Submissions

Article

The following general principles must be observed when submitting an article. In case of special requests or unanswered questions, please contact the editors.

Content guidelines

Manuscripts submitted to the ZjR should pursue a clear and sufficiently narrowed-down religious studies question. They must demonstrate familiarity with the current state of academic knowledge on the chosen topic as well as with fundamental topics and issues in religious studies.

Contributions to the ZjR take a critical, analytical, and transcultural approach to religion(s) and do not pursue denominational or apologetic interests. The subjects discussed must be situated in their social, historical, and cultural context and researched accordingly from a philological, historical, cultural studies, cognitive, social science, or transdisciplinary perspective.

Reflective use of religious studies categories and terminological accuracy are expected. Theories, methods, and sources must be selected consciously and with justification. Statements must be consistently substantiated. The guidelines for ensuring good scientific practice (DFG) must be observed.

Text length and formatting

Each contribution should not exceed 7,000 words in total, including the scientific apparatus.

The text must be formatted in accordance with the layout specified by the ZjR in accordance with the DE format template.

Submission of manuscripts

The ZjR sees itself as a journal for young scholars in religious studies. Therefore, only manuscripts from individuals who have not yet obtained their doctoral degree at the time of submission will be accepted.

• The main document, formatted according to the DE style guide, should contain the following elements (in this order):
  • Title
  • Subtitle
  • Abstract (German and English; max. 250 words)
  • Keywords
  • Main text
  • Bibliography
  • Appendix, images, graphics, diagrams, tables, etc., if applicable

• A separate document containing the following information (in this order) must also be submitted:
• Title
• Subtitle
• Author information: Institution and email contact

The main document must not contain any information about the author(s) of the article. It should be possible to submit it to the anonymous review process (double blind) without any editing.

Reviews

The following general principles must be observed when submitting a review. If you have any special requests or unanswered questions, please contact the editors.

Review copy and deadline

If you need a review copy, we will need your postal address. We have review copies sent directly from the publisher to the reviewer.

Upon receipt of a review copy obtained through us, you agree to actually write a review and submit it to the ZjR.

You set the deadline yourself. A maximum of three months has proven to be a reasonable deadline.

Content guidelines

The review should provide a critical overall assessment of the work and evaluate the following points: To what extent is it relevant for religious scholars (of what kind)? What is really interesting and new about the book? For what purpose is the text recommended or not? How has the book been assessed in other reviews/by other authors, and do you agree or disagree?

A concise and succinct presentation of the content is an important element of a review: What is the topic/question/main thesis of the work? How does the chain of argumentation used to answer research questions unfold? What is the main message or main finding?

However, the central focus of the review is the evaluation and classification of what you have read. You can ask yourself the following questions repeatedly as you read: Does the author live up to their own claims (e.g., as formulated in the foreword)? Which questions remain unanswered? How are arguments made, and what methods are used to substantiate statements? Are the conclusions comprehensible? Is the conceptual work clean? Are sufficient and reliable sources cited? Can the work be assigned to a particular academic school? How does it relate to the academic discourse in religious studies? Is it written in an academic or rather journalistic/essayistic style?

A very brief characterization of the author is also helpful. A detailed description of their career is not necessary. The most important key points and only what is relevant to the work being reviewed are sufficient.

Further information can be found in the ZjR profile, which forms the basis for evaluating the texts we receive. The Leitlinien zur Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis (DFG) must be observed.

Text length and formatting

Reviews should not exceed approximately 12,000 characters (including spaces). Justified exceptions (e.g., for extensive anthologies) are only possible after consultation.

The text must be formatted in accordance with the layout specified by the ZjR using the Style Sheet EN.

Submission of manuscripts

The ZjR sees itself as a journal for young scholars in religious studies. Therefore, only manuscripts from individuals who have not yet obtained their doctoral degree at the time of submission will be accepted.

A manuscript consists of two parts, which must be submitted as separate files (doc format):

• The main document should contain the following components (in this order):
  • Bibliographic information on the reviewed work (see below for format)
  • Length, price, ISBN
  • Main text

• A separate document containing the following information (in this order) must also be submitted:
  • Title: Author, title of the reviewed work
  • Subtitle: Publisher, place of publication, year of publication, number of pages
  • Name of the reviewer
  • Author information: Institution and email contact

The main document must not contain any information about who the author of the article is. It should be possible to submit it unedited to the anonymous review process (double blind).

Conference Reports

The following general guidelines must be followed when submitting a conference report. If you have any specific requests or unanswered questions, please contact the editors.

Request for a Conference Report & Deadline

If you wish to write a conference report, please let us know before or immediately after the relevant conference. The manuscript should be submitted no later than three months after the event.

Content Guidelines

The “Conference Reports” section includes reports on all types of events, ranging from the annual conferences of large and small associations and working groups to workshops and summer schools, as well as lecture series and event series.

It is important to note that these reports are not a platform for advertising or uncritical praise, but rather document current developments in the field beyond journals and publication lists. This section highlights the current topics, focal points, and points of contention in our field, as well as the social forms of knowledge exchange that exist. Perspectives from early-career scholars and mid-career faculty are of particular interest to our journal.

The conference report should therefore provide a critical overall assessment of the event as well as a concise summary of its content. The following points should be evaluated:

To what extent was the event relevant for scholars of the study of religion? What were the main themes and key messages or key findings of the presentations? How did they relate to one another? Who were the audience and the presenters?

Further information can be found in the ZjR profile, which serves as the basis for evaluating the texts we receive. The guidelines for ensuring good scientific practice (DFG) must be followed.

Text Length and Formatting

Conference reports must not exceed 1,000 words.

The text must be formatted according to the layout specified by the ZjR, using the EN template.

Submission of Manuscripts

The ZjR is a journal for early-career scholars in the field of religious studies. Therefore, only manuscripts from individuals who have not yet earned their doctoral degree at the time of submission will be accepted.

A manuscript consists of two parts, which must be submitted as separate files (.doc format):

• The main document should include the following components (in this order):
  • Title of the conference report
  • Subtitle following this format:

Report on the conference “Religion, Sexuality, and Identity in Africa and the African Diaspora,” the 7th biennial Conference of the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR). Held at the University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana, July 26–29, 2016

• • Main text

The main document must not contain any information identifying the author of the report. It should be possible to submit it unedited for the anonymous (double-blind) review process.

• A second document containing the following information (in this order) must be submitted:
  • Title (see above)
  • Subtitle (see above)
  • Author’s name, affiliated university, and email address

Presentation of Speakers

Speakers should be identified by their first and last names the first time they are mentioned. In subsequent mentions, the first name may be omitted.