subject to availability and institutional arrangements, including:

  • Similarity detection tools.
  • Language and grammar checking tools.
  • DOI registration and metadata management services.
  • Reference management tools.
  • Digital preservation systems.
  • Website analytics and journal statistics tools.

Such technologies support editorial efficiency but must not replace independent editorial judgment or qualified peer review.

Generative AI tools must be used in accordance with the journal's Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, including confidentiality and data protection requirements.

4.6. Policy Review and Updates

The journal's management policies and operational procedures will be reviewed periodically by the editorial leadership in coordination with the publisher.

Revisions may be introduced to reflect:

  • Developments in publication ethics.
  • Changes in university policies.
  • Technological advancements.
  • International scholarly publishing standards.
  • Changes in editorial procedures.
  • Accreditation and indexing requirements.
  • Operational and financial considerations.

Substantive revisions should be approved through the journal's established governance procedures.

Updated policies should be communicated through the official journal website, with effective dates where appropriate.

  1. Closing Statement

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is committed to maintaining transparent governance, editorial independence, responsible financial management, ethical publication practices, and sustainable scholarly publishing operations.

Through effective journal management and adherence to recognized standards of academic publishing, TSSS seeks to provide a credible, accessible, and responsible platform for disseminating scholarly research and community engagement outcomes.

The journal's management practices are intended to protect the integrity of editorial decisions, support accountability, improve publication quality, and strengthen the long-term contribution of scholarly research to academic development and society.

  1. Relevant Resources
  1. COPE — Journal Management
  2. COPE — Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
  3. COPE — Ethics Toolkit for a Successful Editorial Office
  4. COPE — Developing Processes to Identify Ethical Concerns
  5. COPE — Complaints and Appeals
  6. COPE — Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
  7. COPE — Editorial Conflicts of Interest
  8. COPE — Data and Reproducibility
  9. COPE — Retraction Guidelines