Author submission guidelines

Find out more about the type of articles we accept, and read instructions and guidelines for how to submit for publication.

What you can submit

If you choose to submit a research article to the Bath Student Journal of Society and Social Change, it should:

  • address current social issues, problems, inequalities, and injustices
  • demonstrate understanding of societal implications of a social issue
  • promote critical debate of a social issue
  • incorporate a theoretical approach to a social issue

Your submission can be a revised version of work undertaken at the University of Bath, or it can examine a social issue beyond the scope of your course’s curriculum. For example, the following types of assignments could be revised and submitted as an article:

  • dissertations
  • essays
  • placement work
  • reports
  • research apprenticeship projects
  • research articles

Please note: You should not submit revised coursework to the journal before it has been assessed as part of your course.

If you have any questions about the type of work you can submit, or want to discuss any potential ideas, please contact us via email studentjournal@bath.ac.uk

Article types

We accept three types of article:

  • research articles
  • analytical essays
  • opinion articles

Each has different requirements, so please read the relevant description carefully before submitting.

Research article

A research article should address a research problem identified by the author. Within the journal, any article that is method-led and has a structured methodology is considered a research article. We particularly welcome articles that address structural issues, problems, inequalities, and injustices in society.

Research articles can be theoretical or empirical in nature. Examples include literature reviews with a structured methodology, or articles presenting qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods findings.

Important: ethical approval

All research articles with a structured methodology will generally require ethical approval, even where no new data is collected. Please contact the editorial board at

studentjournal@bath.ac.uk for advice before conducting any research with a structured methodology outside of your coursework.

Submitting authors must follow the relevant ethical processes and regulations of their university department.

Research articles should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words (including footnotes and references) and should follow this structure:

  1. Title page
  2. Abstract (200 words or fewer)
  3. Background
  4. Methods
  5. Results/findings and discussion
  6. Conclusion
  7. Reference list

Analytical essay

An analytical essay should provide a theoretically informed critical synthesis of existing research, but should not be a formally designed empirical study. Key characteristics of an analytical essay:

  • Argument-led, not method-led – it should advance a clear, focused argument rather than follow a structured methodology.
  • Critically synthetic – it should draw together and interpret existing literature in relation to a chosen topic, identifying patterns, tensions, and conceptual insights.
  • Based entirely on published literature – no primary data collection is involved, and therefore no ethical approval is required.

Analytical essays should be between 2,000 and 5,000 words (including footnotes and references). There is no prescribed structure.

Opinion article

An opinion article should address a contemporary issue in the social sciences or the social world more broadly. These pieces are typically short and present a clearly defined argument in a strong, focused, and accessible voice aimed at a general audience. Although less formal in structure, an opinion article must still be grounded in evidence such as facts, citations, data, or personal observation.

Opinion articles should be between 600 and 850 words (including footnotes and references). There is no prescribed structure.

Preparing your paper

Formatting

All submissions should be formatted as follows:

  • Times New Roman, font size 12
  • 0 line spacing
  • 5 cm page margins

Title page

All submissions must include a title page as the first page. This should include:

  • the article title
  • the article type (research article, analytical essay, or opinion article)
  • author name(s) and affiliation(s) (e.g., department)
  • the corresponding author (the author who will respond to feedback)

Authorship

Authors should be undergraduate or master’s students at the University of Bath. Articles may be submitted by a single author or by a group of authors. All individuals listed as authors should have made a significant contribution to the article, such as through its design, data collection and analysis, or drafting and approval of the final version.

PhD students at the University of Bath may be invited to submit articles on invitation or for a particular special issue (e.g., advice articles). Given that the journal aims to publish student work, staff should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section where appropriate (for example, to recognise the contribution of a supervisor).

References

We use the Harvard (Bath) reference style. For further information and support, see: https://library.bath.ac.uk/referencing/harvard-bath

Ethics

We aim to adhere to a high standard of ethics. Submitting authors must follow the relevant ethical processes and regulations of their university department. For guidance on whether your submission requires ethical approval, see the article type descriptions above or contact the editorial board.

Acknowledgements

Authors may wish to acknowledge individuals who do not meet the journal’s criteria for authorship, such as fellow students who supported the work or university staff who supervised it. Where no acknowledgements are necessary, include the statement: “No acknowledgements.”

Conflicts of interest

Authors should declare any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. Where none exist, include the statement: “The author(s) declare no conflicts of interest.”

Submission checklist

Before submitting, ensure your article includes:

  • title page
  • abstract (research articles only)
  • article main body (including an ethical statement, where appropriate)
  • acknowledgements statement
  • conflicts of interest statement

If you have any questions about what you can submit, or would like to discuss a potential idea, please contact us at studentjournal@bath.ac.uk.

How to submit

You can submit an article for publication at any time. To submit:

  1. Save your submission as a Word document using the naming convention: Name_Article type (e.g., “Jane Williams_Research Article”). Our editors will anonymise your paper before sending it for review.
  2. Email your submission to studentjournal@bath.ac.uk.
  3. Monitor your inbox. One of our editors may have follow-up questions and will contact you about the outcome of your submission.

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