Article Policies

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.

Substantial Contributions: Authors must have significantly contributed to the study's conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the reported study. This may also include the development of new software or tools utilized in the work.

Drafting and Revising: Authors must have have participated in drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Approval and Accountability: Authors must approve the final version of the preprint to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. This involves ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Affiliation: At least one author of the manuscript must have a verifiable affiliation with a recognized academic or research institution or possess relevant experience and a proven publication record in the field of the submitted paper. Verification is conducted using the author's institutional email address, an official profile on the institution's website, or other suitable methods such as ORCID or Scopus.

Exclusions from Authorship

Contributions that do not meet the criteria for authorship should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section. This may include individuals providing technical support, general assistance, or writing and editing services. Consent must be obtained from all individuals mentioned in the acknowledgments.

AI-based technologies used for generating article content do not fulfill authorship criteria as they cannot take ethical and legal accountability. Authors employing generative AI tools in their research or manuscript preparation must use them responsibly and in line with our policies. If such tools are used, their application must be acknowledged in the manuscript's Acknowledgements section. The Methods section - or an equivalent section - should detail the AI tool's usage, including the exact prompt and the version of the AI tool utilized.

Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT)

To provide transparency, authors are required to specify their individual contributions to the work according to the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT). This taxonomy includes, but is not limited to, roles such as conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing, and supervision.

Pseudonyms and Fabricated Identities

We uphold the integrity of academic authorship by prohibiting the submission of manuscripts under pseudonyms or fabricated identities. We are committed to transparency and accountability in the publication process, and as such, any individual discovered to be submitting work under false pretenses or multiple identities will face a ban from our server.

Changes and Variations to Author Names

We recognize and accommodate legitimate circumstances where an author's name may have changed or varies due to valid reasons. These reasons may encompass name changes due to personal choice, marriage, or cultural practices, as well as differences stemming from language translation or national naming conventions.

To address legitimate name variations while maintaining authorial consistency, we require verification of the identity of the individual seeking the change; we will not accept requests for name changes made on behalf of another individual. Verification is conducted using the author's ORCiD ID, an official profile on the institution's website, or other suitable methods.

Changes to author names will not require a new version of the preprint to be created. Following a name change request, SOCIOS will update all existing versions of a preprint including metadata. A 'Notice of Change' may be posted on the article site to reflect the change.

We will communicate the change to those indexing services linked with SOCIOS; however, it is the author's responsibility to update any other databases beyond the control of SOCIOS. Additionally, authors are expected to inform all co-authors about the name change.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding (submitting) author serves as the primary point of contact and is responsible for managing seamless communication between SOCIOS and all co-authors.

The corresponding author ensures that all listed authors have reviewed and consented to the contents of the manuscript that is being submitted, including the authorship order, and statements of contribution. The corresponding author also ensures that all co-authors are aware that the manuscript was submitted.

The corresponding author submits the manuscript, complete with all necessary metadata and declarations concerning. They are expected to actively participate in the peer review process by responding to comments and ensuring that any inquiries about the preprint are addressed promptly and on behalf of all co-authors.

The corresponding also author handles the re-submission of revised manuscripts and is responsible for updating the preprint record with the DOI and URL linking to the published Version of Record, if applicable.

Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes are not within the purview of SOCISO to mediate. It is the responsibility of the parties involved and their respective institutions to resolve such disagreements. We advise authors to follow COPE guidelines for guidance on handling authorship disputes.

If we become aware of any such dispute, we will pause the review process until the issue is resolved. A temporary announcement will be posted along with the article, informing readers that there is an ongoing unresolved issue related to the preprint. This notification will be removed once a definitive resolution is reached.

If there are any uncertainties or concerns regarding authorship, authors are advised to reach out to the editorial team for clarification before submission via email to socios-content@uni-koeln.de.

Peer review reports that are published with a given version of a preprint are available under the CC BY-ND 4.0 license. This licensing enables the transfer of peer review reports to other platforms and journals, allowing for broader dissemination and reutilization within the academic community, as long as the terms of the license are strictly observed:

• BY: credit must be given to the creator.
• NC: only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
• ND: no derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
  
  

See CC License options and CC license chooser for more information.

Authors are responsible for ensuring their work is free from plagiarism and that all copyrighted materials, such as photos, figures, or tables, are used with permission and properly cited.

Authors employing generative AI tools in their research or manuscript preparation must use them responsibly and in line with our policies. If such tools are used, their application must be acknowledged in the manuscript's Acknowledgements section. The Methods section - or an equivalent section - should detail the AI tool's usage, including the exact prompt and the version of the AI tool utilized.

Any manipulation of images should be disclosed. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable if they are applied to the entire image and do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent any information present in the original, including the background. Manipulations for other purposes, such as highlighting a particular feature in the image, must be explicitly noted in the figure legend and in the Methods section.

Authors are required to confirm that all relevant ethics or institutional review board approvals for their research have been obtained. Details of this approval should be provided in the manuscript, at minimum providing the project identification code, the date of approval, and the name of the ethics committee or institutional review board.

For any content that may potentially reveal a participant's identity, authors must secure written informed consent for publication. The process of acquiring this consent must be detailed in the Methods section of the manuscript. If no consent for publication was required (e.g., the data has been anonymized), then this should be clearly stated and a note should be added confirming that such alterations have not distorted scientific meaning.

A statement confirming that any conflicts of interest have been disclosed must be provided upon submission. Each article must also feature a designated section titled 'Conflicts of Interest'. This section should detail any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. In the absence of any conflicts, authors must explicitly state, 'The authors declare no competing interests'.

Reviewers are also required to declare any competing interests in their reports, as are readers who contribute comments on the site.

Individuals suspecting misconduct in a preprint posted on SOCIOS are encouraged to report their concerns via email to socios-content@uni-koeln.de, providing comprehensive evidence to facilitate an investigation. Reviewers are advised not to make allegations of misconduct within the review itself.

Upon receipt of a potential misconduct report, the peer review process will be put on hold, and a provisional notice will be placed on the article's page for each version, indicating an unresolved issue with the preprint. Subsequent actions will be guided by COPE's recommendations, typically beginning with a request for clarification from the corresponding author.

The gravity and nature of the violation will dictate whether a Correction is published or if a full retraction of the preprint is necessary. SOCIOS reserves the right to remove a preprint from online access should there be compelling reasons to do so. Any action of Correction, Retraction, or Removal will be accompanied by a clear rationale.

In cases where definitive evidence of research or publication misconduct is not immediately available, or if obtaining such evidence is expected to be significantly delayed, an Expression of Concern will be issued to alert readers to approach the manuscript´s content with caution.

For more information, refer to the relevant guidelines and policies on Corrections, Retractions, and Removals.

• Data protection issues where releasing the data could compromise privacy or confidentiality
• Ethical considerations, such as those involving sensitive or proprietary information
• Security concerns that may arise from data being made publicly available
• Data that is under license or provided by a third party and cannot be shared freely

• authors explain the reasons for restricted access to the dataset or materials,
• authors provide access to any part of the dataset and materials that are not subject to the aforementioned constraints,
• authors describe the procedures others would need to follow to request access to the restricted data or materials,
• authors provide any intermediary data, software, and comprehensive documentation necessary to precisely reproduce all published results, if possible.

• Identity transparency: all identities visible
• Reviewer interacts with: other reviewers, authors, moderators
• Review information published: submitted manuscript, review reports, reviewer identities
• Post publication commenting: Open

• Red: Major revisions suggested
• Yellow: Minor revisions suggested
• Green: The manuscript is deemed to be of high quality

The peer review process for a given version of a preprint concludes after receiving three peer review reports, after a revised version is published, or after an article is accepted for publication in a journal. Authors reserve the right to halt or suspend the peer review process at their discretion. In such cases, SOCIOS may issue a statement on the article's page detailing the rationale behind the suspension and change the status to PEER REVIEW CLOSED. If a manuscript fails to attract any peer reviews within six months, or only one review after nine months, the peer review process will be terminated, and the status will also be changed to PEER REVIEW CLOSED.

Reviewer Criteria

Reviewers should meet the following criteria:

• Hold a PhD or an equivalent degree, or the equivalent number of years to a recognized qualification, in the relevant field of research;
• Have a proven publication record in the field of the submitted paper (published at least three articles as lead author in a relevant topic, with at least one article having been published in the last five years).
• Hold no conflicts of interest with any of the authors that can bias their assessment of the article

Verification is conducted using the reviewers´ institutional email address, an official profile on the institution's website, or other suitable methods (i.e., Scopus, ORCID).

Reviewers who do not meet the above criteria are encouraged to take the role of a co-reviewer with a qualified person as the principal reviewer.

Author´ s Role during Peer Review

• Clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, manipulation) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation, experimental error).
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication).
• It constitutes plagiarism.
• It reports unethical research.

• Linked to the retracted preprint and clearly labeled as a  CORRECTION.
• Assigned its own Digital Object Identifier (DOI) that directs to the most recent version; the original retracted version and the retraction notice will be preserved as part of the historical record.
• Subject to peer review and must meet all publication criteria.