This page explains how to organise and format manuscripts for Athena: Journal of Social, Culture and Society. Authors must use the official manuscript template together with the preparation instructions below.

• Number tables and figures separately in the order of their first appearance and refer to each in the text.
• Provide informative captions, readable labels, measurement units, and explanatory notes where needed. Follow the template for caption placement.
• Prepare tables as editable text rather than screenshots. Define abbreviations and statistical notation in notes where necessary.
• Supply figures that remain legible at their intended publication size. Avoid blurred images and labels that become unreadable when reduced.
• Do not rely on colour alone to distinguish categories. Use suitable labels, patterns, or symbols where needed.
• Identify the source of reproduced or adapted material in the caption and include any required credit line. Permission and reuse obligations are governed by the relevant Intellectual Property and Licensing policies.

• Define non-standard abbreviations at first use and use terminology consistently.
• Prepare equations using an editable equation editor. Define symbols and number equations when they are referred to elsewhere in the text.
• Present numerical precision consistently and identify units, sample sizes, and statistical measures clearly where applicable.
• Distinguish direct quotations from the author’s own writing and provide source citations and locators, such as page numbers, where available. Explain translations where relevant to the analysis.

Athena uses IEEE numbered citation style. Cite sources using numbers in square brackets and arrange the reference list in the order of first citation.

• Assign one reference number to each source and reuse that number whenever the same source is cited again. Do not alphabetise the reference list.
• Ensure that every numbered citation matches the corresponding reference entry and that every listed reference is cited in the manuscript.
• Provide complete bibliographic information appropriate to the source type, including authors, title, publication details, and page range or article number where applicable.
• Include a valid DOI where available, preferably in resolvable form: https://doi.org/.... For online material without a DOI, provide the relevant URL and access information required by IEEE style.
• Select references for relevance to the argument and disciplinary context. Retain necessary foundational, historical, legal, literary, or archival sources alongside current scholarship.
• Reference-management software may be used, but authors must check the final numbering, bibliographic details, and correspondence between citations and references.

Present applicable declarations using clearly labelled headings in the positions prescribed by the template, normally after the main text and before the references.

The headings below identify where information belongs. Whether a declaration is required and what it must disclose are determined by the corresponding policy. Use an explicit negative or not-applicable statement where that policy requires one.

Requirements for separating identifying information from review files are provided in Submission Requirements. Do not omit a required disclosure solely to anonymise the manuscript; follow the prescribed file arrangement.

Label supplementary items consistently, give each a descriptive title, and refer to them in the main text. Explain their contents and their relationship to the manuscript, including any software needed to read them.

Supporting materials should complement the article rather than replace the explanation needed to understand its main contribution. Data-sharing conditions and restrictions are governed by Data Availability and Data and Reproducibility policies. Upload arrangements are provided in Submission Requirements.