Full-Length Research Articles

• Contain between 6,000 and 10,000 words, including notes and references
• Must have a clear argument (s) and well-organized structure. This will help the reviewers/editors be thorough, helpful, fair and reasonable in their assessment.

• Provide substantial evidence (primary data and/or secondary sources as applicable) for its claims
• Explain the paper's contribution/relationship to existing debates or current literature. This will, among other things, help readers outside the paper's covered discipline(s) understand and appreciate the paper.
• Discuss/explain discipline-specific terms, theories, and frameworks in ways that can be accessible even to those new or outside a particular discipline. The journal caters to readers from various disciplines. Articles must be understood and appreciated even outside a particular discipline.
• Some common pitfalls to avoid
  
  • Lack of a clear, well-stated argument.
  • Unclear connection between theoretical framework/objectives on the one hand, and actual analysis on the other. In many cases, papers profess to do X but actually do Y.
  • Poor structure/flow of discussion. Use headings/subheadings.

Commentaries, Essays, Documents, Interviews, Research Notes

• Examine current issues or events that pertain to Asia from the perspective of the social sciences, humanities, and/or culture
• May include statements and transcripts of interviews
• Contain between 1,000 and 4,000 words, including notes and references

Reviews

Books

• Must pertain to Asia/Asian Studies, preferably published within the last three years.
• Older books can be reviewed, but its relevance to contemporary concerns should highlighted.
• Books with a general disciplinal focus (social sciences or the humanities) can be reviewed (e.g., a book on Critical Theory or political science)
• Point out the main argument and objectives of the book
• Cite several notable ideas in the book, event, etc.
• Assess the quality and integrity of the data, the research, and the argumentation (Does the book achieve its aims, etc.?)
• Point out, if any, limitations and weaknesses of the book
• Explain how the book relates to and/or contributes to theoretical debates and to existing scholarship on the subject
• Consist of 800 to 1000 words
• Include bibliographic information

Novels, plays, or anthologies of poems

• Pertain to Asian society and culture
• Provide a brief background of the author 
• Provide a short summary of the book/theme (This story is about....)
• Relate the novel's theme to real-life, contemporary issues and problems in the relevant country or region
• Cite specific episodes/examples to illustrate one's argument(s). 
• Comprise 800 to 1,000 words, including any references.
• Older, premodern works can be reviewed, but it is preferred that its relevance to contemporary concerns be highlighted.

Exhibits/artworks

• Pertain to Asian society and culture
• Provide a brief background of the artist
• Relate the art work's theme to real-life, contemporary issues and problems in the relevant country or region

Movie/TV/stage plays

• Describe what the movie is about: plot overview and themes
• Relate it to real-life contemporary issues affecting Asia(ns)
• Cite specific scenes to illustrate one's argument(s). 
• Comprise between 800 and 1,000 words, including any references

 Travel Narratives

• Describe road-less-traveled type of destinations or events in Asia, OR
• Show familiar, common venues in a new light or discuss obscure features of familiar venues
• Comment on how the venue or event relates to theoretical and practical issues in and about Asia 
• Must not simply describe what was seen/heard/felt; it should reflect, analyze, etc.
• Include one photograph
• Run between 800 and 1,000 words. Longer travel narratives may be considered under the commentary section.

 Literary Section: Poems and Short Fiction

• Must have an Asian topic or theme
• Poems should be written in English or in any Asian language, along with English translation (Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the translation.)
• Short fiction Should be no more than 4,000 words and written in English
• All pages of literary submissions should include the name, address and email address of the author. No more than three poems or one piece of short fiction should be submitted at any one time. Authors should wait for a response before submitting future work, and must provide a glossary of non-English words whose meaning cannot be discerned by context.

Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives welcomes themed issues comprising at least four articles, including but not limited to, papers in a conference panel. Apart from the journal’s standard guidelines, the following terms will guide the production of the themed issue.  

Themed Issue Guidelines

• Themed issues must consist of at least 4 and a maximum of five full-length articles, with 6,000-10,000 words each, including references.
• Each article must have an abstract (150–200 words).
• The representative of the group must send a concept note (300–500 words) containing the proposed theme, and a brief discussion of the focus and content of the articles. If the papers have been presented previously in a panel/conference/workshop, include in the concept note details of where the papers have been delivered (conference name, date, conference organizer, venue, etc.).
• Submitted articles must be original. They must not have been previously published elsewhere, and must not be under consideration for publication in another journal or book. Papers under contract in, for example, a conference or workshop will not be accepted. By submitting the articles, the authors attest that submitted articles are original; have not been published (previously or forthcoming) elsewhere, and must not be under consideration for publication in another journal, book, or other publication projects.
• Asian Studies reserves the right to reject a manuscript that does not comply with these and other journal guidelines.

For other details, terms and conditions, editorial/review process, please view the press release.

Citation and Formatting Requirements 

• Asian Studies uses the author-date system of latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Please consult this link for basic examples. Authors should provide a list of references and can use end notes.
  
  
• For paraphrased content, please place in quotation marks any of the words/phrases used by the original. Also, if the paper simply uses synonyms but retains original sentence structure, it might as well just quote the original. Please note that the manuscript will be subjected to plagiarism check using Turnitin.
  
  
• Secure permission to reproduce any copyrighted content before submission. Indicate such permissions by writing an “Acknowledgement” at the end of the article prior to the notes and references section.
  
  
• Indicate source and copyright of photos/figures in the captions
  
  
• Indicate funding (if any) in the acknowledgment section. If there are none, say so.
  
  
• Text

• Size 12, Times New Roman
• MS Word (.Doc file)
• 1.5 spacing
  
  

• Tables and illustrations:
  
  • Place and label all illustrations, tables, etc., at the designated sections within the text.
  • Use high-resolution JPEG format for pictures.
  • If the paper has been approved for publication, the tables must be submitted in hi-resolution images (PNG or JPG format)
  • Submit hi-resolution soft copies of illustrations as separate attachments
  • The editorial board reserves the right to remove illustrations or limit their number. The author can choose which image(s) to keep or remove.

How to Submit

Authors must create/use an account in Clarivate’s ScholarOne to submit a manuscript to the journal.  First-time users will have to provide:

• Full name, and title/position
• Affiliation and address
• Email address, username, and password

If you have questions/objections/concerns, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Documents To Prepare

For a more straightforward submission process, please take note and/or prepare the following:

• Blind-review copy of full-length article
  • Please designate it as "Main Document" when submitting/uploading
• Type of Manuscript (article, review, etc.)
• Title and Running Head
• Abstract (200 words)
• Cover Letter
  
  • Only necessary if you feel you need to explain something about the paper that is not mentioned there
• Declaration of Funding (Yes or No).
  • List of funders (if yes)
• Suggested reviewers (optional) and/or reviewers you don't want Asian Studies to contact (this is optional).
  • For the latter case, explain why in the cover letter. 
• Number of words of your manuscript
• Tick boxes (Yes/No)
  
  • Declaration of previous submission to Asian Studies(tick boxes only)
  • Confirmation of originality
  • Declaration of compliance with ethical guidelines
  • Declaration of conflict of interest
  • Confirmation of submission of Blind-Review copy*
  • Serve as Reviewer?

*Apart from removing your name in the manuscript, please remove properties. To do this in Windows, right-click on your file in Windows Explorer, go to Properties>Details. Select "Remove Properties...." To do this in Mac, open the file in MS Word and go to Tools>Protect Document>Check "Remove Personal Information From This File on Save" and select "OK/Save."

Once you have these on hand, kindly proceed to the ScholarOne portal. Go to “Author” and select “Start New Submission.”

I'M READY: TAKE ME TO SCHOLARONE

 Review Policy/Procedures

• Commentaries, reviews, poems, and travel narratives are subject only to a general review by the editorial staff/editors, who may then offer suggestions for revision and the like.
  
  
• Full-length research articles are subject to a preliminary assessment to determine if it proceeds to peer review.
  
  
• Once a full-length research article passes the preliminary assessment, it is subject to a double-blind peer review system. The paper will be reviewed by at least two scholars. They have three weeks to complete their evaluation, dated from the day the manuscript is sent to them.
  
  
• If both reviews conflict, the editors can decide whether to accept or reject the manuscript, and/or seek the evaluation of a third reviewer.
  
  
• Authors can respond to, argue against reviewers' comments, and provide counterarguments and justifications, whose merits (or otherwise) will be assessed by the editors. The editors will then decide accordingly how the author is to proceed with revisions. 
  
  
• The reviewers' comments are consolidated with the copyeditors'/editorial staff's/editors' comments. This integration aims to streamline the revision process and minimize the back-and-forth between author and editors, who seek to be as thorough as possible in their comments. Kindly note, however, that some issues many crop up, paradoxically, only when the manuscript begins to improve and take better shape.
  
  
• The submitted manuscript will also be subjected to plagiarism check using Turnitin to ensure the manuscript's originality and proper use of citation.
  
  
• Authors are generally given two major attempts to revise their paper. If there are no substantial improvements—whether it has addressed the comments—after the second attempt, the editors may reject the paper altogether.    
  
  
• Authors are advised to remove any information in the manuscripts that can point to their identity in any way. This includes references to their own work, as well as document properties (user name, etc.).
  
  

Copyright Policy 

• Reproduction and republication are prohibited without the written permission from and agreement with the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman and the authors of the respective articles.
  
  
• Asian Studies reserves the right to accept or reject manuscripts depending on the extent of compliance (or otherwise) with the journal’s standards. In exceptional circumstances, they may also be accepted or rejected using criteria outside these written guidelines. The journal only accepts contributions that have not been published in print or electronic form, and are not under consideration in  another publication.  While every care is taken with manuscripts, the editors can take no final responsibility for their return.  Contributors are consequently urged to retain copies of all work submitted. For questions, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Last updated: 21 January 2019