1. Scope of Submissions

The Journal of Sanskrit & Indic Research invites original and unpublished research contributions in Sanskrit studies and allied disciplines. Submissions must engage substantively with primary Sanskrit sources and demonstrate scholarly rigour appropriate to the field.

For a full description of the journal's thematic scope, please refer to the Aims & Scope page.

2. Types of Contributions

Word counts include footnotes but exclude the abstract, keywords, and reference list. Authors wishing to submit manuscripts exceeding the upper limit should contact the editorial office in advance.

3. Originality and Simultaneous Submission

Submissions must be original works that have not been published, accepted for publication, or posted as a preprint in any form that would preclude journal publication.

Work previously presented at a conference or published in an abstract form may be considered, provided the submitted manuscript represents a substantially expanded and revised version. Authors must disclose any prior presentation in the cover letter.

4. Plagiarism and Similarity Check

The journal adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism in all its forms, including text recycling, paraphrasing without attribution, and self-plagiarism.

All submitted manuscripts are screened using iThenticate / Turnitin prior to peer review. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding the reference list and properly attributed direct quotations) will be returned to the author without review. Authors are encouraged to run their own similarity check before submission.

For further details on the journal's approach to misconduct and investigation procedures, please refer to the Publication Ethics page.

5. Cover Letter

All submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. The cover letter must be submitted as a separate document and should include the following:

• Full title of the manuscript.
• Type of contribution (Research Article, Book Review, etc.).
• A brief statement (100–150 words) on the significance of the work and its fit with the journal's scope.
• Confirmation that the manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Confirmation that all authors have approved the submission.
• Disclosure of any use of AI-assisted tools in the preparation of the manuscript (see AI-Generated Content Policy).
• Conflict of interest declaration (or an explicit statement that none exists).
• Any prior presentation of the work (conference paper, preprint, etc.).
• Suggested reviewers (optional, 2–3 names with institutional affiliations and email addresses).

6. Conflict of Interest Declaration

All authors are required to declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission. A conflict of interest includes, but is not limited to:

• Financial relationships with organisations that could benefit from the research (grants, consultancy, employment, stock ownership).
• Personal relationships with individuals who may benefit from or be affected by the work.
• Institutional affiliations or rivalries that could influence the findings.
• Involvement in the subject matter at the time of the study.

The declaration must appear in both the cover letter and at the end of the manuscript (before the References section), under the heading "Conflict of Interest Statement". If no conflict of interest exists, authors should state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

7. AI-Generated Content Disclosure

Authors who have used artificial intelligence (AI) or large language model (LLM) tools in the preparation of their manuscript are required to disclose this use. Disclosure must be made in both the cover letter and within the manuscript, in a dedicated statement under the heading "Use of AI Tools", placed after the Acknowledgements section.

AI tools may not be listed as authors or co-authors. All intellectual and ethical responsibility for the content of the manuscript rests solely with the human authors. The use of AI tools to generate, translate, or interpret primary Sanskrit textual evidence without independent scholarly verification is not permitted.

For the full policy, please refer to the AI-Generated Content Policy.

8. Preparation of Manuscripts

Authors must follow the formatting and structural requirements described in full on the Manuscript Preparation page. Key requirements are summarised below:

• File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).
• Font: 12pt, Unicode-compatible (e.g. Times New Roman, Noto Serif Devanagari for Sanskrit).
• Line spacing: 1.5; margins: 1 inch on all sides.
• Abstract: 150–250 words in English, followed by 4–6 keywords.
• Sanskrit passages: Devanāgarī or IAST transliteration; consistency must be maintained throughout.
• Citations: Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition.
• Blind review preparation: Remove all author-identifying information from the manuscript body, headers, footers, and document metadata before submission. Author details are submitted separately on a title page.

9. Mode of Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically by the submission link: N/A.

1. Prepare two separate files: (a) a title page containing the manuscript title, all author names, affiliations, corresponding author email, and ORCID iDs; and (b) the anonymised manuscript with no author-identifying information.
2. Prepare a cover letter as a third separate document (see Section 5 above).
3. Use the subject line format: "Submission – [Contribution Type] – [Short Title]" (e.g. "Submission – Research Article – Śabda-Pramāṇa in Nyāya").
4. Attach all three documents in the submission link: N/A.
5. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent within 5 working days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please follow up with the editorial office.

10. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors who believe that a rejection decision was made in error, or that the review process was not conducted fairly, may submit a formal appeal within 30 days of receiving the decision.

Appeals should be sent to head@sanskrit.du.ac.in with the subject line "Appeal: [Manuscript ID]", and must set out the specific grounds for the appeal. Appeals are reviewed by a senior editor who was not involved in the original decision.

For full details of the appeals procedure, please refer to the Appeals and Complaints section of the Publication Ethics page.

11. Queries

Authors with queries not addressed in these guidelines are welcome to contact the editorial office at head@sanskrit.du.ac.in. Please consult the Manuscript Preparation, Peer Review Process, and Publishing Timeline pages before writing to the editorial office, as these address the most frequently asked questions.