Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors: after reviewing the instructions below, please click here or use the "Submit an Article" button on the right to submit your article as a Word or WordPerfect document. Also, please click here to email your article to the editor. Questions? Contact the managing editor. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

Homiletic is a juried journal publishing scholarly essays pertaining to homiletic theory, history of preaching, theology of and for preaching, biblical hermeneutics for preaching (not biblical commentary), preaching's relationship to cognate disciplines (communication theory, rhetoric, philosophy, etc.), preaching and culture/context (not cultural commentary), and other topics related to the nature and craft of preaching. We welcome articles between 5,000 and 10,000 words; most are between 7,00 and 8,000.

1. Keep in mind that Homiletic is aimed at an educated but general audience. Avoid overly technical or specialized language when possible.
2. Except as noted in this style sheet, follow the directives of: The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, most recent edition preferred) for general style and editing matters; and The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, most recent edition) for matters specific to religion or theology not otherwise covered in the Chicago Manual, for example: Latin and Greek titles (7.1.3.8). Capitalization and spelling of religious terms (Appendix A).
3. For spelling, follow Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, most recent edition).
4. At the beginning of the article, include an abstract of the article (150 words or less).
5. At the beginning of the article, include your name, professional title (if any), and current institutional affiliation.
6. Authors warrant that all work is their own, that all citations are accurate, and that anything quoted or paraphrased is properly cited.
7. Authors warrant that there is nothing libelous or defamatory in their accepted publication.
8. Notation Guidelines:
   1. Use footnotes rather than endnotes.
   2. Ordinarily, do not include any notational references in the text. However, where an article is devoted exclusively to a single work or a single author, or otherwise includes repeated reference to the same work, parenthetical citations to page numbers in the text may be used to avoid excessive endnotes.
   3. All footnotes should be single-spaced in 10-point Times New Roman font.
   4. For the format of the notes, follow Chicago Manual of Style's Documentation I section (ch. 16)
   5. In the initial citation to a work, use the full name (not abbreviations) for any book, journal title, author, etc.
   6. Number notes consecutively throughout the article, using Arabic numerals.
   7. Omit words such as "Press" (except with university presses), number of volumes, the names of translators, or the names of series (such as SBLDS or VTSupp).
   8. Examples: (i) Hans Conzelmann, Jesus (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1973). (ii) Walter Brueggemann, "Preaching: A Sub-Version," Theology Today 55 (1998): 196-212. (iii) James Limburg, "Psalms, Book of," Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992) 5:522-36. (iv) Duane Priebe, "Theology and Hermeneutics," Studies in Lutheran Hermeneutics, ed. John Reumann (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979), 297-301.
   9. For subsequent notes after the first entry, a shortened reference or ibid., is appropriate: (i) Brueggemann, "Preaching: A Sub-Version," 201. (ii) Ibid., 204. [Do not italicize or underline ibid.]
9. Format Guidelines:
   1. Line Spacing. Use single-spaced lines throughout, including footnotes and indented quotations.
   2. Word Spacing. Use one space between each word and after periods or other punctuation.
   3. Margins. Provide one-inch margins on all edges of the page.
   4. Font. Use a 12-point font throughout the document, and 10-point for footnotes (Times New Roman).
   5. Page Numbers. Do not number pages. Numbers will be added in final pdf of the journal.
   6. Please submit your article as a Word or Word Perfect document.
10. Foreign Words: Greek and Hebrew words may be used sparingly, in transliteration. Conform transliterations to The SBL Handbook of Style.
11. Any foreign word used should be italicized and should include an English translation.
12. Scripture Citations:
    1. For all citations, use the New Revised Standard Version. A different translation may be used to make a specific point. If another translation is used, include the standard abbreviation for the version in the citation (or give a full citation if no standard abbreviation exists).
    2. Use the following abbreviations for biblical books. Note that no period follows the book abbreviation (example: Gen 1:1): Gen Exod Lev Num Deut Josh Judg Ruth 1-2 Sam 1-2 Kgs 1-2 Chr Ezra Neh Esth Job Ps (pl: Pss) Prov Eccl Cant Isa Jer Lam Ezek Dan Hos Joel Amos Obad Jonah Mic Nah Hab Zeph Hag Zech Mal Matt Mark Luke John Acts Rom 1-2 Cor Gal Eph Phil Col 1-2 Thess 1-2 Tim Titus Phlm Heb Jas 1-2 Pet 1-2-3 John Jude Rev
13. Please include, with the manuscript, a brief biographical note about the author (1-2 sentences is sufficient) with current title, institution, email address, and most recent publication. The author's name should also appear on the first page of the manuscript.
14. Style Guidelines:
    1. Active Voice. Write as much as possible in the active voice (avoid passive constructions).
    2. Capitalization. Avoid overcapitalizing words. As a guide, follow Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: Eleventh Edition or see Ch. 8 of the Chicago Manual of Style. and The SBL Handbook of Style, Appendix A. For example, certain proper nouns are capitalized, but corresponding adjectives are not: Bible, biblical; Christ, christological; Trinity, trinitarian; God, godly.
    3. Hyphenation. Consult the section on Compounds and Hyphenation (7.82-90) in the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., which expresses a strong preference against hyphenation where possible.
    4. M-Dashes and N-Dashes. Use M-dashes to indicate a break between parts of a sentence. Use N-dashes to indicate a break between consecutive numbers, as in: The three theological virtues—faith, hope, and love—undergird the whole of Christian ethics. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was born in the Rhineland.
    5. Small Capitals. Small capitals, without periods, are used to indicate certain common abbreviations, such as: - historical periods: 586 BC, AD 451 - affiliation with religious orders: Fr. Thomas Skillen, OFM
    6. Emphasis. For emphasis, italicize; do not use bold font or capital letters.
    7. Commas. Use commas to clarify the syntax of sentences. Use commas throughout a series: faith, hope, and love, as opposed to faith, hope and love. Place a comma after introductory prepositional phrases: In a sense, theology is . . . .
    8. Abbreviations. Do not use abbreviations such as e.g., i.e., or etc. in the text of an article. These abbreviations may be used sparingly in notes.
    9. Gender-Free Language. Use gender-free language where feasible.
15. Headings: Provide headings. If headings are not provided by the author, they will be added by the editors. Primary section headings should be in bold with the first letter of each word capitalized, flush left on the page, not enumerated, and without any period. Secondary section headings should be in lower case with the first letter of words capitalized (according to the Chicago Manual rule for capitalization in titles), in italics, flush left on the page.
16. The journal Homiletic participates in the Digital Object Identifier System found at http://www.doi.org/factsheets/DOIKeyFacts.html. Authors must add relevant DOIs to their citations. A quick and easy DOI lookup is available at http://www.crossref.org/guestquery. If cut and pasting a citation, you can utilize the simple form at http://www.crossref.org/SimpleTextQuery.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOOK REVIEWS

PLEASE NOTE: Homiletic is a scholarly journal and does not publish reviews of self-published, non-peer reviewed publications, memoirs, practical manuals or advice books, or books of sermons. The journal reviews scholarly monographs, professional books, or textbooks.

Homiletic seeks reviews that:

1. Tell plainly what the book says and for whom it is written. Most readers read reviews first to find out what books say. In addition, a careful assessment of the book's intended audience is of particular interest to the readers of an interdisciplinary journal such as Homiletic.
2. Set the author's argument in a broad context of scholarly analysis. Reviewers should bear in mind that scholars from a variety of disciplines, and religious professionals will read the review. The perspectives of the reviewer's own discipline will be of great interest, but reviewers should avoid assessments based solely on issues of interest to those in a single field or sub-field.
3. Suggest whether the author achieves the book's stated purpose and assesses the significance of that goal. Criticism is welcomed, of course, but it should be made only on courteous and constructive terms. The editor will ask reviewers to rewrite sections that breach this standard, and in rare cases, will refuse a submission for this reason. Writing should be concise yet lively, and should strive to balance a personal voice with careful analysis. At their best, reviewers are both actor and audience.

STYLE AND FORMAT

1. Please limit your review to 750 words. In some instances, a complex book may require an additional 100-200 words. For planning purposes, please ask permission of the managing editor at homiletic@vanderbilt.edu if this extra word limit is required. On occasion, two or more books will be reviewed and this length may be extended to 1000-1200 words.
2. All reviews should be submitted via email to the section editor, who will edit the review to send to the managing editor. Questions can be sent to the section editors or managing editor. Please save the document as a Word file and attach it to the email message.
3. The following information should appear at the top of the review: Author. Full title of book. Place of publishing: publisher, date of publication. Number of pages. Cost (please refer to www.amazon.com or the publisher’s website for this information). Example: O. Wesley Allen Jr. Preaching and the Human Condition: Loving God, Self, and Others. Nashville: Abingdon, 2016. 118 pages. $25.
4. The following information should appear at the bottom of the review: Name of reviewer, affiliation. Example: John McClure, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
5. Please supply page numbers for all quoted passages in parentheses within the text. Use the first name in the initial reference to any person (including the author). With organizations, use the full name in the initial reference; all subsequent references may use initials or acronyms. Please supply publication dates of any books mentioned in the review.
6. Format Guidelines:
   1. Line Spacing. Use single-spaced lines throughout, including footnotes and indented quotations.
   2. Word Spacing. Use one space between each word and after periods or other punctuation.
   3. Margins. Provide one-inch margins on all edges of the page. Justify text to the left.
   4. Font. Use a 12-point font throughout the document, and 10-point for footnotes (Times New Roman).
   5. Page Numbers. Do not number pages. Numbers will be added in final pdf of the journal.
   6. Any foreign word used should be italicized and should include an English translation.
   7. Scripture Citations: For all citations, use the New Revised Standard Version. A different translation may be used to make a specific point. If another translation is used, include the standard abbreviation for the version in the citation (or give a full citation if no standard abbreviation exists). Use the following abbreviations for biblical books. Note that no period follows the book abbreviation (example: Gen 1:1): Gen Exod Lev Num Deut Josh Judg Ruth 1-2 Sam 1-2 Kgs 1-2 Chr Ezra Neh Esth Job Ps (pl: Pss) Prov Eccl Cant Isa Jer Lam Ezek Dan Hos Joel Amos Obad Jonah Mic Nah Hab Zeph Hag Zech Mal Matt Mark Luke John Acts Rom 1-2 Cor Gal Eph Phil Col 1-2 Thess 1-2 Tim Titus Phlm Heb Jas 1-2 Pet 1-2-3 John Jude Rev
7. Please proofread the text of the review carefully. Questions should be directed to the managing editor.

STATUS OF REVIEWS

Professional ethics dictate that a scholar can publish only one review of a book. Homiletic reviews count as that one review. As indicated above, Journal reviewers have permission to republish their reviews provided that proper credit is given to the Homiletic, but should not agree to write a separate review of the same work for another journal.