Info For Academic Article Authors
Style & Formatting
Theophron’s published journals accord with The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition) (CMOS 17). The following addresses points often missed or left to discretion by CMOS 17:
Place all references in footnotes, including biblical text citations in exegetical sections.
Use short-form citations in lieu of “ibid.”
First utilizations of shortened citations should include the author’s last name, a shortened version of the title, and the page number(s). Subsequent, consecutive citations of the same source should omit the title but retain the author’s last name and page number(s).
Treat premise numbers as proper nouns. When referring to a premise, place parentheses around the premise number (e.g., “(3) follows from (2) and (1)”).
Do not indent the first paragraph of the essay or any essay section.
Refrain from beginning or ending quotes with ellipses.
Utilize the Oxford Comma in all cases.
Follow “i.e.” and “e.g.” directly with a comma.
While the editorial process will eliminate spelling and grammatical mistakes, authors should review submissions for grammar and spelling prior to submission.
Note: The abstract and footnotes do not contribute to the word count listed on the CFP.
Submissions Details
Prior to submitting, remove all identifying information from the manuscript—including in the header, title, file name, and footnotes—and complete every relevant field on the submission form, ensuring that the listed title matches the manuscript’s title exactly. Authors who are not currently enrolled in or teaching at an institution should note the name of the institution which granted their most recent degree, typing “graduate of degree program name” in the program title box.
Within two business days of a successful submission, an editor will contact the author with a receipt of submission email. Email submissions@theophron.org with your name and submission title if you do not receive a confirmation within this period.
Peer Review
Submissions passing desk review will undergo double-blind peer review from individuals with knowledge relevant to the essay’s content. While Theophron does issue “Outright Accept” decisions, most manuscripts enter a revisions process in accord with the journal’s mission of scholarly development. The typical peer review process (with revisions) is as follows:
Peer reviewers read and mark assigned manuscripts.
Authors address peer reviewer comments and submit revised manuscripts.
Peer reviewers assess the corrections in revised manuscripts and provide follow-up comments.
Authors mitigate follow-up problems.
Accepted manuscripts enter copy editing and later editorial processes.
Manuscripts can obtain full acceptance status at any step after initial peer review, but all final decisions will be delivered no later than the end of step 4.
Submissions received at least four weeks prior to the listed submission deadline will enter peer review immediately upon receipt; those received within four weeks of the deadline will not enter peer review until after the deadline passes. In cases of early peer review, the above timeline may include additional revisions cycles if necessary.
Publication decision appeals will be considered under only exceptional circumstances and no later than one week after an initial decision notification. Appeal judgments are final.
After Acceptance
Authors of accepted articles must sign a copyright licensing agreement prior to publication in any format. The highlights of the agreement are as follows:
Articles must be previously unpublished, original works of the author and cannot be under review at any other journal at the time of submission or publication.
Authors retain copyright while licensing certain nonexclusive publication and production rights to Theophron.
Authors agree to not submit or publish the article in other journals or publications for 12 months following publication in Theophron.
In cases of additional publication (including incorporation in a book) after the 12-month period, authors agree to cite Theophron as the article’s first source of publication.
Direct questions regarding full licensing agreement terms to submissions@theophron.org. Articles will not be published without a signed copyright licensing agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Must authors be Christian to submit articles?
A. No. While authors need not be professing Christians to submit articles, Theophron focuses on scholarship in Christianity and aims to develop Christian scholars. Non-Christian material will be accepted on a case-by-case basis, often as long as it interacts in direct discussion with Christian material, but we do not seek to publish wholly secular material or non-Christian apologetics.
Q. What are Theophron’s author and/or publication fees?
A. Theophron does not charge authors to submit to or publish in the journal.
Q. Can peer reviewers submit articles to issues for which they review?
A. Yes, peer reviewers may always submit articles, but they will never review their own work.
Q. Does submitting earlier increase odds of publication?
A. Not necessarily. Most submitted articles receive revisions requests, so those entering the peer review process earlier have more time for edits; any advantage would arise from this extended editing time before the deadline, but we do not consider early submissions differently than later submissions for fall and spring issues.
The one exception is for our annual open-topic summer issue. This issue accepts and reviews submissions year round. If we reach our publication cap for the summer’s issue, subsequently accepted articles will be placed into the next summer’s issue or published in a relevant topical issue in the fall or spring, whichever comes sooner. We will post a notice if we reach our summer publication cap.
Q. Can I submit multiple articles for one issue?
A. Yes.
Q. Can I resubmit a rejected article for a later issue?
A. Yes, as long as the article is relevant to the new issue’s call for papers (though we hope the author would mitigate the essay’s previous deficiencies prior to resubmitting).
Q. What is Theophron’s review methodology?
A. Theophron utilizes double-blind peer review, with submissions receiving evaluations from at least three reviewers with background in the essay’s content.
Q. Theophron’s readership includes both academics and non-academics. Must authors gear submissions down to non-academics?
A. Unequivocally no. Theophron pushes articles toward the same rigor and complexity as commensurable articles in their respective fields. Abstracts and short impact statements bridge the gap for non-academics, so authors should still compose articles with other academics in mind.
Q. What is Theophron’s institutional affiliation?
A. While Theophron launched in Princeton, New Jersey, the journal holds no ties to any one institution.