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European Journal of Social Theory

European Journal of Social Theory


eISSN: 14617137 | ISSN: 13684310 | Current volume: 26 | Current issue: 4 Frequency: Quarterly

European Journal of Social Theory has been accepted into the Social Science Citation Index

"This journal is a must for your library" The Times Higher Education Supplement

European Journal of Social Theory brings together social theorists and theoretically-minded social scientists with the objective of making social theory relevant to the challenges facing the social sciences in the 21st century.

European Journal of Social Theory's conception of social theory is broad-ranging including all varieties of contemporary social and political thought, questions in the philosophy of social science, and theoretical reflection on major social issues.

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

European Journal of Social Theory is available on SAGE Journals Online.

European Journal of Social Theory (EJST), edited by Gerard Delanty, is a peer reviewed quarterly journal that publishes original articles in social theory. It is interdisciplinary in scope and international in its appeal to scholars anywhere in the world. Its conception of social theory is a broad one, including the theoretical traditions within the social sciences, critical social analysis and debates arising from the philosophy of social science. Engaged with contemporary debates in social theory, the journal explores theoretical contexts of issues relating to major social transformations and a broad range of topics of interest to the social and human sciences.

Editor
Gerard Delanty University of Sussex, UK
Assistant Editor
Neal Harris Oxford Brookes University, UK
Aurea Mota Open University of Catalunya, Spain
Book Review Editor
Charlie Masquelier Exeter University, UK
Associate Editors
Daniel Chernilo School of Government, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile
Austin Harrington University of Leeds, UK
Krishan Kumar University of Virginia, USA
William Outhwaite University of Newcastle, UK
Monica Sassatelli University of Bologna, Italy
Piet Strydom University College Cork, Ireland
Stephen P. Turner University of South Florida, USA
Frédéric Vandenberghe Federal University of Rio Janerio, Brazil
Peter Wagner University of Barcelona, Spain
Philip Walsh York University, Canada
International Editorial Board
Johann P. Arnason Charles University, Czech Republic
Patrick Baert Cambridge University, UK
Margareta Bertilsson Copenhagen University, Denmark
Gurminder Bhambra University of Sussex
Esperança Bielsa Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Paul Blokker University of Bologna, Italy
Luc Boltanski École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France
Klaus Eder Humboldt University, Berlin/European University Institute, Florence
Dave Elder-Vass Loughborough University, UK
Heidrun Friese Chemnitze Technical University, Germany
Johan Heilbron Centre de Sociologie Europeene, Paris, France
Axel Honneth J W Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
Wayne Hudson University Tazmania, Australia
David Inglis Helsinki University, Finland
Hans Joas Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
Fuat Keyman Koc University, Turkey
Anthony King University of Warwick, UK
Daniel Levy Stony Brook University, USA
Carlo Mongardini University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy
Helga Nowotny Vienna Science and Technology Fund, Austria
Patrick O'Mahony National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
Chris Rojek City, University of London, UK
Victor Roudometof University of Cyprus, Cyprus
Susie Scott University of Sussex, UK
Barry Smart University of Portsmouth, UK
Natan Sznaider The Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, Israel
Piotr Sztompka Jagiellonian University, Poland
Goran Therborn University of Cambridge, UK
Shijun Tong East China Normal University, China
Bryan S. Turner Catholic University of Australia, Sydney
Iain Wilkinson University of Kent at Canterbury, UK
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  • Manuscript Submission Guidelines: European Journal of Social Theory

    This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics

    Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/est to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

    Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of European Journal of Social Theory will be reviewed.

    There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

    As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

    Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that European Journal of Social Theory may accept submissions of papers that have been posted on pre-print servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy.

    If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version of your paper.

    1. What do we publish?
      1.1 Aims & Scope
      1.2 Article types
      1.3 Writing your paper
    2. Editorial policies
      2.1 Peer review policy
      2.2 Authorship
      2.3 Acknowledgements
      2.4 Funding
      2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
    3. Publishing policies
      3.1 Publication ethics
      3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
      3.3 Open access and author archiving
    4. Preparing your manuscript
      4.1 Formatting
      4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
      4.3 Supplementary material
      4.4 Reference style
      4.5 English language editing services
    5. Submitting your manuscript
      5.1 ORCID
      5.2 Information required for completing your submission
      5.3 Permissions
    6. On acceptance and publication
      6.1 SAGE Production
      6.2 Online First publication
      6.3 Access to your published article
      6.4 Promoting your article
    7. Further information

    1. What do we publish?

    1.1 Aims & Scope

    Before submitting your manuscript to European Journal of Social Theory, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

    1.2 Article Types

    European Journal of Social Theory publishes original articles and book reviews.

    1.3 Writing your paper

    The SAGE Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. SAGE Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

    1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

    When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online

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    2. Editorial policies

    2.1 Peer review policy

    European Journal of Social Theory operates a strictly anonymous peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author and, the author’s name from the reviewer. Authors should format their submissions to accommodate this.

    The submission should be accompanied by a covering note, which should include a word count and confirmation that the article is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Every attempt is made to get a response within three months.

    All manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editor and only those papers that meet the scientific and editorial standards of the journal, and fit within the aims and scope of the journal, will be sent for outside review. Each manuscript selected for review is normally reviewed by at least two referees. In some cases a paper will be sent to one reader before seeking a second report and a decision to reject the paper may be made on the basis of one report. The Editor will make a decision on the basis of the advice given by these readers. In some cases a third report may be sought.

    Papers selected for publications will have been peer reviewed by at least two readers.

    Authors are permitted to suggest between 3 and 5 potential assessors for their papers. There is no guarantee that any of the suggestions will be used. For each assessor authors are asked to include full name, position, email address and a sentence explaining their suitability to review the paper.

    Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers are available here.

    2.2 Authorship

    All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

    Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

    2.3 Acknowledgements

    All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

    Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.

    2.3.1 Third party submissions
    Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

    • Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
    • Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
    • Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

    Where appropriate, SAGE reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

    2.3.2 Writing assistance

    Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

    2.4 Funding

    European Journal of Social Theory requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

    2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

    European Journal of Social Theory encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway

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    3. Publishing Policies

    3.1 Publication ethics

    SAGE is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the SAGE Author Gateway

    3.1.1 Plagiarism

    European Journal of Social Theory and SAGE take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

    3.1.2 Prior publication

    If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a SAGE journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

    3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

    Before publication, SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants SAGE the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than SAGE. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the SAGE Author Gateway

    3.3 Open access and author archiving

    European Journal of Social Theory offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

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    4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

    4.1 Formatting

    The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

    4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

    For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit SAGE’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

    Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from SAGE after receipt of your accepted article.

    4.3 Supplementary material

    This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files

    4.4 Reference style

    [EITHER]

    European Journal of Social Theory adheres to the SAGE Harvard reference style. View the SAGE Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

    If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the SAGE Harvard EndNote output file.

    Please note: English language translations where available should be used in citing texts.

    4.5 English language editing services

    Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using SAGE Language Services. Visit SAGE Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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    5. Submitting your manuscript

    European Journal of Social Theory is hosted on SAGE Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/est to login and submit your article online.

    IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

    Authors should ensure that articles are between 6,000 and 9,000 words in length including tables, notes, and references.

    Manuscripts should be in either 1.5 spacing doubled spaced with generous margins (at least 2.5cm) and presented in the following sequence:

    • Title (Use Bold, but do not use Block Caps or underline).
    • Abstract of up to 150 words in length.
    • Up to five keywords.
    • Main text (titles and section headings should be clear and brief; lengthy quotations, i.e. exceeding 40 words, should be indented; do not number the sections; the opening pages should not be titled Introduction. The final section is normally titled Conclusion)
    • Acknowledgements (if any) should appear at the end of the text and titled Acknowledgements. For the initial submission this section should be left blank.
    • Endnotes, titled Notes, which should also be indicated with superscript numbers in the text. Do not use footnotes.
    • References (see the website or any recent issue for the correct format). Do not title References ‘Bibliography’ or ‘ Sources Cited’. They should not be on a separate file.

    Article submissions should be anonymized, with all author information removed from file headers, the main text and self-references. On a separate title page/document authors should provide a short biographical note, full mailing address and email address. Authors will be sent electronically proofs of their articles and controlled access to an electronic file of the published version, plus one copy of the journal. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere.

    Book reviews are normally commissioned by the review editor, but proposals for longer review essays are welcome. Please view the Code of Ethics, General Policy and Guidelines policy document for all information relating to book reviews in European Journal of Social Theory.

    All queries to the editor should be addressed to ejst@sussex.ac.uk.

    5.1 ORCID

    As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process SAGE is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognised.

    The collection of ORCID IDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID ID you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID ID is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

    If you do not already have an ORCID ID please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more

     

    5.2 Information required for completing your submission

    You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

    5.3 Permissions

    Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the SAGE Author Gateway

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    6. On acceptance and publication

    6.1 SAGE Production

    Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.

    6.2 Online First publication

    Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the SAGE Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

    6.3 Access to your published article

    SAGE provides authors with online access to their final article.

    6.4 Promoting your article

    Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The SAGE Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.

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    7. Further information

    Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the European Journal of Social Theory editorial office as follows:

    ejst@sussex.ac.uk

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