How to Publish a Journal Article in the Social Sciences: Five Key Steps

If you're preparing research in education, psychology, sociology, political science, or another social science, this guide is for you. These five steps explain how to publish a journal article in the social sciences, from a first full draft to peer review. Each step includes what social science journals and reviewers expect.

Quick Answer: Five Steps to Publish a Social Science Journal Article

Draft the full argument first. Get your whole case on the page before you polish sentences.
Follow the expected structure. Use introduction, literature review, method, results, and discussion, and check APA's reporting standards.
Make it consistent. Align tense, voice, and headings, and add ethics and data statements.
Choose the right journal. Match your topic to the journal's aims and scope, and screen out predatory journals.
Polish, submit, and plan for review. Proofread, follow the author guidelines, and expect six months to a year to publication.

The Five Steps at a Glance

Step	What to do	Social science focus	Helpful guide
1. Draft the full argument	Write the whole case before polishing sentences.	State your research question and contribution in one or two sentences.	Types of literature reviews
2. Follow the expected structure	Use introduction, literature review, method, results, and discussion.	Check APA reporting standards for quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.	Writing a methods section
3. Make it consistent	Align tense, voice, headings, and citations.	Add ethics, consent, data, and preregistration statements.	Literature review APA format
4. Choose the right journal	Match your topic to a journal's aims and scope.	Screen out predatory journals before you submit.	Using journal rankings
5. Polish and submit	Proofread, follow author guidelines, and write a cover letter.	Expect peer review to take months, and plan to revise.	Journal article cover letter guide

This guide focuses on the social sciences. For a general guide that applies to any field, read how to get your research paper accepted by an English-language journal.

Step 1: Get Your Argument on the Page First

In early drafts, your goal is to get the full argument down, not to perfect it. Write more than you think you need. It's far easier to cut and tighten a complete draft than to fill gaps in a thin one.

Before you write the sections, state your research question and contribution in one or two sentences. For example: "We test whether X explains Y among Z, and show that..." If you can't write that sentence yet, the paper isn't ready to draft.

Step 2: Follow the Structure Social Science Journals Expect

Most social science journals expect a familiar structure. Use it as your framework from the start:

Introduction. Set out the problem, why it matters, and your research questions or hypotheses.
Literature review. Name the theory or framework behind your study, and organize sources around your questions. A strong review critiques earlier work and places your study in the debate. See types of literature reviews to choose an approach.
Method. Explain what you did, with whom, and how, in enough detail for another researcher to repeat it. These guides cover methods sections, qualitative methods, and participants and sampling.
Results. Organize findings by research question or hypothesis for quantitative work, or by theme for qualitative work.
Discussion and conclusion. Explain how your findings fit or challenge earlier research, note limitations, and suggest next steps for research and practice.

What APA's Reporting Standards Expect

The APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) list what a paper should report for its design. Many social science reviewers use them, even at journals outside psychology.

Quantitative (JARS-Quant). For findings reported numerically, with a focus on reproducibility.
Qualitative (JARS-Qual). For findings reported as descriptive, nonnumerical data, with a focus on methodological integrity.
Mixed methods (JARS-Mixed). For studies that combine both approaches.
Race, ethnicity, and culture (JARS-REC). Guidance that applies to every design.

A Worked Example: Fisher and Yao (2017)

A published study shows how the sections work together. Fisher and Yao (2017), "Gender differences in financial risk tolerance," appeared in the Journal of Economic Psychology. Each section does one clear job:

Section	What it does in the paper
Introduction	Asks whether men and women differ in financial risk tolerance, and what might explain a gap.
Data and method	Uses the Survey of Consumer Finances, a large, nationally representative dataset. The model lets each factor affect men and women differently.
Results	Finds that the gender gap is explained by differences in the factors behind risk tolerance, not by gender itself.
Discussion	Names income uncertainty and net worth as key moderators, with implications for financial advisors.

Notice that the main finding can be stated in one sentence. That clarity is what you want in your own introduction and abstract.

Step 3: Make Tense, Voice, Formatting, and Statements Consistent

Inconsistency distracts reviewers and suggests a manuscript isn't ready. Before you submit, check these points:

Verb tense. Discuss the literature in present tense (Smith and Jones suggest) or past tense (Miller argued), and keep it consistent.
Point of view. Use first person (we analyzed) or third person (the researchers surveyed) consistently. Avoid second person outside direct quotes.
Headings and citations. Follow the journal's style, often APA, for heading levels and references. See literature review APA format for examples.

Ethics and Transparency Statements

Social science journals increasingly expect clear statements about how you collected and shared data. Include the ones your journal requires:

Ethics approval. Name the institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee and the approval number.
Informed consent. State how participants gave consent, especially for interviews, surveys, and minors.
Preregistration. Link to your preregistered hypotheses and analysis plan, if you have one.
Data availability. Say where data and materials can be found, or why they can't be shared.
Positionality. In qualitative work, explain how your background may shape your interpretation.

Step 4: Choose the Right Journal for Your Research

Choosing a journal is one of the most important decisions in publishing. Start with your own reference list. If you cite a journal several times, your topic likely fits its scope. Then read the journal's "Aims and Scope" page to confirm the fit.

Next, compare your shortlist using journal rankings and the tips in where to find academic journals. Our list of academic journal examples by field can help you find options. If you're unsure about fit, you can send the editor a short presubmission inquiry with your abstract.

How to Spot a Predatory Journal

Predatory journals charge publication fees but offer little or no real peer review. Publishing in one can harm your record. The Think. Check. Submit. journal checklist suggests checking these points:

Do you or your colleagues know the journal, and have you read its articles?
Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?
Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses, without guaranteeing acceptance or very fast review?
Are articles indexed or archived in services you recognize?
Is it clear what fees will be charged, and when?
Is the publisher a member of a recognized group, such as COPE, or listed in DOAJ for open access journals?

Step 5: Polish Your Manuscript and Submit

Reviewers judge your writing as well as your research. Avoidable errors can draw criticism even when the findings are strong. After many drafts, authors stop seeing their own mistakes, so a fresh reader helps. Use this checklist before you submit:

The research question and contribution appear in the introduction
Every section follows the journal's required structure and headings
Methods report what APA's reporting standards expect for your design
Tense and point of view are consistent throughout
Every in-text citation appears in the reference list, in the journal's style
Ethics, consent, funding, conflict of interest, and data statements are included
The manuscript meets the journal's word limit and file format rules
A colleague or editor outside the project has read the full draft
The cover letter explains why the paper fits this journal

Your cover letter is the editor's first impression. Our journal article cover letter guide explains what to include.

Want a reader who knows your field?

Choose an editor with social science experience to read your manuscript before you submit. Learn more about journal article editing.

What Happens During Peer Review?

Peer review is the process in which experts in your field evaluate your manuscript before a journal decides to publish it. First, the editor screens the paper for fit and quality, and may reject it without review. Papers that pass go to two or more reviewers.

Journals use different review models. In single-anonymous review, reviewers know who the authors are. In double-anonymous review, common in the social sciences, neither side knows the other. In open review, names are shared.

Most papers come back with a request for minor or major revisions. Read the comments, respond to each one, and keep your tone constructive. Rejection is common, even at good journals. If it happens, read what to do after journal rejection before you submit elsewhere.

Sources

American Psychological Association. APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS). View APA JARS
Think. Check. Submit. Journals checklist. View the checklist
Fisher, P. J., and Yao, R. (2017). Gender differences in financial risk tolerance. Journal of Economic Psychology, 61, 191-202. View the article

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Frequently Asked Questions About Publishing in the Social Sciences

How long does it take to publish a journal article in the social sciences?

It varies widely by journal. Peer review alone can take a few weeks to several months, and most papers go through at least one round of revisions. Six months to a year from first submission to publication is common for social science journals, and longer timelines are not unusual.

Can I submit my article to more than one journal at a time?

No. Most journals do not allow simultaneous submission, so wait for a decision before submitting elsewhere. Submitting to two journals at once can lead to rejection by both. Check the policy in the author guidelines of your target journal, since a few fields and preprint servers have their own rules.

What referencing style do social science journals use?

APA style is the most common in psychology, education, and many other social sciences. Sociology, political science, and economics journals often use their own styles, such as ASA or Chicago author-date. Always follow the author guidelines of your journal for references, headings, and in-text citations before you submit.

What are the APA Journal Article Reporting Standards?

The APA Journal Article Reporting Standards, or JARS, list what a paper should report for its research design. There are separate standards for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, plus guidance on race, ethnicity, and culture. Reviewers and editors use them to judge whether a methods section is complete.

How can I tell if a journal is predatory?

Warning signs include aggressive email invitations, guaranteed acceptance, very fast review, unclear fees, and an editorial board you cannot verify. The Think. Check. Submit. checklist helps you confirm the publisher, peer review process, indexing, and membership in groups such as COPE or DOAJ before you submit.

What types of peer review do journals use?

In single-anonymous review, reviewers know the authors but authors do not know the reviewers. In double-anonymous review, neither side knows the other, which is common in the social sciences. In open review, names are shared and reviews may be published. The author guidelines state which model a journal uses.

Do I need to preregister my study?

Not always, but it is increasingly expected for confirmatory quantitative studies, especially in psychology. Preregistration records your hypotheses and analysis plan before you collect or analyze data. Some journals offer registered reports, which are reviewed before results are known. Check whether your target journal requires or rewards it.

Should non-native English writers have their manuscript edited before submitting?

It often helps. Reviewers judge clarity as well as research, and unclear phrasing can distract from strong findings. A native English editor who knows your field can fix language without changing your argument. Ask a colleague or a professional editor to read the full draft before you submit.

Related Guides

How to get your research paper accepted covers every step of journal submission for any field.

How to write a methods section that reviewers won't reject explains what reviewers look for in your method.

What to do after journal rejection explains how to revise and resubmit.

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