Article Guidelines

 


Focus and Scope

 

SOCIOS publishes a diverse range of English and German language preprints from disciplines such as sociology, political science, social and cultural anthropology, criminology, social policy, social psychology, population research, historical social research, labor market and occupational research, as well as communication sciences. We value the interconnectivity of the disciplines and welcome contributions that bridge multiple areas of study. 

 

We welcome submissions that offer fresh insights, whether they emerge from traditional studies, innovative research designs, or novel analytical techniques. This includes exploratory studies, large-scale analyses, theory-driven inquiries, and methodological innovations. Recognizing the importance of robust and reproducible results, we particularly encourage the submission of replication studies, especially those that follow the registered report format.

 

We acknowledge the importance of all research outcomes, including single findings, null results, and negative findings. Such contributions are essential for a balanced scientific inquiry and are welcomed with equal enthusiasm.

 

Our publications include various article types, allowing for a wide array of research formats and methodologies.

 

 

 

Article Types

 

 

Research Articles
Original Research Articles report on primary and unpublished studies, offering theoretical, empirical, experimental, or methodological advancements. They can include null and negative findings, reanalyses, confirmatory results, and/or report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. 

 

 

Brief Research Reports
Brief Research Reports are similar to original research articles in that they follow the same rigor, format and guidelines. However, they are designed for small-scale research or research in the early stages of development, or the descriptions of unexpected and perhaps unexplained observations or lab protocols. They are limited to 3000 words of main body text plus figures.

 

 

Hypothesis and Theory Articles
Hypothesis and Theory Articles present novel arguments, interpretations, or models intended to introduce new hypotheses or theories. They should be testable and may include original data and personal insights.

 

 

Case Studies
Case Studies provide an in-depth analysis of a person, group, event, or phenomenon, among other subjects, aiming to understand complex issues in real-life contexts through detailed data. They can involve qualitative (e.g., interviews, observations) and quantitative (e.g., statistics, surveys) data to uncover patterns, causes, and effects.

 

 

Data Notes
Data Notes provide descriptions of research datasets. Data Notes focus on the creation and potential reuse of the data, without including analyses or conclusions. A Data Note may be linked to a traditional Research Article reporting analysis of the published dataset, as well as the results and conclusions.

 

 

Method Articles
Method Articles describe new methods, or innovative applications of existing methods to new models or scientific questions, either quantitative or qualitative.

 

 

Replication Studies
Replication Studies aim to reproduce the results of previous studies using the same methodologies to confirm their accuracy and reliability.

 

 

Code Articles
Code Articles present new code/software, or applications of existing technologies, opening new avenues for investigation and analysis.

 

 

Registered Report
Registered Reports present empirical qualitative or quantitative research (e.g. novel studies, replication studies, analysis of existing data sets). Peer review consists of two stages. Stage One involves peer review before the research begins, outlining a proposed methodology and analysis which is pre-registered before data collection. Stage Two involves the review of the completed research, focusing on the execution of the methodology and the validity of the findings.

 

 

Study Protocols
Study Protocols document in detail the study design of prospective research.

 

 

Literature Reviews
Reviews offer a comprehensive analysis of existing literature within a field, identify current gaps, and provide recommendations for future research. They should be critical, constructive, and present a balanced perspective without introducing new, unpublished data.

 

 

Systematic Literature Reviews
Systematic Reviews synthesize previous research, using clearly defined methods to report aggregated evidence on specific topics. The structure is similar to a review; however, they should include a Methods section.

 

 

Policy Reviews
Policy Reviews provide comprehensive evaluations of topics related to policy, regulations, and guidelines, offering actionable recommendations for decision-making.

 

 

Conference Articles
Conference Articles can be incomplete findings that report on an idea, technique, or important results, thus providing readers with a brief overview of recent work or specific projects of significant interest. The structure is similar to a standard research article and should include sections such as an Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

File Formats

 

Manuscripts have to be submitted as PDF files.

 

 

 

 

Language

 

We publish English and German language preprints. Both UK English and US English are accepted but this must be consistent throughout the manuscript.

 

 

 

 

Main Sections

 

All articles submitted to SOCIOS must contain the following sections:

 

 

1. Authors

Full names, institutional affiliations, and e-mail addresses (ORCiD IDs) need to be clearly mentioned. The corresponding author should be designated accordingly.

 

 

2. Title
Provide a concise and specific title that clearly reflects the content of the article.

 

 

3. Abstract
Length: Up to 300 words.

Structure: Include sections for Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

 

 

4. Keywords
Supply up to eight relevant keywords to describe the subject of the article.

 

 

5. Main Body
Format: Flexible, concise, and easy to read and review.

Ensure the format is suitable for the type of study presented.

 

 

6. Availability Statement 
Include a Availability Statement providing full details on how, where, and under what conditions data, code, and other research materials can be accessed. If no data/code is associated with the article, state 'No data/code associated with this article'.


See our Data Guidelines and Policies for more information.

 

 

7. Reporting Guidelines (Optional)
Manuscripts reporting empirical studies should adhere to study-design-specific reporting guidelines (e.g., SAGER, JARS, QUALID, SRQR, APA Style).

 

 

8. Ethics and Consent 
For research involving human participants or animals, confirm and provide details of ethics or institutional review board approvals (project ID, approval date, committee name). If ethics committee approval was not required, a statement specifying this, along with justification of why ethics approval was not obtained or why the ethics committee waived the requirement for approval, must be provided. Studies that do not require ethics approval state 'Ethical approval was not required'.

 

 

Consent: Secure written informed consent for publication if applicable; detail the consent process in the Methods section. If no consent for participation/publication is required (e.g., anonymized data), clearly state this and confirm no scientific meaning was altered.


Refer to the detailed Ethics section in our Policies for more information.

 

 

9. Author Contributions  
Specify each author's individual contributions to the work according to the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT).

 

 

10. Competing Interests  
Fully disclose any potential competing interests (e.g., financial, personal, professional). If no competing interests exist, state 'The authors declare no conflicts of interest'.

 

 

11. Grant Information   
Disclose sources of funding. Use the Research Organization Registry (ROR) identifier if possible. If no specific grant was received, state 'This research received no external funding'.

 

 

12. Acknowledgments  (Optional)   
Acknowledge non-author contributions (e.g., technical support, general assistance, writing/editing services) with their consent.

 

 

13. References 
Style: Use any consistent standard style throughout your manuscript. Ensure all elements of the references are formatted according to this style.

Order: List all references alphabetically by the last name of the first author. If an author appears multiple times, list their works chronologically.

Hanging Indent: Use a hanging indent for each reference entry, where the first line is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented.

DOIs and URLs: Include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for articles where available. For online sources, provide the full URL and access date if required by the citation style.

Completeness: Double-check all references for accuracy and completeness. Ensure all information is correct and that links are active and lead to the correct resources.



In-Text Citations


Format: Follow the citation style's guidelines for in-text citations.

Consistency: Match in-text citations with the reference list. Ensure every source mentioned in the text appears in the references section and vice versa.

Footnotes: Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list.

Web Links: Avoid placing URLs directly in the text unless specifically required, as they should be included only in the reference list.



Datasets and Program Code

Citation Requirement: All datasets and program code used in a publication must be cited in the text and listed in the reference section.

Persistent Identifiers: References for datasets and program code must include a persistent identifier, such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). See our Data and Code Guidelines for more information.


Types of References


Books: Author(s). (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Journal Articles: Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page range. DOI

Websites: Author(s). (Year). Title of the webpage. Website Name. URL

Conference Papers: Author(s). (Year). Title of the paper. In Editor(s) (Eds.), Title of the conference proceedings (pp. page range). Publisher. DOI

Datasets and Program Code: Author(s). (Year). Title of the Dataset or Program Code [Dataset]. Repository name / Publication venue. DOI

 

 

Figures and Tables     
Resolution: Ensure all figures and tables are of high resolution (300 DPI is recommended).

Clarity: Figures and tables must be clear and legible, with appropriately sized text and symbols.

Placement: Position figures and tables close to the relevant text within the Main Body for ease of reference.

Numbering: Number all figures and tables consecutively as they appear in the text (e.g., Figure 1, Table 1).

Captions: Provide a detailed caption for each figure and table, explaining its content and relevance.

Legends: Include legends in the captions if necessary to describe any symbols or color codes used.

Attribution: Ensure that any third-party figures and tables are properly attributed and that you have obtained necessary permissions.

Consent: For any figures depicting identifiable individuals, ensure appropriate consent is obtained.

Image Manipulation: Clearly disclose any manipulations or enhancements made to images. Ensure that such alterations do not misrepresent the data or findings and adhere to ethical standards.