Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to submit original and high-quality scholarly manuscripts to Journal of Studies on Art, Culture and Society (JACS). Submissions should demonstrate a clear contribution to the study of art, culture, creativity, heritage, identity, representation, digital culture, or contemporary society and must comply with the journal's editorial, ethical, and formatting requirements.

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to JACS must present original scholarly work that has not been published previously and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Submissions should demonstrate a clear scholarly contribution within one or more of the journal's major areas: Art and Creative Practices, Culture, Heritage and Identity, Society, Representation and Social Change, and Digital Culture and Contemporary Creative Society.

Interdisciplinary research is welcomed when the manuscript clearly contributes to understanding artistic, cultural, social, creative, heritage, or contemporary cultural phenomena.

2. Article Types

JACS primarily considers the following types of scholarly contributions:

• Original Research Articles — empirical, qualitative, quantitative, historical, interpretive, theoretical, or interdisciplinary studies.
• Review Articles — critical and structured reviews that synthesize significant developments in a relevant field.
• Conceptual or Theoretical Articles — manuscripts that develop, examine, or critically engage with theoretical perspectives, concepts, or analytical frameworks.
• Scholarly Studies of Creative Practice — academically grounded studies of artistic, cultural, design, performance, or creative practices supported by clear analytical and scholarly contributions.

3. Submission Files and Anonymity

JACS applies a double-anonymous peer review process. Authors should therefore ensure that the manuscript submitted for review does not contain information that directly identifies the author or authors.

Author names, institutional affiliations, email addresses, ORCID identifiers, and other author metadata should be entered separately through the OJS submission system.

Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable word-processing format and prepared using the official JACS manuscript template where provided.

4. Manuscript Structure

The organization of a manuscript may vary according to disciplinary approach and article type. Research articles should generally include:

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Introduction
5. Methods or Research Approach
6. Results, Analysis and Discussion
7. Conclusion
8. Acknowledgements, where applicable
9. Funding Statement, where applicable
10. Conflict of Interest Statement
11. Data Availability Statement, where applicable
12. AI Use Disclosure, where applicable
13. References

Conceptual, theoretical, historical, and practice-based studies may use alternative section structures when these are more appropriate to the disciplinary tradition and research approach.

5. Title and Author Information

The title should be concise, specific, informative, and accurately represent the central subject, context, or analytical contribution of the manuscript.

Complete author information must be entered in the OJS metadata, including full name, institutional affiliation, country, email address, and ORCID identifier where available.

6. Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should normally contain approximately 150–250 words and concisely communicate the background or research problem, objective, approach or method, principal findings or arguments, and main contribution of the manuscript.

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords representing the major concepts, subjects, analytical perspectives, or contexts of the study.

7. Introduction

The Introduction should clearly establish the scholarly context of the study, engage with relevant literature, identify the research problem or knowledge gap, explain the significance of the topic, and state the purpose, research question, argument, or contribution of the manuscript.

8. Methods or Research Approach

Authors should explain the methodological, theoretical, interpretive, historical, ethnographic, artistic, textual, visual, or other research approach used in the study.

Where applicable, manuscripts should describe research participants, data or materials, sampling, fieldwork, interviews, archival sources, analytical procedures, ethical considerations, and limitations with sufficient clarity to allow readers to evaluate the research process.

9. Results, Analysis and Discussion

Research findings, interpretations, or analytical arguments should be presented clearly, logically, and with appropriate supporting evidence.

Depending on the disciplinary approach, evidence may include empirical data, interviews, observations, textual materials, artworks, performances, archival sources, visual materials, cultural artefacts, digital media, historical documents, or other relevant sources.

The discussion should engage critically with relevant scholarship, interpret the significance of the findings or arguments, and clearly demonstrate the manuscript's contribution to the field.

10. Conclusion

The Conclusion should summarize the principal findings, arguments, or insights of the manuscript and clearly indicate their scholarly significance. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research may be included where appropriate.

11. Ethical and Transparency Statements

Authors should provide relevant ethical and transparency information, including where applicable:

• Research ethics approval
• Informed consent
• Funding information
• Conflict of interest declaration
• Data availability statement
• Acknowledgements
• Permissions for copyrighted materials
• Disclosure of substantive use of generative AI or similar technologies

Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, interpretation, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted material.

12. Figures, Tables and Creative Materials

Figures, photographs, artworks, maps, diagrams, screenshots, tables, and other visual or creative materials should be relevant, clear, appropriately numbered, and referred to in the manuscript text.

Image files should be of sufficient quality for online publication and should include appropriate captions and source information.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted artworks, photographs, illustrations, archival documents, screenshots, performances, or other third-party material where permission is required.

13. References

References should be relevant, credible, and sufficient to establish the scholarly context and contribution of the manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to engage with recent peer-reviewed scholarship while also including important foundational, historical, theoretical, or primary sources where relevant to the study.

References should not be added solely for the purpose of increasing citation counts. Authors should avoid unnecessary self-citation or citation practices that do not contribute meaningfully to the manuscript.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be included whenever available. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all references.

Reference formatting should follow the style specified in the official JACS manuscript template.

14. Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submission, authors should confirm that:

• The manuscript fits the focus and scope of JACS.
• The manuscript is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.
• The manuscript is written in clear academic English.
• The review manuscript has been anonymized.
• Complete author information has been entered in OJS.
• The abstract and keywords meet journal requirements.
• The research method or analytical approach is clearly explained.
• Figures and creative materials include appropriate captions and permissions.
• References are accurate and include DOI information where available.
• Funding and conflict of interest information has been disclosed where applicable.
• Ethical approval and informed consent are reported where required.
• AI use has been disclosed where applicable.
• The manuscript follows the official JACS template.

15. Review and Revision Process

All submissions undergo initial editorial screening for relevance, originality, academic quality, ethical compliance, and adherence to journal requirements.

Manuscripts that pass initial screening may proceed to double-anonymous peer review by at least two independent reviewers.

Authors receiving a revision decision should carefully address reviewer and editor comments and provide a clear response explaining the revisions made.

Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. The final publication decision remains the responsibility of the editorial team.

16. After Acceptance

After formal acceptance, manuscripts may undergo copyediting, metadata verification, layout preparation, proofreading, and other production procedures prior to publication.

JACS does not charge authors for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial processing, or publication.

Authors may be asked to review publication proofs before final publication. Published articles are made openly accessible under the journal's applicable open-access and licensing policy.