TL;DR

• JISS publishes peer-reviewed social science research by student and early-career authors.

• Submissions must follow APA format and include an abstract under 150 words.

• The journal uses a double-blind peer review process before any decision is made.

• There are no submission fees for student authors submitting original research.

• Matching your paper to the right scope before submitting saves significant time.

You have finished a research paper. You believe the argument is solid. Now you need to know whether the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences is the right place to send it, and exactly how to submit it so your work is not rejected on a technicality.

That frustration is real. Many strong papers are declined not because the research is weak, but because the author did not read the submission guidelines carefully enough. A misformatted citation, a missing abstract, or a topic that sits outside the journal's scope can end a submission before a single reviewer reads the argument.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about submitting to the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences. It covers scope, formatting, the review process, and what to do if your paper is not accepted the first time.

What Is the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences?

The Journal of Integrated Social Sciences (JISS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access publication focused on interdisciplinary social science research. It publishes original empirical and theoretical work across psychology, sociology, political science, economics, education, and related fields. The journal is specifically designed to support emerging researchers, including undergraduate and graduate students, making it one of the more accessible peer-reviewed outlets for student authors.

JISS was established to fill a gap in academic publishing: most major social science journals require authors to have institutional affiliations and years of publishing history. JISS does not. It evaluates submissions on the quality of the research itself, not the prestige of the author's institution.

The journal is listed in several academic indexing databases, which means papers published there are discoverable and citable by other researchers. That matters for a student building an early academic record.

If you are unsure whether social science is the right direction for your research, reading about how to choose the right journal for your research paper will help you think through the decision before you invest time in a full submission.

Does Your Research Fit the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences Scope?

JISS accepts research that integrates perspectives from two or more social science disciplines. A paper that sits entirely within one discipline, such as a pure economics analysis with no connection to sociology or political behavior, is less likely to be a strong fit. The journal's defining characteristic is the word "integrated" in its name. The research should cross disciplinary lines in a meaningful way.

Topics that have appeared in JISS include cross-cultural psychological studies, the social determinants of political participation, educational equity research with economic dimensions, and community-level sociological analyses that draw on public health data. The common thread is that the research borrows methods or frameworks from more than one field to answer its central question.

Before you write a single word of your cover letter, read at least three papers published in recent JISS issues. This tells you more about actual scope than any written guideline. If your paper's argument, methods, and conclusions feel at home alongside those papers, you are likely in the right place.

If your research is more narrowly focused on psychology specifically, journals like the Whitman Journal of Psychology may be a closer match for your work.

How to Format Your Paper for Journal of Integrated Social Sciences Submission

JISS requires manuscripts to follow APA (American Psychological Association) format, currently the 7th edition. This covers in-text citations, the reference list, heading levels, abstract structure, and the overall layout of the document. If your paper uses a different citation style, you will need to convert it before submitting.

The core formatting requirements are as follows:

1. Abstract of no more than 150 words, placed on its own page after the title page.

2. Main text in 12-point Times New Roman or a comparable serif font, double-spaced throughout.

3. Title page that includes the paper title, author name, institutional or school affiliation, and contact email.

4. Keywords listed below the abstract, typically four to six terms that reflect the paper's main topics.

5. Reference list at the end of the document, formatted in APA 7th edition style, with every in-text citation having a corresponding reference entry.

Manuscripts are submitted for double-blind peer review, which means reviewer identities are hidden from authors and author identities are hidden from reviewers. To support this, the main body of your paper must not contain your name or any identifying information. All author details belong only on the title page, which is separated from the manuscript during review.

Getting citations right is one of the most common stumbling blocks for first-time submitters. The guide on how to format citations for academic journal submission covers the APA requirements in practical detail.

The Step-by-Step Submission Process for Journal of Integrated Social Sciences

Submitting to JISS follows a clear sequence. Moving through these steps in order prevents the most common reasons for desk rejection, which is when an editor declines a paper before it even reaches peer review.

1. Prepare your manuscript. Format the full paper in APA 7th edition. Separate your title page from the main document. Confirm your abstract is under 150 words and your keywords are listed.

2. Write a cover letter. Address it to the JISS editorial team. State the title of your paper, confirm it is original and not under review elsewhere, briefly describe the research question and why it fits the journal's interdisciplinary scope, and note your author affiliation. Keep it under one page.

3. Visit the JISS submission portal. The journal accepts submissions through its online system at jiss.org. Create an account if you do not already have one, then follow the submission prompts to upload your manuscript file and cover letter as separate documents.

4. Complete the submission form. The form will ask for your paper's title, abstract text, keywords, author details, and subject classification. Fill every field. Incomplete forms are a common cause of delays.

5. Confirm your submission. After submitting, you should receive an automated confirmation email with a manuscript reference number. Keep this number. You will need it for any follow-up correspondence with the editorial office.

If you want a structured way to review and strengthen your manuscript before it reaches an editor, joining the Publication Compass waitlist gives you early access to an AI platform built specifically to help student researchers prepare papers for peer-reviewed submission.

What Happens After You Submit to Journal of Integrated Social Sciences?

After submission, the editorial process moves through several stages. Understanding each stage helps you manage expectations and avoid unnecessary anxiety while you wait.

First, the editor in chief or an associate editor conducts an initial desk review. This typically takes one to three weeks. The editor checks whether the paper fits the journal's scope, meets basic formatting requirements, and represents original research. Papers that fail at this stage are returned without peer review. This is not a judgment on the quality of your ideas. It usually means a formatting issue or a scope mismatch that could be corrected.

Papers that pass desk review are assigned to two or three peer reviewers with relevant expertise. JISS uses double-blind review, so neither you nor the reviewers know each other's identities during this stage. Review timelines vary, but JISS aims to return decisions within eight to twelve weeks of submission, according to the journal's published guidelines.

Possible decisions are: accept, accept with minor revisions, major revisions required, or reject. Most first submissions receive a request for revisions rather than an outright acceptance. A revise-and-resubmit decision is not a rejection. It means the reviewers see merit in the work and want specific improvements before it can be published.

When revisions are requested, respond to every reviewer comment in a separate response document. Address each point directly, explain what you changed and why, and note the page and line number where the change appears in the revised manuscript.

Common Reasons JISS Papers Are Rejected

Most rejections from JISS fall into a small number of categories. Knowing them in advance lets you address them before submission rather than after.

The most frequent issue is scope misalignment. A paper that reads as a single-discipline study, without meaningful integration across fields, does not match what JISS is designed to publish. If your paper's literature review only cites sources from one discipline, that is a signal worth addressing before you submit.

The second common issue is an underdeveloped methodology section. Peer reviewers in social science look closely at how data was collected, how the sample was selected, and how conclusions were drawn from the evidence. Vague descriptions of method weaken an otherwise strong argument.

Third, papers that have been submitted to another journal simultaneously are not eligible. JISS, like most peer-reviewed journals, requires exclusive submission. If you are considering sending the same paper to multiple outlets at once, read about whether you can submit the same paper to two journals before proceeding.

Finally, formatting errors that suggest the author did not read the submission guidelines signal to editors that the paper may not be ready. Take time to review the guidelines on the JISS website directly before submitting.

Other Journals Worth Considering for Student Social Science Research

JISS is one strong option, but it is not the only peer-reviewed outlet for student social science research. If your paper is rejected or if the scope does not align after closer review, there are other journals that welcome student submissions.

The Journal of Student Research accepts work across disciplines and is widely used by high school and undergraduate researchers. The Journal of Student Research scope, requirements, and submission process is covered in detail if you want to compare it with JISS before deciding where to send your work.

For students whose research sits more squarely in the humanities, the Hope Humanities Journal submission process is another option worth reviewing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a submission fee for the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences?

JISS does not charge submission fees for student authors submitting original research. The journal operates as an open-access publication, meaning published articles are freely available to readers without a subscription. Always confirm current fee policies directly on the JISS website before submitting, as policies can change.

How long does the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences review process take?

JISS aims to return peer review decisions within eight to twelve weeks of submission, according to its published editorial guidelines. Desk review, which happens before peer review, typically takes one to three weeks. Total time from submission to a first decision is usually between two and four months.

Can a high school student submit to the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences?

Yes. JISS accepts submissions from student researchers at all levels, including high school students, provided the research meets the journal's standards for originality, methodology, and interdisciplinary scope. The journal does not require an advanced degree or institutional affiliation from a university. The quality of the research is the primary criterion.

What citation style does the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences require?

JISS requires APA format, specifically the 7th edition. This applies to in-text citations, the reference list, abstract structure, and heading levels throughout the manuscript. Papers submitted in MLA, Chicago, or other citation styles will need to be reformatted before submission.

What should I do if my paper is rejected by JISS?

Read the reviewer comments carefully. Most rejections include specific feedback. If the issue is scope, consider whether the paper can be revised to strengthen its interdisciplinary framing. If the issue is methodology or analysis, address those gaps before resubmitting or sending the paper to a different journal. A rejection with detailed feedback is useful information.

Where to Go From Here

Submitting to the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences is a concrete, achievable goal for a student researcher with a well-constructed paper and a clear understanding of the journal's scope. The process is straightforward when you follow the formatting requirements, write a focused cover letter, and submit through the correct portal. The peer review process takes time, but it is designed to improve your work, not simply filter it out.

The most important step is starting with a manuscript that is genuinely ready. That means a clear research question, a documented methodology, properly formatted citations, and an argument that integrates more than one social science perspective. If you want to understand the full submission process across different journals before you decide where to send your paper, the complete guide to submitting a research paper to a peer-reviewed journal covers the process from start to finish. For more resources on academic publishing for student researchers, visit the Publication Compass blog.