For Author
Guidelines for Authors
DEEKSHA invites scholarly contributions in the form of empirical research articles, theoretical discussions, topical papers on social issues, and case studies relevant to the field of Social Work.
General Instructions
1. Authors must submit a declaration of originality, affirming that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere and should be original work
2. The Editorial Board reserves full discretion to accept, reject, or suggest revisions to the manuscript
3. Authors will receive one complimentary copy of the issue carrying their article
4. The journal is open to contributions from the teaching and research community globally
5. The consent form for publication must be submitted along with the paper (Consent form available).
6. Papers must be submitted in the prescribed format
7. Length: Manuscript should not exceed 5000 words including tables, figures, and references
8. The DEEKSHA Journal will adhere to all the UGC-CARE norms (February 2025), COPE and APA style (7th Ed).
Manuscript Preparation
Authors are requested to prepare their manuscripts according to the journal’s guidelines to ensure clarity, consistency, and academic quality. Submissions should follow the prescribed format, referencing style, and ethical standards of scholarly writing.
All manuscripts must be prepared in British English, on A4 size paper, 1.5 line spacing, single column, with 1” margin on all sides, using Times New Roman, 10 pt font. Include page numbers at the bottom of each page.
1. Title Page
Title: 14 pt, bold, fully capitalized or written in title case (major words capitalized), and centered.
Author Names: Academic titles such as Dr., Prof., Mr., Mrs., etc., should not be used. Authors’ names should be written as: Prakash Poojary¹, Naveen Dsouza², Karthik N³.
Author Details: The corresponding author should be indicated in a footnote at the bottom of the title page. Provide full details of all authors including full name, designation, institutional affiliation, address, email ID, and contact number in 12 pt font, right-aligned.
2. Abstract
· Length: Not more than 250 words, in italicized text.
· Abstract: Should summarize background, aim and objectives, methodology, key findings, and conclusion with research gap
· Keywords:Include up to five keywords in alphabetical order, separated by commas, ending with a full stop.
3. Structure of the paper
The manuscript should be organized in the following order: Title, Abstract, Keywords, Authors Details, Introduction, Review of Literature, Objectives, Methodology, Results/Findings, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgement (if any), and References. Authors should ensure clarity, logical flow, and adherence to the prescribed referencing style throughout the manuscript.
4. Headings & Sub-headings
· Headings: 12 pt, bold, fully capitalized, aligned left.
· Sub-headings: 12 pt, bold, left aligned, in title case.
· Leave one line space before each heading/sub-heading.
5. Main Text
· Use justified alignment, avoid underlining. Italics may be used for emphasis or foreign words.
· Write in clear academic style adhering to ethical and inclusive language norms.
6. Paragraph
The manuscript should be written in clear and well-structured paragraphs. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea and maintain logical flow throughout the paper. Authors should ensure proper spacing, alignment, and consistency in formatting as per the journal guidelines.
7. Tables and Figures
· Number consecutively with appropriate titles above and sources below
· Tables/Diagrams should be centered, self-explanatory, cited in the text, and in APA format.
· Notes (if any) should appear below the table before the source.
8. Equations
Equations should be centered, numbered consecutively in parentheses, with the number aligned to the right margin.
9. References
· References should be original, relevant, and authors must avoid using AI-generated or unverifiable references.
· The reference list must include only the works that are cited in the manuscript.
· References should be arranged alphabetically according to APA (7th edition) style.
· Ensure that all in-text citations appear in the reference list.
· Single spacing should be used within and between references.
Examples:
Book:
Pandey, S. (2008). Psycho-social aspects of Domestic Violence. Concept Publishing Company.
Book (Multiple Authors):
Macionis, J. J., & Plummer, K. (2012). Sociology: A Global introduction (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
In-text citation: (Macionis& Plummer, 2012)
Book Chapter:
Sharma, T., &Kwatra, G. (2008). Effectiveness of Social Advertising: A Study of Selected Campaigns. in D. Crowther& N. Capaldi (Eds.), Ashgate research companion to corporate social responsibility (pp. 287–303). Ashgate.
Book Chapter (Multiple Authors):
Gupta, A., Sharma, R., & Singh, P. (2018). Community participation in social development. In S. Kumar & R. Das (Eds.), Perspectives in social work practice (pp. 120–135). Sage Publications.
In-text citation: (Gupta et al., 2018)
Journal Article:
Ghosh, T. K. (1986). AIDS: A serious challenge to public health. Journal of the Indian Medical Association, 84(1), 29–30.
Journal Article (Three Authors):
Patel, V., Chatterji, S., &Biritwum, R. (2015). Mental health of older adults: A global perspective. The Lancet, 385(9967), 549–562.
In-text citation: (Patel et al., 2015)
Conference Paper:
Kerketta, A. (2012, September 16–17). Social work practice in multicultural context of North East India. In International conference on social work practices in multicultural contexts. Tumkur University, Tumkur, India.
Thesis/Dissertation:
Prashanth, S. (2006). Customer value: A comparative study of rural and urban customers [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Mangalore University.
Online Resource / Report:
National AIDS Control Organisation. (2013). HIV & AIDS in India: Annual report 2012–13. http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-india.htm (Accessed on [date])
Online Report (Organization as Author):
World Health Organization. (2021). Mental health atlas 2020. https://www.who.int
In-text citation: (World Health Organization, 2021)
10. Ethical Statement
· Authors must adhere to the highest ethical standards of research, which include:
· Informed consent for studies involving human participants.
· Integrity of data and avoidance of any falsification or manipulation.
· Originality in writing, ensuring no plagiarism or duplicate submission.
11. Plagiarism Policy:
Every submitted article will undergo a plagiarism check.
Manuscripts must comply with the University and UGC guidelines: ≤10% similarity index (excluding references and common phrases).
12. AI Usage Policy:
· AI-generated text should NOT exceed 20% % of the manuscript.
· AI usage should be restricted to language enhancement, grammar correction, and reference formatting only.
· AI must NOT be used for conceptual content, data analysis, or interpretation.
· Published by St Aloysius (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru 575003 – India, www.staloysius.edu.in
· Authors are required to declare the extent and purpose of AI usage in their submission.
13. Peer Review Policy
· The journal follows a double-blind peer review process to ensure objectivity and academic rigor.
· Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two experts in the relevant field.
· The review process checks for originality, research quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to social work practice and theory.
· Reviewers will required to maintain confidentiality and declare any conflict of interest.
14. Submission Details
· Authors must send an email along with a covering letter specifying the details of the study.
· A consent form for the submission of articles for publication will be sent to the author(s) via email once the editor receives the submission email from the author(s).
· Authors are required to submit both a soft copy and a hard copy of the paper in Word format only.
· The soft copy should be emailed to: deekshajournal_msw@staloysius.edu.in
· The hard copy should be delivered to the editor either by hand or by post at the following address:
Contact Details
Dr RoshanMonteiro
Executive Editor, DEEKSHA: Annual Peer Reviewed Journal of Social Work
Department of Social Work
School of Arts and Humanities
St Aloysius (Deemed to be University)
Mangalore – 574003, India
Mobile: +91-812377064
Email: roshan_monteiro@staloysius.edu.in
