Policy Guidelines for External Publishing at SPRF
For Authors Submitting Work to SPRF
Driving evidence-based policy change, we at SPRF deliver impactful, non-partisan research across various policy domains. We strive to bridge the gap between research and public policy, offering informed perspectives across a range of key domains.
If you are interested in getting your work published at SPRF, please review the following guidelines before submitting your contribution.
Submission Guidelines:
Focus Area
We accept submissions that align with SPRF’s core research domains with an emphasis that each article must have a public policy issue at stake:
- Economy & Society
- Governance
- Environment & Energy
- Foreign and Defence Policy
- Human Rights and Law
If your topic falls outside these categories but is policy-relevant, please reach out via a pre-submission inquiry.
Accepted Formats and Word Limits
| Format | Description | Approximate Word Count |
| Commentary | Author’s perspective or opinion on a topical policy issue. | 1000–2000 words |
| Issue Brief | A concise exploration of a policy issue, including key insights and solutions. | 2000 to 3500 words |
| Discussion Paper | A detailed, research-backed paper analyzing a specific policy concern. | 3500 + words |
Pre-submission Inquiry:
A pre-submission inquiry is optional. If you think you need inputs from the SPRF Team before you work on your piece, you can email a brief pitch (200-300 words) summarising:
- Topic and its relevance
- Proposed format & a research method note
You can email your pitch at contributions@sprf.in.
Manuscript and Publication Process:
Manuscript Submission
Please email your manuscript as a Word document (.doc/.docx) to contributions@sprf.in. Ensure your document includes:
- Author name(s) and a short bio (50–100 words)
- Title of the piece
- Date of submission
- References: APA or Chicago style (In-text citations)
- Language: English or Hindi
Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
- Formatting: Times New Roman, 12 pt font, 1.5 line spacing
- Citations: For Commentary and Issue Brief, the authors may use hyperlinks, with endnotes of citations in case hyperlinks are not available. For Discussion Paper, use in-text citations and bibliography. Footnotes should be used judiciously.
- Language: Clear, professional, and accessible to non-specialist readers
- Originality: Submissions must be original and unpublished elsewhere.
Review and Publication Timeline
- Authors may be requested to revise and resubmit based on feedback.
- Final acceptance is subject to editorial discretion.
- Plagiarism beyond 15% will result in rejection.
Use of AI, Machine Learning and Other Algorithmic Tools: While we strongly discourage the use of these tools and check against the use of these tools, we understand that they may be used for the purposes of paraphrasing, production of images or other infographic purposes or in the collection and processing of data. In such cases, we encourage the authors to be transparent and fully disclose which AI tool(s) were used and how.
Response Guidelines: We usually respond to, both, pre-submission and submission enquiries within 5-7 working days with the decisions for publication. However, due to a bulk of submissions, in case we are unable to respond to you, we urge you to send in a gentle reminder.