Państwo i Społeczeństwo / State and Society

Guide for Authors ↑

Państwo i Społeczeństwo / State and Society welcomes original, methodologically rigorous, and intellectually relevant manuscripts in the fields of health sciences, social sciences, management and quality sciences, public administration, pedagogy, psychology, communication and media studies, architecture, and urban planning.

The journal publishes original research articles, review articles, case studies, editorials, and commentaries. Submissions should contribute to scholarly knowledge, professional practice, public policy, institutional development, or the interdisciplinary understanding of contemporary societies.

Before submitting a manuscript, Authors are requested to ensure that the article fits the journal’s aims and scope and complies with the editorial, ethical, formal, and technical requirements listed below.

Article Types ↑

The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

General Requirements ↑

Manuscripts submitted to Państwo i Społeczeństwo / State and Society should meet the following general requirements:

• the manuscript must be academic in nature;
• the topic must align with the aims and scope of the journal;
• the manuscript must present original content and must not constitute unjustified repetition, compilation, duplication, or recycling of previous works, including the Author’s own publications;
• the manuscript must not have been previously published;
• the manuscript must not be under consideration by another journal or publisher;
• the title should accurately reflect the content of the article;
• the objectives, research problem, and methodology should be clearly defined;
• conclusions should be logical, original, and supported by the material presented in the manuscript;
• the language should be clear, precise, and suitable for academic publication;
• the cited literature should reflect the current state of knowledge in the relevant field;
• the manuscript should be prepared in accordance with the journal’s formatting and referencing requirements.

Manuscript Length and File Format ↑

The recommended maximum length of original research articles, review articles, and case studies is up to 40,000 characters, including spaces.

Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format:

• .doc
• .docx

The text should be prepared in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing.

Foreign terms and expressions, as well as titles of articles, books, journals, legal acts, and other works, should be written in italics. Authors should avoid using bold or underlined text for emphasis.

Abbreviations should be used consistently throughout the manuscript. When an abbreviation is used for the first time, it should be explained in full.

Files Required at Submission ↑

Authors are required to submit the following files:

Abstracts and Keywords ↑

Each manuscript should include an abstract and keywords.

The abstract should be between 250 and 500 words. It should clearly summarise the purpose of the study, methods or analytical approach, main findings, and conclusions.

Authors should provide 3–5 keywords. Keywords should be specific, searchable, and relevant to the manuscript. They should not merely repeat words used in the title.

For manuscripts submitted in Polish, Authors should provide the title, abstract, and keywords in both Polish and English. For manuscripts submitted in English, Polish metadata may be provided where applicable or requested by the Editorial Office.

References ↑

References and in-text citations should be prepared according to the APA 7th edition style.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of all references. All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and all references listed at the end of the manuscript must be cited in the text. We highly recommend using reference management software (such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote) to ensure formatting consistency. Please ensure that all references include active DOIs where available.

Recommended maximum number of references:

• Original Research Articles: up to 30 references;
• Case Studies: up to 15 references;
• Review Articles: up to 60 references.

The reference list should reflect the current state of knowledge in the field and should include relevant, reliable, and up-to-date scholarly sources.

Tables, Figures, Charts, and Illustrations ↑

Tables, figures, charts, photographs, and illustrations should be numbered separately and consecutively.

Each table, figure, chart, or illustration must have a clear title or caption and must be referred to in the main text.

Figures and photographs should be inserted into the manuscript close to the place where they are discussed. They should also be provided as separate graphic files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi, preferably in one of the following formats:

• .jpg
• .png
• .tif
• .tiff

Charts should be clear, readable, and preferably prepared in greyscale. Three-dimensional charts should be avoided, as they reduce readability. Where applicable, charts should also be provided as separate editable files, for example in Microsoft Excel format.

Each table and chart must include a source note. Acceptable source notes include, for example, “own work” or “own work based on…”.

Notes to tables should be placed directly below the table. Explanations relating to figures or charts should be placed below the figure or chart.

Units of measurement should be provided in square brackets.

Tables should preferably be formatted without vertical lines. Horizontal lines may be used at the top and bottom of the table, below the column headings, and where necessary to improve readability.

All graphic elements should include alternative text, where technically possible, to improve accessibility.

Ethical Requirements ↑

Authors are expected to comply with the journal’s ethical standards and with internationally recognised principles of research and publication ethics.

By submitting a manuscript, Authors confirm that:

• the manuscript is original;
• the manuscript has not been published previously;
• the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal or publisher;
• all Authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript;
• all persons who made a significant scholarly contribution are listed as Authors;
• the contribution of each Author has been properly disclosed;
• the manuscript does not infringe copyright, personal rights, or other rights of third parties;
• all sources have been properly cited;
• all necessary permissions have been obtained for third-party material;
• any conflicts of interest have been disclosed;
• funding sources have been disclosed;
• ethics approval and informed consent have been obtained where required.

The journal screens each submission for plagiarism, text recycling, redundant publication, inappropriate image manipulation, fabricated references, and other forms of research or publication misconduct.

Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools ↑

Authors are required to disclose any use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of the manuscript.

Generative artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as Authors or co-Authors. Authorship is limited to persons who are able to take responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, originality, and scientific content of the manuscript.

The use of AI tools to generate the entire manuscript, substantial parts of the manuscript, fabricated data, misleading images, false references, or non-existent sources is not permitted.

If AI-based tools were used for language editing, technical assistance, data analysis, coding, image processing, or other research-related purposes, this use must be clearly described in the Acknowledgments section of the Title Page.

Authors remain fully responsible for the content of the manuscript, including the accuracy of references, originality of the text, integrity of data, and compliance with ethical and legal standards.

Reporting Standards ↑

Where applicable, Authors are encouraged to follow recognised reporting guidelines appropriate to the type of study, including, for example:

• CONSORT for clinical trials;
• STROBE for observational studies;
• PRISMA for systematic reviews and scoping reviews;
• CARE for case reports;
• COREQ for qualitative research.

The use of such guidelines improves transparency, methodological quality, and reproducibility of research.

Supplementary Materials ↑

This information must be included on the Title Page.

Please describe any additional materials published online alongside the manuscript, such as datasets, video files, extended tables, or high-resolution figures. Each supplementary file should be clearly identified in the main text using a consistent naming format (e.g., Table S1: [Title], Figure S1: [Title]).

Author Contributions ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the manuscript. All listed authors must have participated in the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study, drafted or substantially revised the text, and approved the final submitted version. All authors assume full accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

For multi-authored papers, please provide a short paragraph detailing individual contributions using the CRediT taxonomy (e.g., "Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.; Methodology, X.X.; Formal Analysis, X.X., Y.Y.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, X.X.").

Funding ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors are required to disclose all financial support received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of the article. Please explicitly name the funding agency and provide the grant number. Use the following template: "This research was funded by [Name of Funder], grant number [XXX]." If the study was self-funded or received no specific institutional grant, please state: "This research received no external funding."

Ethics Approval Statement ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

For studies involving human or animal subjects, authors must provide information regarding ethical review and approval. Please include the name of the granting committee and the approval code/date. Suggested templates: "The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of [Institution Name] (protocol code [XXX], date of approval)." OR "Ethical review and approval were waived for this study due to [Reason]." If the research did not involve human or animal subjects, please state: "Not applicable."

Informed Consent Statement ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Any research involving human participants must include a declaration that informed consent was obtained. Please state: "Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study," OR "Patient consent was waived due to [Reason]." If participants can be identified in the publication, please add: "Written informed consent has been obtained from the patient(s) to publish this paper." If the study does not involve human subjects, simply state: "Not applicable."

Data Availability Statement ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors should clarify whether and how the data supporting their findings can be accessed. Please indicate if the datasets are publicly archived (providing relevant repository links or DOIs), available upon request from the corresponding author, or restricted due to privacy/ethical reasons. If no new data were generated, please state: "Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study."

Read our Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy.

Acknowledgments ↑

This section must be included on the Title Page.

Use this section to recognize individuals, institutions, or organizations that provided administrative, technical, or material support but do not meet the criteria for authorship. Furthermore, if Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools were used during the research or writing process (e.g., for data analysis, text generation, or graphic design), please disclose it here using the following formula: "During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [Tool Name, Version] for the purpose of [Description of use]. The authors have thoroughly reviewed and edited the generated output and take full responsibility for the final content of this publication."

Conflicts of Interest ↑

This statement must be included on the Title Page.

Authors must declare any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as a conflict of interest or could influence the objective interpretation of the work. You must also declare if the funding sponsors had any role in the study design, data collection, analysis, or the decision to publish. If no conflict exists, please state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest." If sponsors were not involved in the research process, add: "The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results."

Publication Charges ↑

The journal does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, editorial processing, peer review, or publication. The costs of editorial management, online publication, and long-term availability of journal content are supported by the Publisher, AFM Publishing House of Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University.

Open Access and Licence ↑

All articles published in Państwo i Społeczeństwo / State and Society are made available in Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

This means that users may copy and redistribute the published article in any medium or format, provided that appropriate credit is given, the material is not used for commercial purposes, and no derivatives or adaptations are distributed.