Journal Title: Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences
ISSN (Print): 0000-0000
ISSN (Online): 0000-0000
Publisher: Society for Ancient Philosophy, Cosmology, Religion, Anthropology and Astrobiology - SAPCRAA
Contact: info@sapcraa.com Phone: +38765471075
Adress: Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publication Frequency: The journal publishes two regular issues per year (June and December). In addition, special thematic issues devoted to specific topics in military sciences may be published throughout the year, subject to editorial approval.
Language: English, Serbian.

AIMS & SCOPE

Aims

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed journal whose principal purpose is to publish original scholarly research that critically examines the formative processes of contemporary society, culture, politics, and religion from an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in the social sciences and the humanities. The journal is founded on the conviction that the questions defining our present moment — from the crisis of democracy and the transformation of the public sphere, through educational and media-related shifts, to religious dynamics, cultural practices, and the ethical implications of emerging technologies — demand analytical frameworks that move beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines while preserving methodological rigor and theoretical precision.

The journal responds to a persistent gap in international academic production: the distance that has grown between philosophical and theoretical traditions on the one hand, and empirical social-scientific inquiry on the other. By providing a venue for work that integrates empirical research with conceptual analysis and reflexive critique, Critical Reflections aims to support a kind of scholarship that is increasingly difficult to place in disciplinary journals — work in which philosophical questions are pursued through engagement with social and cultural realities, and in which empirical findings are interpreted within rigorous theoretical frameworks. The journal contributes to a fuller understanding of social, cultural, and religious phenomena in their full complexity, and welcomes contributions from any geographical and intellectual context whose questions speak to its profile.

The Editorial Board aims to establish Critical Reflections as an authoritative point of reference for researchers working at the intersection of disciplines, and as a forum that engages both the academic community and broader intellectual and educational publics.

Scope

Critical Reflections publishes original scholarship that engages critically and reflexively with contemporary social, cultural, political, ethical, and intellectual phenomena. The journal's editorial orientation rests on the conviction that the defining questions of our time — democratic transformation, technological mediation, the reconfiguration of education and the public sphere, shifting forms of identity and belonging, and the changing role of religion in public life — require sustained dialogue across philosophical and social-scientific traditions, together with an equally sustained willingness to interrogate the methodological and conceptual frameworks within which such inquiry is conducted. In keeping with its founding aim, the journal gives particular weight to work that integrates philosophical analysis with empirical social-scientific research, and that thereby helps to bridge a divide which much of contemporary scholarship has come to take for granted.

The journal publishes work primarily grounded in the following core disciplines: philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, political science, history, sociology, anthropology, ethnology, communication studies, journalism, religion, and religious studies. Although the title designates philosophy and the social sciences, work in the human sciences — historical, religious, and humanistic — is included where it engages critically with social, political, and cultural processes and thereby contributes to the journal's reflective and interdisciplinary mission.

Philosophical contributions span both Continental and analytic traditions, with particular attention to ethics, political philosophy, phenomenology, philosophy of science, and applied philosophical engagement with contemporary social and technological processes. In the field of psychology, the journal welcomes research in social, developmental, cognitive, clinical, and cultural psychology, with a particular interest in studies addressing the psychological consequences of media-mediated realities and ongoing educational transformations. Pedagogical research is oriented toward the theory of upbringing and education, didactics, inclusive and digital pedagogy, and the critical analysis of educational policies in contemporary contexts. Political science contributions encompass political theory, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, and security studies, with a marked interest in contemporary democratic crises, populist movements, and geopolitical transformations.

Historical research published by the journal covers political, social, cultural, and intellectual history, including historiographical methodology and the history of ideas, while sociological scholarship spans general sociological theory and the sociologies of culture, labor, religion, family, urban life, and media. Anthropological and ethnological contributions stand at the centre of the journal's editorial profile and include cultural and social anthropology, ethnographic fieldwork, the ethnology of everyday life, the anthropology of religion, the anthropology of politics, as well as research on traditional culture, identity, kinship, ritual, and symbolic practices in contemporary societies. Contributions in communication studies and journalism examine theories of communication, media studies, political communication, critical discourse analysis, digital media, and the transformation of the journalistic profession. Research in religion engages theology, religious studies proper, the sociology and anthropology of religion, the psychology and philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and comparative, interreligious, and post-secular studies, with particular attention to the role of religion in the public sphere, education, and the media.

The journal publishes theoretical and empirical research articles, longer essayistic and analytical pieces, critical literature reviews, and scholarly debates and exchanges. Submissions may be theoretically oriented, methodologically reflexive, or empirically grounded; what unites them is a commitment to argumentative rigor and to the critical reflection that the journal's title announces. Contributions are welcomed from researchers working in any geographical and intellectual context.

Types of Contributions

The journal welcomes the following types of submissions

• Original research articles,

• Review articles and theoretical essays,

• Case studies and comparative analyses,

• Research notes and commentaries,

• Book reviews

PUBLICATION ETHICS

This journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. Please see our [Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement] for more information.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

All manuscripts submitted to Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the highest standards of academic quality and integrity. Each submission is initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for scope and quality before being sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. For complete details on our review procedures, criteria, and timelines, please refer to our [Peer Review Process].

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences welcomes submissions from researchers, academics, and practitioners in the field of military sciences and related disciplines. Before submitting a manuscript, authors are kindly requested to carefully review our formatting requirements, citation style, and submission procedures. Complete instructions for preparing and submitting your manuscript are available in our [Author Guidelines].

ARCHIVE AND ACCESS

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is committed to the principles of open scholarship. As a fully open-access journal, we provide immediate and unrestricted access to all published research. Full-text versions of all issues are available in our [Archive]. To ensure permanence and citability, each article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI). All content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are properly credited.

INDEXING AND ABSTRACTING

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is committed to ensuring global visibility and accessibility of published research. The journal is currently indexed in the following databases: COBISS.

COPYRIGHT POLICY

Authors who publish in Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences retain full copyright of their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors grant the journal the right of first publication. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that anyone may freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, provided that proper attribution is given to the original authors and source.

Authors are permitted to:

• Share and distribute their published work through any medium,

• Deposit their work in institutional or subject repositories,

• Reuse their work in subsequent publications,

• Retain patent and trademark rights,

• Gender and diversity in armed forces,

No formal copyright transfer is required.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism and originality using iThenticate prior to peer review. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarised content, including self-plagiarism, will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal will follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and may retract the article. Authors are expected to ensure that their work is entirely original and that any use of others' ideas, words, or data is properly cited.

RETRACTION POLICY

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences follows the retraction guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Articles may be retracted in the following circumstances:

Clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or honest error,

• Plagiarism or redundant publication,

• Fabrication or falsification of data,

• Failure to disclose major conflicts of interest,

• Ethical violations involving human or animal subjects,

• Copyright infringement.

Retraction notices will be published and linked to the original article, which will remain accessible but clearly marked as retracted. Retractions may be initiated by the authors, the Editor-in-Chief, or the publisher upon verified evidence of misconduct.

APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is committed to fair and transparent editorial processes. Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision or file a complaint may do so by following the procedures outlined below.

Appeals: Authors may submit an appeal if they believe a rejection decision was made in error. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision and should include a detailed response to the reviewers' comments and a clear justification for reconsideration. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, if necessary, by an independent member of the Editorial Board. The decision on the appeal is final.

Complaints: Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer review process, or publication ethics should be addressed in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at editor.cr@sapcraa.com All complaints will be investigated promptly and handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

AI POLICY

Critical Reflections follows current guidelines of COPE, WAME, and ICMJE concerning the use of artificial intelligence in scholarly publishing. AI tools, including large language models and generative systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot, cannot be listed as authors, since authorship entails intellectual accountability that AI systems cannot bear. Full responsibility for every aspect of a submitted manuscript — including any content produced, drafted, edited, translated, or otherwise assisted by AI — rests entirely with the human authors, who remain accountable for the accuracy of all claims, the integrity of all citations, and the originality of all arguments. Authors must disclose any substantive use of AI tools in the methods section or in a dedicated acknowledgments statement, identifying the tool, its version, and the function performed (text generation, idea development, literature search, code or statistical analysis, image generation, translation, and similar). Routine language polishing does not require detailed itemisation but should be acknowledged in general terms. The fabrication of citations, quotations, or data — whether by AI or otherwise — constitutes a serious breach of research integrity and will result in rejection, retraction, and, in cases of bad faith, notification of the authors' institutions. Reviewers and editors are prohibited from uploading submitted manuscripts to public or third-party AI systems, as this violates the confidentiality of peer review. AI-generated images and figures must be clearly labelled as such and may not represent empirical, archival, or ethnographic material without explicit methodological justification. The Editorial Board reserves the right to request further information about AI use at any stage, to require revision, and to reject or retract work where AI use has not been properly disclosed. The policy is reviewed periodically and updated to reflect evolving standards in scholarly publishing.

PRIVACY POLICY

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is committed to protecting the privacy of all users, authors, reviewers and readers.

Data Collection: We collect personal information (such as names, email addresses, and institutional affiliations) only when voluntarily provided during manuscript submission, registration, or correspondence. This information is used solely for editorial and publishing purposes.

Data Usage: Personal data is used to manage the submission and peer review process, communicate with authors and reviewers, and improve our services. We do not share personal information with third parties except as necessary for publishing operations or when required by law.

Cookies: Our website may use cookies to enhance user experience and analyse site traffic. Users may disable cookies through their browser settings.

Data Security: We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

Rights: Users have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of their personal data. For any privacy-related inquiries, please contact us at [email].

This policy is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences is primarily funded through donations, institutional support, and the resources of the Society for Ancient Philosophy, Cosmology, Religion, Anthropology and Astrobiology. As a result, the journal strives to minimise financial barriers for authors and does not routinely charge Article Processing Charges (APCs). Submission and peer review are always free of charge. However, in exceptional circumstances, a modest APC may be applied to support the costs of publication. Authors will be informed of any applicable charges upon acceptance of their manuscript. For further information, please contact the editorial office at info@sapcraa.com

SUBMISSION

Critical Reflections: Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences welcomes original submissions from researchers, academics, and practitioners worldwide. Manuscripts may be submitted through one of the following methods:

Option 1: Submit via our online submission form [here].

Option 2: Submit via email to info@sapcraa.com with “Manuscript Submission” in the subject line. Authors will receive confirmation of receipt within 5 business days. Before submitting, please ensure that your manuscript complies with the formatting and style requirements outlined in our [Author Guidelines].