Manuscripts

The SBF Journal publishes high-quality and original research aligned with its aims and scope. Research articles should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including references and notes. Book reviews should not exceed 1,500 words, while chronicles are limited to 2,000 words. Authors may include supplementary materials such as tables, evidence, or illustrations. These can be provided as online supplementary materials and are not included in the word count.

Editorial Review Process

The Editorial Board of Ankara University SBF Journal reviews all submissions. The preliminary review and assessment process is generally completed within one month. Submissions undergo two primary checks at the initial stage:
    • Compliance with the minimum and maximum word limits.
    • Adherence to the journal’s citation and reference style.

Submissions that do not conform to the formal guidelines are rejected outright. The Editorial Board evaluates manuscripts that pass this initial review for their alignment with the journal’s aims, originality, and contribution to the literature. Articles deemed suitable for peer review are assigned to a field editor, who may initiate the peer review process. The Editorial Board has no obligation to provide feedback or explanations to authors of rejected manuscripts.

Peer Review Principles

The journal employs a double-blind peer review process for all submissions. Initially, manuscripts are reviewed by the editors, and only those aligned with the journal's scope are sent to peer reviewers. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two referees. Reviewers are expected to provide feedback within eight weeks. Based on their reports, the responsible editor makes a decision.

Responsibilities of Authors

All individuals who contribute to the work are recognized as authors. The order of authorship should reflect the scientific contributions of each individual, regardless of their status. The SBF Journal does not accept manuscripts generated by large language models, generative AI, or other digital tools.

Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the manuscript but are not authors should be acknowledged in a separate “Acknowledgements” section.

Funding

If a manuscript has received financial support, authors are required to disclose this in a dedicated section, specifying the funding source and grant numbers.

Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest

Authors are encouraged to disclose any potential or perceived conflicts of interest related to peer review, funding, or other areas. Reviewers must inform the editors if any conflicts of interest exist between themselves and the authors.

Research Data

Research underlying the submitted manuscript should be transparent and reliable. Authors are expected to share their data in an appropriate database or provide a link to the data to disclose any conflicting or overlapping interests related to the peer review process, funding, or other aspects of the research. Reviewers are also advised to inform the editor if they have any potential conflicts of interest with the authors of the manuscript, such as competitive, collaborative, or other professional relationships.

Data Transparency

Research submitted to the SBF Journal must be based on transparent and reliable data. Authors should share their research data in an appropriate database and provide a link to the data if direct sharing is not possible. Proper citation of the data used in the research is required.

Manuscript Preparation

Formatting

Preferred file formats are .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Before submission, manuscripts should be prepared with 1.5 line spacing and margins of 3 cm on the left and right and 5 cm on the top and bottom. Text should use a standard 10- or 12-point font.

Visual Elements

Figures submitted in color will appear in color in the online publication but will be reproduced in grayscale in the printed version.

Supplementary Materials

The SBF Journal does not host supplementary materials online (e.g., datasets, podcasts, videos) alongside the full text.

Citation and Referencing Guidelines

The SBF Journal adheres to its own citation style. Authors should review the journal’s guidelines to ensure their references comply with this style.

• In-text citations should be written in parentheses, and the bibliography should follow the same citation system. Examples of citing various sources are provided below:

Single-author books and articles

In-text citation (book): (Said, 2002: 35)
Bibliography (book): Said, Edward W. (1978), Orientalism (London: Pantheon Books).

In-text citation (article): (Waterbury, 1991: 15)
Bibliography (article): Waterbury, John (1991), “Twilight of the Technocrats,” Foreign Affairs, 70 (2): 69–82.

Two-author books and articles

In-text citation (book): (Balibar and Wallerstein, 2000: 67)
Bibliography (book): Balibar, Etienne, and Immanuel Wallerstein (1991), Race, Nation, Class (London: Verso).

In-text citation (article): (Buğra and Keyder, 2006: 219)
Bibliography (article): Buğra, Ayşe, and Çağlar Keyder (2006), “The Turkish Welfare Regime in Transformation,” Journal of European Social Policy, 16 (3): 211–228.

Works with more than two authors

In-text citation (book): (Atkinson et al., 1996: 45)
Bibliography (book): Atkinson, Anthony, Joseph Stiglitz, and Alan Auerbach (1996), Handbook of Public Economics (London: Cambridge University Press).

In-text citation (article): (Davies et al., 1984: 45)
Bibliography (article): Davies, James, France St-Hilaire, and John Whalley (1984), “Some Calculations of Lifetime Tax Incidence,” The American Economic Review, 74 (4): 103–117.

Chapters in edited volumes

In-text citation: (Riddell, 1994: 53)
Bibliography: Riddell, Peter (1994), “Major and Parliament,” in Dennis Kavanagh and Anthony Seldon (Eds.), The Major Effect (London: Macmillan): 46–63.

Institutional and anonymous works

In-text citation: (OECD, 2010: 145)
Bibliography: OECD (2010), World Development Report, 2009 (Paris).

Online sources
In-text citation: (Fisk, 2010)
Bibliography: Fisk, Robert (2010), “An Apology Fatally Devalued by the Passage of 65 Years,” http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/ (Accessed 15 June 2010).

Unpublished dissertations

Yeşilyurt, Nuri (2013), Regime Security and Small State in the Middle East: The Case of Jordan, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ankara University, Institute of Social Sciences, Ankara.

Note: Abbreviations may be used for lengthy institutional titles or legal documents in citations, e.g., European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Footnotes should not be used for citations but for explanatory notes only.

Language and Editing Services

Authors who require assistance with editing, translating, or formatting their manuscripts in Turkish or English to meet the journal’s specifications may seek third-party services before submission.

Submission

The SBF Journal uses DergiPark, the online submission and peer review system managed by TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM. Submissions can be made via the following link: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ausbf.
Important: Before creating a new account, verify whether you already have one. If you have reviewed or submitted articles to the journal in the past year, an account may already exist for you.

For further assistance with the online submission process, refer to the guide available at https://confluence.ulakbim.gov.tr/display/DYM/.

ORCID Integration

As part of its commitment to ethical, transparent, and fair peer review, the SBF Journal supports the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID). ORCID provides researchers with a unique and permanent identifier, distinguishing them even if they share the same name.

Authors are required to link their ORCID IDs during the submission process. Co-authors are also strongly encouraged to link their ORCID IDs to their accounts on the online review platform. Published articles will include the authors’ ORCID IDs in their metadata, enabling accurate attribution and broader accessibility to the authors’ works.

Permissions

Ensure you have obtained the necessary permissions for reproducing any previously published figures, tables, or extensive quotations. This applies to any copyrighted material not authored by you. Securing permissions is essential to avoid copyright infringement during the publication process.

Acceptance and Publication

Publication Process

The assigned editor will keep authors informed about the progress of their manuscript throughout the review and publication stages. Authors are required to upload a response document addressing reviewers’ comments and detailing any revisions or rebuttals.

Early View

Accepted manuscripts that complete the review process may be published online as “early view” (online first) before assignment to an issue. The Editorial Board determines the timing of issue assignments based on thematic and disciplinary balance. Authors’ personal requests regarding publication timing will not be considered.

For further inquiries regarding the submission process, please contact the SBF Journal editorial office.