Research Paper Writing Guidelines

In accordance with UGC Norms, ISSN Standards and the SNAJ Academic Publication Ordinance. A comprehensive guide for all streams — Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce & Management, Education, Law, and Language & Literature (including Hindi & Urdu language papers).

1. Purpose and Scope

These guidelines have been prepared by SNAJ to help authors write and format research papers that meet the standards expected under UGC norms, ISSN publication standards, and SNAJ's own Academic Publication Ordinance. They apply uniformly across all streams published in SNAJ and cover manuscripts submitted in English, Hindi, or Urdu.

The objective is to ensure every manuscript follows a consistent standard of academic rigor, originality, ethical conduct, and presentation, so that it remains eligible for indexing and for recognition under UGC-CARE and related evaluation frameworks such as API scoring, PhD requirements, and career promotions.

2. Governing Framework: UGC Norms, ISSN Standards & Academic Ordinance

• UGC Norms: Expect originality of research, a documented peer review process, a qualified editorial board, ethical publication practices, and regular periodic publication, in line with the UGC-CARE list.
• ISSN Standards: Require consistent journal titling, regular periodicity, and identifiable volume/issue numbering. Authors should cite the correct volume, issue, and year when referring to SNAJ.
• SNAJ Academic Publication Ordinance: SNAJ's internal ordinance lays down requirements for manuscript structure, formatting, authorship criteria, originality thresholds, peer review procedure, and post-publication corrections.

Note: Authors are strongly advised to verify SNAJ's current UGC-CARE status and journal details on the official website before submission.

3. General Manuscript Structure (IMRaD)

Across most streams, SNAJ follows the IMRaD structure — Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion — adapted for humanities and language-based papers where a strict empirical Methods/Results split may not apply. A standard manuscript should generally include:

• Title Page (title, author name(s), affiliation, corresponding author email)
• Abstract (150–250 words) and Keywords (4–6 terms)
• Introduction (background, problem statement, objectives, review of literature)
• Methodology / Approach (research design, data, sources, tools of analysis)
• Results / Analysis / Discussion (findings presented with interpretation)
• Conclusion (summary of contribution, limitations, scope for future research)
• Acknowledgements (if applicable)
• References (in the prescribed citation style)
• Appendices / Annexures (if applicable)

For conceptual, doctrinal, or literary papers (common in Humanities, Law, and Language streams), the Methodology and Results sections may be replaced with thematically organized sections/sub-headings, while still retaining a clear Introduction, body, and Conclusion.

4. Title Page and Author Details

• Title: Concise, specific, and reflective of the paper's core contribution (ideally under 20 words).
• Author name(s): Full name(s) as they should appear in the published record and citation indexes.
• Affiliation: Department, institution, city, and country.
• Corresponding author: Clearly marked, with an active email address.
• ORCID iD (recommended): To ensure correct attribution across databases.
• Co-authorship: Contribution of each co-author should be genuine; honorary or gift authorship is not permitted.

5. Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should be a single paragraph of 150–250 words summarizing the objective, method/approach, key findings, and conclusion, without citations or undefined abbreviations. It should stand alone and be understood without reading the full paper, since it appears in indexing databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, and DOAJ. Keywords should consist of 4 to 6 terms best representing the subject matter.

6. Formatting Specifications

Note: Papers not conforming to these formatting specifications may be returned to authors for correction before being sent for peer review.

7. Stream-wise Writing Guidelines

While the overall IMRaD skeleton applies across streams, each discipline has its own conventions of argument and evidence.

7.1 Sciences (Physical, Life & Applied Sciences)

Papers in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Botany, Zoology, Environmental Science, Agriculture, Computer Science, and allied applied sciences should present a clear hypothesis or research question, a reproducible Methodology (materials, methods, experimental design, statistical tools), and Results supported by data, tables, or figures, followed by a Discussion that situates the findings within existing literature. Units should follow the SI system, and scientific names (genus/species) should be italicized.

7.2 Social Sciences

Papers in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Economics, and related fields should clearly state the research problem, theoretical framework, and methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), with data collection instruments and sampling described in sufficient detail for replication. Where human subjects are involved, informed consent and ethical clearance should be explicitly mentioned.

7.3 Humanities & Language / Literature

Papers in History, Philosophy, Linguistics, and Literature (English, Hindi, Urdu, and other languages) may be structured thematically rather than strictly by IMRaD, but should still present a clear thesis/argument in the Introduction, textual or archival evidence organized into logical sections, and a Conclusion that restates the contribution to scholarship. Primary-text quotations should be clearly cited with edition and page number.

7.4 Commerce, Management & Economics

Papers should include a clear problem statement, review of relevant literature/theory, research methodology (survey, case study, secondary data analysis, econometric modelling, etc.), data analysis with appropriate statistical or financial tools, and managerial or policy implications in the Discussion/Conclusion.

7.5 Education

Papers on pedagogy, curriculum, teacher education, and educational psychology should specify the educational context (level, setting, sample), the research design (experimental, descriptive, action research, etc.), and should connect findings back to practical implications for teaching, policy, or curriculum design.

7.6 Law & Governance

Doctrinal law papers should follow a structured legal argument: Introduction and statement of the legal problem, review of statutes/case law, analysis, and Conclusion with recommendations. Case citations should follow a standard legal citation format (such as the Bluebook or an equivalent Indian legal citation style), with full case names, citations, and court/year clearly indicated.

8. Guidelines for Hindi and Urdu Language Papers

SNAJ is a multilingual journal and welcomes research papers written in Hindi and Urdu, in addition to English.

8.1 Script and Font Requirements

• Hindi manuscripts must be typed in Unicode Devanagari script (not legacy non-Unicode fonts such as Kruti Dev or Chanakya).
• Recommended Unicode fonts for Hindi: Mangal, Noto Sans Devanagari, or Kokila, at 13–14 pt for body text.
• Urdu manuscripts must be typed in Unicode Nastaliq/Naskh script using fonts such as Jameel Noori Nastaleeq, Alvi Nastaleeq, or equivalent.
• Authors submitting Hindi or Urdu papers should also provide an English title and an English abstract (150–250 words) with keywords.

8.2 Transliteration and Technical Terms

Where a Hindi or Urdu paper uses technical or discipline-specific terms without a widely accepted equivalent, authors should provide the standard English/Roman transliteration in parentheses on first use. Proper nouns should follow a consistent transliteration scheme throughout the paper.

8.3 Referencing in Hindi/Urdu Papers

References to Hindi or Urdu sources should be listed in the original script within the reference list, following the same citation style adopted for the paper, with the author's name, title of the work, publisher, place, and year of publication clearly stated. Where a source has been translated into English by the author for in-text quotation, this should be indicated (e.g., "translation mine").

8.4 Proofreading

Given the complexity of Unicode rendering across different software and devices, authors are requested to submit a final PDF alongside the editable Word file for Hindi and Urdu papers, so that font rendering can be verified before typesetting.

9. Citation and Referencing Styles

SNAJ follows discipline-appropriate referencing conventions. Authors should select the style most standard to their field and apply it consistently throughout the manuscript.

Regardless of style, in-text citations must correspond exactly to entries in the reference list, and every source cited must be traceable and verifiable. DOIs should be included in reference entries wherever available.

10. Research Ethics, Originality & Plagiarism Policy

• Manuscripts must be original, unpublished work that is not simultaneously under review elsewhere.
• All submissions are screened through plagiarism-detection software (such as Turnitin or iThenticate); a similarity index above 10–15% (excluding references and standard phrases) is generally not accepted.
• Proper acknowledgement must be given to all sources of ideas, data, and text, including the author's own previously published work (self-plagiarism).
• Any conflict of interest, funding source, or institutional ethical clearance (where human or animal subjects are involved) must be disclosed.
• Authorship should be limited to those who have made a genuine intellectual contribution to the work; all listed authors must approve the final manuscript.

11. Peer Review Process

SNAJ follows a double-blind peer review process, in which neither the author's nor the reviewer's identity is disclosed to the other party. Every manuscript is assessed by at least two subject-matter experts for originality, methodological soundness, clarity of argument, and contribution to the field, before a decision (accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject) is communicated to the author.

12. Submission Checklist

• Manuscript follows the IMRaD structure (or stream-appropriate equivalent) described in Section 3.
• Title page includes author name(s), affiliation, and corresponding author details.
• Abstract (150–250 words) and 4–6 keywords are included.
• Formatting matches Section 6 specifications (font, spacing, margins, word count).
• Hindi/Urdu papers use Unicode fonts and include an English title, abstract, and keywords.
• Citation style matches the stream-appropriate convention in Section 9 and is applied consistently.
• Manuscript has been checked for plagiarism and originality before submission.
• All authors have approved the final version and disclosed any conflict of interest.
• Manuscript is submitted as an editable Word (.docx) file (plus PDF for Hindi/Urdu papers).

Prepared by SNAJ (Shibli National Academic Journal) as an official author-guidance resource. For submission details and current call for papers, please visit www.snaj.org.in.