Author Guidelines

General Information and Guidelines

Aims and Scope of the Journal

"Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology" publishes scholarly articles by authors in the evangelical tradition who are connected to the countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) for the purpose of supporting the development of evangelical theology in the FSU republics and acquainting the contemporary Christian world with theological thought in Eurasia. Its target audience is researchers, theologians, religious scholars, teachers, and students of evangelical theological colleges, seminaries, and theological faculties, as well as church leaders.

Types of Articles Accepted

The journal publishes original scholarly articles encompassing various aspects of theological studies and reviews of recent (last two years) relevant theological publications. In some very special cases the Editorial Board may consider publishing translated articles if they introduce new aspects of theological studies relevant to the audience of the journal and are of high scholarly value.

Length of Articles

Articles should be approximately 5,000-7,000 words. Book reviews run approximately 500 words for new editions and 1,500 words for longer reviews.

How to Submit Articles

• Submission should be in one of the working languages of the journal: Ukrainian, English or Russian. Articles in other languages should be submitted with an English translation.
• Submissions should be in MS Word, Times New Roman 12 pt. (text) 10 pt. (footnotes)
• Submissions should be sent electronically via Journal website (see Instruction about online submission)

Responsibility of the Author

• Authors guarantee that submissions are original, never published elsewhere, and are not plagiarized.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use material from elsewhere.
• Authors are responsible for proofing their articles. The Editorial Board only corrects the English versions of the articles.
• So far, authors do not receive financial remuneration for published articles and do not have financial obligations towards the journal.

Peer review policies

• The journal uses a double blind peer review for its articles.
• The review process usually takes not more than 30-40 days when an article is accepted for review.
• Authors may expect three possible answers: approval of submission, approval of submission with minor/major revision, or rejection of submission.

Copyright information

• The author holds the copyright for the final text of the article.
• The Editorial Board holds the copyrights for the layout and design of the articles in the printed and electronic formats of the journal.
• The author signs the layout of the article and returns it to the Editorial Board within three days.

Guidance on ethics

On ethical issues see “Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement.”

Offprints, copy of journal

Authors receive one hard copy of the issue after it is published.

Contact Information

Oleksandr Geychenko, reflections@eeit-edu.info

Editorial Procedures

What happens to the paper after submission.

Step 1: When an article is submitted, within three days the Issue Editor checks the article against the Editorial Check-List and sends it to the Editorial Board or returns it to the author with recommendations. The author then needs to revise the article and resubmit it within two weeks.

Step 2: Members of the Editorial Board check the article against the philosophy of the journal and the subject matter of the next issue and send their recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief (accept, reject, or suggest minor/major revisions) and suggest potential reviewers. The Editorial Board reaches all decisions by consensus, or in controversial cases by a simple majority.

Step 3: The Editor-in-Chief makes a decision on reviewers and the Issue Editor sends a request. When the answer is positive, the Issue Editor sends materials and sets the deadline. The author receives notice on the decision.

Step 4: Reviewers return their conclusion (approve, reject, or approve with minor/major revisions) and detailed recommendations within 30-40 days.

Step 5: The Editorial Board makes a decision about the article. The Issue Editor informs the author about the decision and sets the dates for revision: minor revision—7-10 days; major revisions—10-30 days. The Issue Editor sends the accepted articles to a translator. The author should approve the translation of the article into English within three days. In case of major revisions, the Editorial Board selects one of its members to guide the author in the process of revision according to recommendations. All correspondence is copied to the Issue Editor.

Step 6: Approved articles are combined into a package and the Issue Editor sends them to the Advisory Board which may then veto any article within 1-14 days. The Editor-in-Chief organises the issue and sends it to the Issue Editor. 

Step 7: The Issue Editor sends the package of English versions to the copy editor and then to the layout. Russian/Ukrainian versions are sent to layout and then to the proofreader. The technical assistant corrects the galleys and sends them to the Issue Editor and the Editor-in-Chief. 

Step 8: The Editor-in-Chief reads the issue and makes a decision to send it to print. The technical assistant submits the issue to the printer. 

Step 9: When the issue is printed, the technical assistant sends it to authors, member-schools, subscribers. Contents and abstracts of the issue are published on the journal’s website. Access to electronic versions of articles is provided immediately after the publication of the printed version of the journal.

Style Guidelines

Structure of Articles

The submission should contain the title(s), author’s name, author’s affiliation, keywords, abstract (150-200 words), introduction, main text, conclusion, appendices (if applicable), and references. Besides the information in the original language, authors should submit a Romanized reference list, keywords, abstract, and information about the author and the author’s affiliation in English.

Headings

First Level Headings (Times New Roman, 14pt, Bold, Small caps, Centered)

Second Level Headings (Times New Roman, 14pt, Bold, Small caps, Align left)

Third Level Headings (Times New Roman, 12 pt, Bold Italics, Align left) 

Citations and References

Citation and reference style is that of Notes and Bibliography of The Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed. (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html). Some examples are given below.

One Author

¹ Sharan B. Merriam, Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, Rev. Exp. edition (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2009), 31-33.

² Merriam, Qualitative Research, 123.

Merriam, Sharan B. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. Rev Exp edition. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2009.

More Than One Author

¹ V. I. A Propp and V. I. Eremina, Istoricheskie Korni Volshebnoi Skazki. 3–e izd. ed. (S.-Peterburg: Izd-vo S.-Peterburgskogo universiteta, 1996), 65.

² Propp, Istoricheskie Korni, 95.

Propp, V. ︠I︡A, and V. I. Eremina. Istoricheskie Korni Volshebnoi Skazki. 3–e izd. ed. S.-Peterburg: Izd-vo S.-Peterburgskogo universiteta, 1996.

¹ John Swinton and Harriet Mowat, Practical Theology and Qualitative Research (London: SCM, 2005), 93.

² Swinton, Practical Theology, 44-45.

Swinton, John, and Harriet Mowat. Practical Theology and Qualitative Research. London: SCM, 2005.

¹ Leo G. Perdue, Robert Morgan, and Benjamin D. Sommer, Biblical Theology: Introducing the Conversation. The Library of Biblical Theology (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009), 75-78.

² Perdue, Biblical Theology, 65.

Perdue, Leo G., Robert Morgan, and Benjamin D. Sommer. Biblical Theology: Introducing the Conversation. The Library of Biblical Theology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009.

¹ Paul S. Fiddes et al., Doing Theology in a Baptist Way (Oxford: Whitley Publications, 2000), 14.

² Fiddes et al., Doing Theology, 35.

Fiddes, Paul S., Brian Haymes, Richard Kidd, and Michael J. Quicke. Doing Theology in a Baptist Way. Oxford [England]: Whitley Publications, 2000.

Thesis

¹ L. Roger Owens, “The Shape of Participation: Ecclesial Practices as Participation in the Triune God” (Ph.D. thesis, Duke University, 2006), 154.

² Owens, “The Shape of Participation,” 45.

Owens, L. Roger. “The Shape of Participation: Ecclesial Practices as Participation in the Triune God.” Ph.D. thesis, Duke University, 2006. http://search.proquest.com/dissertations/docview/305326244/abstract/335028B40144C7APQ/1. 

Chapter in the Book

¹ Mayra Rivera and Stephen D. Moore, “A Tentative Topography of Postcolonial Theology” in Planetary Loves: Spivak, Postcoloniality, and Theology, edited by Stephen D. Moore, and Mayra Rivera (Fordham University Press, 2010), 14.

² Rivera and Moore, “A Tentative Topography,” 5-6.

Rivera, Mayra, and Stephen D. Moore. "A Tentative Topography of Postcolonial Theology." In Planetary Loves: Spivak, Postcoloniality, and Theology, by Moore, Stephen D., and Mayra Rivera, eds., edited by Stephen D. Moore, and Mayra Rivera. Fordham University Press, 2010. Fordham Scholarship Online, 2011. doi: 10.5422/fso/9780823233250.003.0001. 

Journal Article

¹ Paul Gavrilyuk, “Bulgakov’s Account of Creation: Neglected Aspects, Critics and Contemporary Relevance,” International Journal of Systematic Theology 17, no. 4 (October 2015): 459-460.

² Gavrilyuk, “Bulgacov’s Account,” 455. 

Gavrilyuk, Paul. “Bulgakov’s Account of Creation: Neglected Aspects, Critics and Contemporary Relevance.” International Journal of Systematic Theology 17, no. 4 (October 2015): 450–63. doi:10.1111/ijst.12119.

Transliteration

For Russian and Ukrainian items in references the journal uses the Library of Congress Romanization system.

ALA-LC transliteration system https://www.translitteration.com/transliteration/en/ukrainian/ala-lc/

Article Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items. Submissions may be returned to authors who do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
2. The submission includes the text of the article (introduction, main text, conclusion), abstract, reference list, and information about the author in the original language and an English translation of the abstract, keywords, reference list, and information about the author and author’s affiliation.
3. The submission file is in MS Word file format.
4. The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
5. Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
6. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic that of Notes and Bibliography of The Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed. (more examples see here http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html). 

Specific Guidelines

Writing an Abstract

An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work, usually academic in nature, which is published in isolation from the main text and should therefore stand on its own and be understandable without reference to the longer piece. It should report the latter's essential facts, and should not exaggerate or contain material that is not in the longer piece. Its purpose is to act as a reference tool, enabling the reader to decide whether or not to read the full text. Each abstract is made up of a number of set elements. 

Write the Abstract

To produce a structured abstract for the journal, please complete the following fields about your paper. There are four fields that are obligatory (Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings, and Originality/value); the other three (Research limitations/implications, Practical implications, and Social implications) may be omitted if they are not applicable to your paper. Abstracts should contain no more than 250 words. Write concisely and clearly. The abstract should reflect only what appears in the original paper.

Purpose. What are the reason(s) for writing the paper or the aims of the research? 

Design/methodology/approach. How are the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What is the approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper?

Findings. What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results.

Research limitations/implications (if applicable). If research is reported on in the paper this section must be completed and should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.

Practical implications (if applicable). What outcomes and implications for practice, applications, and consequences are identified? What impact will the research have on the church and ministry? What changes to practice should be made as a result of this research? Not all papers will have practical implications.

Social implications (if applicable). What impact will this research have on society? How will it influence public attitudes? How will it influence the church’s social responsibility or environmental issues? How could it inform public policy? How might it affect quality of life? Not all papers will have social implications.

Originality/value. What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.

Using Keywords

Using keywords is a vital part of abstract writing, because of the practice of retrieving information electronically: keywords act as the search term. Use keywords that are specific, and that reflect what is essential about the paper. Put yourself in the position of someone researching in your field: what would you look for? Consider also whether you can use any of the current “buzzwords.” 

Book Review Guidelines

The book review is a critical written response to a published scholarly work. In the world of practice book reviews serve as an instrument of scholarly dialogue with colleagues or opponents. In the Eastern European Evangelical scholarly community, this dialogue is still at the stage of its initial formation. That is why Editorial Board sees the necessity to initiate a section of book reviews in TR. We accept reviews of publications that have been published within the last two years.  

Format

Book Information. The book’s title should be at the head of your review and be in italics. Make sure that the full book title, as well as the form and spelling of author names, is exactly the same as they appear on the published book. Give the complete book information in the following order: the title, the author’s name (first name, middle initial/name, last name; no titles, please), place of publication (city only), publisher, date of publication (year only), number of pages (including introductory pages [in lower case roman numerals] plus [+] the pages in the body and indexes), ISBN (followed by “pbk”, “hbk” or “ebk” in brackets) and price. If no price is given, please attempt to locate it; otherwise, state “n.p.”. Two examples are given below. 

Ordinary Theology: Looking, Listening and Learning in Theology. By Jeff Astley. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002. x + 199 pp.; ISBN 0754605841 (pbk.); 30.00 GBP.

Консерватизм, модернизм и новаторство в русской православной мысли XIX – XXI веков. [Conservatism, Modernism and Innovation in Russian Orthodox Thought in XIX-XXI centuries] Лев Евгеньевич Шапошников. 2-е изд., доп. и перераб. СПб.: Изд-во С.-Петерб. ун-та, 2006. 327 с.; ISBN 5288039283 (пер.); 364.00 RUB. 

Layout. Please type the review on standard A4 paper, single-spaced, margins 2.54 mm. Please use a ragged right margin. Use italics for book titles and emphasis. Use numbers in brackets for references.

Name. Please type your name in italics as you wish it to appear (no titles or degrees) at the end of the review, on one line, flush right. On the second line, type your institution (school, church, organization) and its city and country. For example: 

John R. Smyth
International Theological Seminary
Berdychiv, Ukraine 

Style and Content

Please observe the following guidelines.

• Keep word limit: shorter reviews should not exceed 500 words, longer – 1000 words. The style of book review should be compact and precise, based upon facts.
• Give the reader an accurate picture of what a book is about, adequately summarising its content.
• If the book is targeted toward a specific audience by subject area, include a reference to that audience in the first paragraph of your review. Comment on the appropriateness of the book for that audience. For a scholarly or scientific work, comment on the credentials of the author or authors.
• Comment on the quality, clarity, accuracy, helpfulness, and accessibility of the content in the first few paragraphs of the review. State what is unique about the book.
• A good review should not be a mere summary of a book’s contents, on the one hand, nor a tendentious platform for the reviewer to advance a personal agenda, on the other. Explain your perceptions of the book's strengths and weaknesses. Comment on any topic that the author or authors do a good job writing about and include quotes from the book where applicable (put page numbers in brackets). Comment on any topics that the author or authors omit but which you believe are relevant in the light of stated subject-matter.
• Assess the book’s place in its field (i.e. how it fits in with other books on similar topics, what its potential value and impact will be, or what type of audience would benefit from it).