MJSS’s Conditions for Submission

MJSS considers all submissions on condition that:

• The manuscript is the author(s)’ original work, and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including the author(s)’ own previously published work.

• The manuscript has been submitted only to MJSS; it is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or in press or published elsewhere.

Instructions to Authors

• Submissions to MJSS should be compiled in the following order: cover letter, title page; abstract; key words; main text; acknowledgements (as appropriate); appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figure caption(s) (as a list).

• Apart from the cover letter and title page, all submissions should not identify the names of the authors or source of funding.

• All authors of a manuscript should include their full names, affiliation(s), addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses on the cover page of the manuscript. One author should be identified as a corresponding author and should provide the affiliation where the research was conducted. If any of the co-authors changes affiliation during the peer review process, the new affiliation can be given as a footnote.

• Each author must supply a short biographical note, and if the paper is a product of funded research, author(s) must provide all details required by the funding agency and grant-awarding bodies as an acknowledgement on the title page of the manuscript.

• All articles and research viewpoints should have an abstract that briefly outlines the nature of the problem, the methodological framework, and the findings or conclusions. The abstracts should not be more than 150 words long. Each abstract must be accompanied by a list of 4 to 6 key words.

• All manuscripts should be submitted as PC compatible word file in double-spaced typescript with generous margins using Times New Roman font size 11. Figures or other artwork must be of a size and quality suitable for direct photographic reproduction and should be supplied in electronic format. All submissions properly paginated should be made to the Chief Editor at the following E-mail address: mjss@cc.ac.mw

• Authors are advised to use not more than three levels of subheadings unless the complexity of the argument warrants it.

• MJSS does not encourage the use of either footnotes or endnotes. If authors find it necessary, MJSS allows the use of footnotes, but they should do so sparingly. The footnotes should be numbered consecutively.

• MJSS uses the Harvard (author-date) in-text citation system. These in-text citations must agree with corresponding entries in the reference list. Examples include the following: 1) author, year, page number: (Chinsinga, 2007: 201-02); 2) two sources, with one author having two works in the same year: (Chirwa, 2011; Dulani, 2012b); 3) more than three authors/editors: (Senganimalunje, et al., 2013); and 4) Organization, year, volume, page number: (World Bank, 2002, 2: 1786).

• MJSS requires that the reference list must include all and only those sources cited in the text and in the footnotes or endnotes.

• Examples of references used by the MJSS are as follows:

Book

• Munthali, A., (2015) My Early Days in Life, Zomba: Centre for Social Research (CSR), University of Malawi.

A Chapter in a Book

• Chinsinga, B., and Kayuni, H., (2010) “The Complexities and Paradoxes of Governing the Informal Sector in Malawi: The Case of Street Vending in the Cities of Zomba and Blantyre”, Poverty and the Informal Economy in Africa: Experiments in Legal Empowerment, Banik, D., (Ed.), London: Ashgate pp 107-121

A Journal Article

• Chasukwa, M., and Chinsinga, B., (2012) “Slapping Accountability in Malawi’s Local Governments in the Absence of Councillors”, International Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 36, No. 5 pp 354-366

Other Serial Publications

• Amonor, K., Chichava, S., Chinsinga, B., and Mukweza, L., (2012) “Towards an Even-handed and Effective Africa-Brazil Exchange for Agricultural Development: African Perspectives”, Poverty in Focus No./Vol. 24 pp 41-44

Newspaper Articles

• Chinsinga, B., (2014) “Talking Political Economy”, Sunday Times, 19 December 2014 pp 15-16

Website References

• Jassi, K., (2012) Two Sugar Companies to Roll out Next Year. Available at http://www.bnltimes.com/index.php/daily-times/headlines/business/6058-two-sugar-companies-to-roll-out-next-year (Accessed on 25 April 2012)

• Merian Research and Campaign for the Reform of the World Bank (CRBM) (2010) The Vultures of Land Grabbing: The Environment of European Financial Companies in Large-scale Land Acquisition Abroad. Available at http://www.rinoceros.org/IMG/pdf/VULTURES-completo-2.pdf.

Conference Papers

• Munthali, A., (2014) Seeking Biomedical and Traditional Medicine is a Spiritual Lapse among Zionists: A Case of Zion Church in Malawi, Paper Given at the Anthropology Southern Africa Conference, Cape Town, 29 June-2 July.

Dissertation or Thesis

• Chinsinga, B., (2005) “The Politics of Poverty Reduction in an Emerging Democracy: A Case Study of Decentralization in Malawi”, PhD Thesis: Germany, University of Mainz

Quotations

• Shorter quotations should run on in the text (use single quotes). Longer ones (more than 60 words) should normally be set out as extracts. Authors are advised to leave a space above and below the extract, indent it, and type in single spacing.

Working Papers

• Chirwa, E., Mvula, P., Dorward, A., and Matita, M., (2013) “Repeated Access and Impacts of the Farm Input Subsidy Programme in Malawi: Any Prospect of Graduation?” Future Agricultures Consortium Working Paper No. 65: Brighton, Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

Chief Editor

Levison Chiwaula, PhD, Department of Economics, University of Malawi

Editorial Board Members

Edister Jamu, PhD, Psychology Department, University of Malawi

Gift Kayira, PhD, History Department, University of Malawi

Jesman Chintsanya, PhD, Department of Population Studies, University of Malawi

Tilinao Lamba, MA, Department of Psychology, University of Malawi

Gowokani Chirwa, PhD, University of Malawi, Department of Economics

Limbika Maliwichi, MA , University of Malawi, Department of Psychology