Journal Author Guidance
This guidance applies across the Open Christian Press journal portfolio. The selected journal's own instructions remain authoritative where disciplinary requirements differ.
Before writing or submitting
Authors should define the manuscript's central question, intended contribution and appropriate audience. A sound manuscript does not merely assemble references. It presents a clear problem, uses an appropriate method or mode of argument, engages relevant scholarship fairly and explains why the findings or conclusions matter.
Review the selected journal's aims and scope and read several recent articles. Submitting to an unsuitable journal delays authors and editors alike.
Manuscript types
Depending on the journal, submissions may include original research, theoretical or conceptual papers, systematic or critical reviews, qualitative or quantitative studies, case studies, policy analyses, theological studies, methodological papers, perspectives, commentaries and book reviews.
The article type should be identified accurately. A reflective essay should not be represented as empirical research, and a narrative overview should not be labelled a systematic review unless it follows and reports an appropriate review method.
Core manuscript elements
A research article should normally include a descriptive title, author details, abstract, keywords, introduction, relevant literature or conceptual framing, methodology, results or findings, discussion, conclusion, declarations and references. Disciplinary conventions may justify a different structure.
The abstract should state the problem, purpose, approach, principal findings or argument, and contribution. Keywords should be specific enough to support discovery and should not merely repeat every word in the title.
Originality and simultaneous submission
Submissions must be original and must not be under review by another journal. Prior presentation at a conference or posting as a disclosed preprint does not necessarily prevent consideration, but authors must provide complete information and comply with the journal's preprint policy.
Text recycling, duplicate publication, fragmented publication and undisclosed republication are assessed according to context, extent and potential to mislead readers.
Authorship and contributorship
Every listed author must have made a substantial intellectual contribution, approved the submitted version, accepted accountability for their contribution and agreed to the order of authors. Individuals who provided administrative, technical, language or financial assistance without meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have reviewed the submission and that affiliations, email addresses, ORCID identifiers, funding and conflicts of interest are accurate.
Research ethics and reporting
Research involving human participants, personal data, vulnerable groups, animals or regulated materials must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements. Where approval or exemption was required, the manuscript should identify the approving body and reference number. Consent, confidentiality and data-protection procedures should be explained where relevant.
Authors should use appropriate reporting guidance for their study design and should not overstate causation, generalisability, novelty or policy implications.
References and source integrity
References must be accurate, retrievable and genuinely relevant. Authors should verify quotations, DOIs, URLs, dates, page numbers and bibliographic details. Citations should not be inserted merely to increase counts, satisfy presumed reviewers or create the appearance of scholarship.
The journal may request access to sources, data, instruments, analytical code or documentation needed to assess the reliability of the work.
Artificial intelligence and automated tools
Artificial intelligence may support limited tasks such as language refinement, coding assistance, transcription, literature organisation or exploratory analysis, provided its use is lawful, critically supervised and disclosed where material. AI systems cannot be authors and cannot assume responsibility for accuracy, originality, confidentiality or ethical compliance.
Authors remain accountable for every claim, citation, interpretation and file submitted in their names.
Files and metadata
Upload the manuscript and any figures, tables, appendices, reporting checklists, ethics documentation or supplementary files requested by the journal. Enter the title, abstract, keywords, author names, affiliations, ORCID identifiers and references accurately in OJS. Metadata should match the manuscript.
Editorial assessment and review
Submissions first undergo editorial screening for scope, originality, integrity, quality and basic readiness. Manuscripts that pass screening are assigned for review under the applicable journal policy. Review does not guarantee acceptance. Authors should respond to comments respectfully and provide a clear response document identifying each revision or reasoned disagreement.
After acceptance
Accepted manuscripts may undergo copyediting, metadata correction, typesetting and proof review. Authors must examine proofs carefully, but proof stage is not an opportunity for substantial rewriting unless an error affects the integrity of the work.
Where a fee applies, it is payable only after acceptance. Publication remains conditional on completion of required declarations, licensing and production checks.