1. General Formatting

Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx) and conform to the following specifications:

2. Word Limits

Word counts include footnotes but exclude the abstract, keywords, and reference list.

Authors wishing to submit a manuscript that exceeds the upper word limit should contact the editorial office before submission with a brief justification.

3. Structure of the Manuscript

Submissions must be prepared as two separate files:

• File 1 — Title Page (contains all author-identifying information; see Section 6).
• File 2 — Anonymised Manuscript (no author-identifying information anywhere in the file).

File 2 — Anonymised Manuscript: required sections in order

• Title Full title only; no author names or affiliations.
• Abstract 150–250 words in English. Must be self-contained. For articles substantially in Sanskrit, an English abstract is mandatory; a Sanskrit abstract (saṃkṣepa) may be added optionally after the English abstract.
• Keywords 4–6 keywords in English (and optionally in Sanskrit). Avoid repeating words from the title.
• Main Text Divided into titled sections and sub-sections as appropriate to the argument.
• Conclusion May be a standalone section or integrated as the final section of the main text.
• Conflict of Interest Statement Required for all submission types. State "The authors declare no conflict of interest" if none exists.
• Use of AI Tools (if applicable) Disclose any AI-assisted tool used in manuscript preparation. See AI-Generated Content Policy.
• Acknowledgements (if applicable) Funding sources, institutional support, and personal acknowledgements. Do not name co-authors here.
• References / Bibliography Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. See Section 5 for full guidance and examples.
• Appendices (if applicable) Labelled Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Each appendix must have a title.

4. Abstract and Keywords

Abstract

An English-language abstract of 150–250 words is mandatory for all submission types except Book Reviews. The abstract must be a standalone summary of the article and should include:

• The research question or objective.
• The primary sources or texts engaged.
• The methodology or approach.
• The main findings or argument.
• The significance of the contribution.

The abstract must not contain citations, footnotes, or undefined abbreviations. References to specific texts should use the most widely recognised name of the work.

Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords in English, listed after the abstract. Keywords should reflect the principal subjects, texts, and disciplines addressed in the article. Avoid repeating words already in the title. Sanskrit technical terms may be included as keywords using IAST transliteration.

5. Script and Transliteration

Sanskrit passages may be presented in Devanāgarī script or in IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration). Whichever system is chosen must be used consistently throughout the manuscript. Mixing of systems within a single article is not acceptable unless editorially justified (e.g. in a comparative manuscript that specifically discusses both conventions).

IAST Reference Chart

For full IAST correspondence, authors may refer to the standard maintained by the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon .

Recommended Unicode fonts

• Devanāgarī: Noto Serif Devanagari, Mangal, Siddhanta, Sanskrit 2003
• IAST: Times New Roman (Unicode), Junicode, Gentium Plus

6. Preparing for Double-Blind Peer Review

The Journal of Sanskrit & Indic Research operates a double-blind peer review process: neither authors nor reviewers know each other's identities. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscript file is fully anonymised before submission.

What must be removed from the manuscript file (File 2)

• Author names, designations, and affiliations in the text body or headers ✓ These go on the separate Title Page (File 1)
• Self-referential phrases such as "In our earlier work…", "As I argued in [Author, 2020]…" ✓ Replace with "In previous work [Anonymous, 2020]…" or restructure the sentence
• Acknowledgements naming the author's institution, funding body, or colleagues ✓ Write "[Acknowledgements withheld for review]" as a placeholder
• Citations of the author's own unpublished or forthcoming work that would identify them ✓ Replace with "[Author's forthcoming work withheld for review]"
• Author name in document metadata (File → Properties in MS Word) ✓ Go to File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document → Remove personal information
• Tracked changes or comments attributed to the author ✓ Accept all tracked changes and delete all comments before saving

Title Page (File 1) — must contain

• Full title of the manuscript.
• Full name(s) of all authors, in the order they should appear in publication.
• Institutional affiliation, department, and country for each author.
• Email address of the corresponding author.
• ORCID iD for each author who has one (strongly encouraged).
• Short biographical note for each author (50–80 words) — optional but recommended.
• Any acknowledgements (funding, assistance, etc.).

7. References and Citations

The journal follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, Notes-Bibliography system. All references cited in footnotes must also appear in the bibliography at the end of the article, and vice versa.

Sample Citations — Notes (Footnotes)

Sample Citations — Bibliography

Additional conventions for Sanskrit scholarship

• Primary Sanskrit texts should be cited by title, edition/editor, and passage number (adhyāya, sūtra, śloka, verse, etc.) rather than page number where possible.
• Standard abbreviations for frequently cited Sanskrit texts (e.g. AS for Arthaśāstra, MB for Mahābhārata) may be used after the first full citation, provided a list of abbreviations is included at the start of the article.
• Sanskrit text titles should be given in IAST in the bibliography; the commonly used anglicised form may appear in the main text (e.g. Mahabharata in prose, Mahābhārata in IAST when citing).

8. Tables, Figures, and Images

• Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and given a descriptive caption.
• All tables and figures must be referenced in the text before they appear.
• Tables should be prepared in Word (not as images) using the table editor.
• Images and figures must be submitted at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi as separate files in TIFF or high-quality JPEG format.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining and supplying written permission for the reproduction of any third-party material (images, maps, manuscript facsimiles) that is protected by copyright.

9. Final Check Before Submission

Before sending your manuscript, please verify the following:

• Two separate Word files prepared: Title Page (File 1) and Anonymised Manuscript (File 2).
• All author information removed from File 2, including document metadata.
• Abstract is 150–250 words in English; keywords are 4–6 in number.
• Manuscript word count falls within the limits for the submission type.
• Script (Devanāgarī or IAST) is consistent throughout.
• All citations use Chicago 17th edition, Notes-Bibliography system.
• Footnote citations and Bibliography entries match.
• Conflict of Interest Statement included.
• AI disclosure statement included (if applicable).
• Acknowledgements anonymised or placeholdered.

For submission instructions, and cover letter requirements, refer to the Submission Guidelines page.