About the Journal

Space and Culture, India (e-ISSN 2052-8396) is a double-blind, peer-reviewed international journal in Humanities published quarterly.

Scopus

We welcome theoretically informed original research, commentaries, reviews, policy analyses, and practice reflections on emerging issues linked to social, cultural, and economic development & social welfare, social & cultural change, and challenges specific to India and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Occasionally, the Journal may also welcome submissions on the said subjects from other countries. The emphasis of Space and Culture, India, is to stimulate thinking, provide scholarly learning, and stand out by offering debates, ideas, and discussions on development issues and challenges for development and social change in India and other regions of the world.

It is published by ACCB Publishing, a wing of the Alliance for Community Capacity Building in North East India (in short form, ACCB), a UK Charity (Registered No. 1106666). ACCB (website: accb.org.uk) operates in association with the Prag Foundation for Capacity Building (website: none), Guwahati 781019, a public charitable trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.

General Information

Space and Culture, India, currently publishes four regular issues plus special issues (as and when) supported by high levels of mentoring, pastoral care, and rigorous peer review. The journal adheres to the guidelines of COPE. While we encourage submissions from a wide range of scholars across the globe on topics related to space, culture, and socio-economic development specific to India and the Asia-Pacific, scholars should note that the period from submission to publication may exceed 24 months. 

Feedback from Scholars

1. "I am grateful to the 'Team Space and Culture, India' for publishing my first academic paper. I sincerely appreciate the excellent support received from the editorial team. I reserve my gratitude to the Editor in Chief, Dr Bhattacharyya, for her kindness and forbearance. I am looking forward to a fruitful relationship. Thank you once again." - Vinay Sankar, PhD. Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. Jawahar Nagar, PIN. 500078, Telangana, India, Email: vinay.sankar@gmail.com

2. "I am extremely grateful to the anonymous referee as well as the copyeditor for their useful suggestions." - Dr Yaiphaba Ningthoujam, Assistant Professor, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion & Inclusive Policy, Manipur University, Pin. 795008, Manipur, India, Email: yaipha_ning@yahoo.in

3. "We truly appreciate your commitment to uphold the quality and rigour of the journal while at the same time taking an inclusive hand-holding approach with the authors." - Professor Amalendu Jyotishi, School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Email: amalendu.jyotishi@apu.edu.in

Focus and Scope

The primary aim of Journal Space and Culture, India (e-ISSN 2052-8396) is to provide a forum for debate on social, cultural, and economic development. The authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts linked to social welfare, social and cultural change, and challenges and discrimination {race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, (dis)ability, militarism‚ civil conflict, corruption, poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, disease, rights to shelter, environmental degradation, development of scientific and technological resources, and trade } specific to India and other countries of Asia-Pacific region. The journal may also occasionally welcome submissions on the said topics from other countries.

Peer Review Process

Space and Culture, India, aims to maintain an anonymous review policy. Each manuscript will be reviewed independently. At no time will the name of the author(s) (or any personal information) be made known to the referees or relevant to the selection and publication of the author's work. All submitted manuscripts must be stripped of identifying information before being circulated to reviewers for comments. On receiving comments from the reviewers (again, with no identifying information), they are circulated to the author(s) to guide revisions. However, the final decision on the suitability of all submissions for publication rests with the editorial board.

Open Access and Funding Model

Open Access Policy

  • Journal Space and Culture, India, is a Gold Open Access journal that provides immediate, free access to all published content.
  • All articles are freely available to read, download, and share without subscription barriers.
  • The Journal supports the principle that open access promotes wider dissemination, visibility, and impact of research.
  • Authors retain copyright of their work, with publication under an appropriate open-access licence.

The Journal ensures long-term preservation through recognised archiving systems (e.g., LOCKSS), ensuring permanent accessibility.

Funding Model and Article Processing Charges (APC)

The Journal operates under a not-for-profit, charity-supported funding model.

  • The Journal’s only source of revenue is the Article Processing Charge (APC)
  • The Journal does not accept advertisements, sponsorships, or commercial funding

Within South Asia: INR 15,000 (single author); INR 20,000 (multiple authors)

Outside South Asia:

  • High-Income Countries: £1000
  • Middle-Income Countries: £600
  • Low-Income Countries: £400

The Journal is supported by the Alliance for Community Capacity Building in Northeast India (ACCB), a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1106666), which contributes to operational and developmental costs from its own resources. This ensures that the Journal functions as a scholarly public-good initiative rather than a profit-driven enterprise.

APC Benchmarking and Accessibility

Across the global open-access landscape, APCs in comparable social science and interdisciplinary journals typically range from several hundred pounds to over £2,000. Within this context, the Journal’s APCs are positioned at the lower end of prevailing international ranges, particularly for authors in South Asia and other low- and middle-income regions. This pricing model is designed to:

  • Reduce financial barriers to publication
  • Support early-career and under-resourced researchers
  • Promote equitable global participation in knowledge production

Waiver and Discount Consideration

The Journal Space and Culture, India, does not operate a formal waiver or discount policy. However, in exceptional circumstances, the Journal may consider requests for partial or full APC support on a case-by-case basis, at the sole discretion of the Journal’s management. Requests must be made at the time of submission. All decisions are final and are made independently of the editorial and peer review process. The Journal remains committed to balancing financial sustainability with its broader mission of supporting equitable access to scholarly publishing, within the limits of its resources as a charity-supported initiative.

Archiving

This journal utilises the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries. It permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration.

Publication Ethics

Journal Space and Culture, India, adheres to the publication ethics for editors, authors and reviewers as defined by COPE's Committee on Publication Ethics in their Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2011) and Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK) as a baseline for handling publishing ethics issues. Please refer to the responsibilities, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and complaints procedure below.

Authors' Responsibilities

Online Submission Process and Author Fees

Reporting Standards

Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors could be asked to provide the raw data of their study, together with the paper, for editorial review. They should be prepared to make the data publicly available if practicable. In any event, authors should ensure the accessibility of such data to other competent professionals for at least 10 years after publication (preferably via an institutional or subject-based data repository or other data centre), provided that the confidentiality of participants can be protected and that legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors will submit only entirely original works and will appropriately cite or quote the work and/or words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

In general, papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal. Submitting the same paper to multiple journals is unacceptable and unethical.

Manuscripts which have been published as copyrighted material elsewhere cannot be submitted. However, by submitting a manuscript, the author(s) retain the rights to the published material, as evidenced by our Open Access Policy.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.

The corresponding author ensures that all contributing co-authors and no uninvolved persons are included in the author list. The corresponding author will also verify that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

See below.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Detailed Guidelines here. 

The review format can be downloaded here.

1. To contribute to the decision-making process and improve the published paper's quality by reviewing the manuscript objectively and promptly.

2. To maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by the editor or author. To not retain or copy the manuscript.

3. To alert the editor to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review.

4. To be aware of any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, collaborative or other relationships between the reviewer and author) and to alert the editor to these, if necessary, withdrawing their services for that manuscript in the form of an erratum.

Editors' Responsibilities

1. To act in a balanced, objective, and fair way while carrying out their expected duties, without discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.

2. To handle submissions for sponsored supplements or special issues in the same way as other submissions so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without commercial influence.

3. To adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflicting nature, following the policies and procedures of the journal where appropriate. To give authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints. All complaints should be investigated, no matter when the original publication was approved. Documentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.

See further details here.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest can occur when you (or your employer or sponsor) have a financial, commercial, legal, or professional relationship with other organisations or with the people working with them that could influence your research.

All authors should include a statement disclosing any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that may be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. The journal editor will use this information to inform their editorial decisions and may publish such disclosures to assist readers in evaluating the article. The conflict of interest can be declared on your cover letter or on the manuscript submission form in the journal's online peer-review system.

Conflict of Interest: Sample Disclosure Statements

The Journal Space and Culture, India's policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that I [have financial and/or business interests in] [am a consultant to] [receive funding from] (delete as appropriate) a company that may be affected by the research reported in the enclosed paper. I have disclosed those interests fully, and I have in place an approved plan for managing any potential conflicts arising from [that involvement].

or

This research is sponsored by [company A] and may lead to the development of products which may be licensed to [company B], in which I have a business and/or financial interest. I have disclosed those interests fully and have in place an approved plan for managing any potential conflicts arising from this arrangement.

If there is no disclosure, we will publish the statement: 'The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.'

Complaints Procedure

This procedure applies to complaints regarding the publishing policies, procedures, and actions of the Journal's publishing and editorial staff and editor-in-chief.

We define a complaint as:

  1. anything defined as a complaint by the complainant
  2. anything we believe goes beyond an expression of disagreement with a decision and identifies a perceived failure of the process or a severe misjudgment

The complaint must relate to content or a procedure that was the publisher's responsibility or our editor's responsibility.

Registering a complaint: Complaints may be made by phone, email or letter. Our preference is by email as it provides the most reliable audit trail. The complaint should initially be directed to the person the complainant is already in contact with regarding the relevant matter. If that is not appropriate, please email the publisher. Whenever possible, complaints will be dealt with by the person to whom they are made. Where that is not possible or appropriate, the complaint will be referred to the most appropriate person. All complaints will be acknowledged immediately if made by telephone, or within three working days of receipt if made by email or post. If possible, a definitive response will be made within two weeks. If this is not possible, an interim response will be given within two weeks. Interim responses will be provided until the complaint is resolved.

If a complainant remains unhappy after a reply deemed definitive by the editor-in-chief or publisher, the complainant may appeal to an external body with relevant oversight.

Retraction, Correction, and Appeals Policy

Journal Space and Culture, India, is committed to maintaining the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record in line with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and best practices required by DOAJ and Scopus.

Post-Publication Updates

The Journal may issue the following:

  • Correction (Erratum/Corrigendum): For minor errors that do not affect the overall findings.
  • Expression of Concern: Where serious concerns exist, but an investigation is ongoing.
  • Retraction: Where findings are unreliable due to error, misconduct, plagiarism, redundant publication, ethical violations, or legal concerns.

All notices will:

  • Be clearly labelled and freely accessible
  • Be permanently linked to the original article
  • State the reason for the action transparently
  • Indicate whether the issue arose from error or misconduct

Retracted articles will remain accessible but clearly marked as “Retracted” to preserve the scholarly record.

Investigation Process

Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, or readers at any time.

The Journal will:

  • Conduct a preliminary assessment
  • Inform authors and allow a response
  • Seek expert or institutional input where necessary
  • Reach a decision based on evidence and COPE guidance

All actions are documented within the Journal’s editorial system to ensure transparency and auditability.

Appeals

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions, including rejections and post-publication actions.

Appeals must:

  • Be submitted in writing
  • Clearly state the grounds (e.g., procedural error, new evidence, or misinterpretation)

Appeals are reviewed independently where possible. The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is final. Authors may seek guidance from an external body such as COPE if concerns remain unresolved.

Commitment

The Journal ensures:

  • Fair and unbiased decision-making
  • Transparency in all corrections and retractions
  • Preservation of the scholarly record
  • Adherence to internationally recognised ethical standards

Publisher

ACCB Publishing
North Shields, NE29 9JA
Email: admin@accb.org.uk

Sponsor

Alliance for Community Capacity Building (Registered Charity No. 1106666, Charity Commission, England and Wales), North Shields, NE29 9JA
Email: admin@accb.org.uk
Web: accb.org.uk