Ankara University SBF Journal

Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Journal, published since 1943, has adopted an interdisciplinary approach aligned with contemporary social science paradigms. The journal primarily focuses on Turkey and its surrounding region, aiming to incorporate current and dynamic discussions in political science and economics. Furthermore, it supports a broad research agenda by accepting articles that strengthen interdisciplinary discourse in derivative fields of economics such as international relations, political economy, finance, and development studies. Through this approach, the Journal endeavors to bridge different disciplines and provide its readership with critical interdisciplinary content.

Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Journal is a peer-reviewed quarterly publication that follows an open publication policy and focuses on original research and analysis. The Journal has been one of the few pioneering publications that have led the formation of a problem-based and critical research tradition in social sciences in Turkey since its inception. The Journal adopts an inclusive and broad perspective by accepting social, political, and economic research and analyses concerning issues pertinent to Turkey and the world. In this context, manuscripts submitted to the Journal are expected to demonstrate the following qualities: original conceptual framework and methodology, new empirical findings that support policy-making and implementation, and critical analysis and discussions.

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.

Ethical Principles

The Editorial Board, Publishing Committee, Advisory Board, authors, and reviewers of the Ankara University SBF Journal are committed to preventing misconduct in publishing in alignment with academic and ethical standards.

Open Access

The Ankara University SBF Journal adheres to the principle of open and free academic publishing. No fees are requested from authors for article processing, submission, or publication. All articles are made available in full text on the journal's website under the Creative Commons License of CC BY-NC-ND, without restriction or delay, from the date of publication. Readers can download, print, and share all published articles free of charge. Proper attribution must be given to authors and article titles. Articles may not be altered or used for commercial purposes. For more information about this licensing type, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Objectivity

Articles submitted to the Ankara University SBF Journal are evaluated solely on their academic and scientific content, regardless of the author’s sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political philosophy. Personal criticism of the author(s) is considered inappropriate. Reviewers must consult with the editor before agreeing to review a manuscript if they have a potential conflict of interest stemming from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes presenting another’s work as one’s own, copying another’s work without proper citation, either verbatim or with slight alterations, and appropriating research results produced by others. Any form of plagiarism constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.

The SBF Journal maintains a strict stance against copyright infringement, plagiarism, and other violations of quality publishing standards. All allegations of plagiarism or misuse of published works are treated with utmost seriousness. Articles found to contain plagiarized content will be retracted. Submitted manuscripts are screened through plagiarism detection software to determine their similarity ratios. Measures such as issuing corrections, retracting the article, contacting the author’s institution, or pursuing legal action may be implemented to address identified issues.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships with individuals or institutions that could influence their work inappropriately. Such disclosures must be stated in the manuscript.

Confidentiality

The Ankara University SBF Journal is obligated to keep submitted manuscripts confidential and to refrain from using information obtained during the review process for personal gain. The Editorial Board, Publishing Committee, and Advisory Board are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all materials submitted to the journal, as well as all communications with reviewers, unless explicitly agreed otherwise with the relevant authors or reviewers. Reports and information about the manuscripts cannot be shared with others. Reviewers are prohibited from directly communicating with the authors without written permission from the editorial board.

Publication Policy

Ethics in Publishing

Manuscripts submitted to the SBF Journal are evaluated solely based on their academic and scientific merit, without consideration of the authors’ gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political leanings.

Previously Published Content

The SBF Journal does not publish previously published manuscripts.

Copyright Transfer

Authors transfer the copyright of their manuscripts to the SBF Journal upon submission for publication. No royalties or fees are paid to authors.

Open Access and Author Archiving

The SBF Journal is an open-access journal offering free accessibility to its content. Manuscripts are made freely available to readers immediately upon acceptance for publication under the Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND, with no embargo period. Authors are not charged any fees at any stage of submission or publication. Readers may download, print, share, search, or link to the articles without restriction. Proper attribution to the authors is required. Articles may not be modified or used for commercial purposes.

For more information about the license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

The authors retain the copyrights of their published articles. Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi is an open and free access journal. Articles are made freely available to readers as soon as they are accepted for publication under the Creative Commons License of CC BY-NC-ND. There is no embargo period. We do not charge authors at any stage of the processes of submission and publication. Readers can download, print, share, search, or link to the articles without any restrictions. Authors should be given appropriate credit. Articles cannot be changed and they cannot be used for commercial purposes.

Read more about the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/