Information about article content
Harvard Theological Review considers articles submitted for publication if they conform to the following guidelines:
Originality
Articles must not have been previously published elsewhere and must differ significantly and substantially from other material the author may have published. The Review does not consider articles currently submitted to other journals nor, ordinarily, those scheduled to appear in forthcoming books.
Scholarly content
The Review covers a wide spectrum of fields in theological and religious studies. Our range is not limited to any one religious tradition or set of traditions. The main criteria for publication are that a submission significantly advance knowledge in its field, be historically informed and rigorous in its reasoning, and speak intelligibly to readers knowledgeable in theological or religious studies outside of its special field. Articles submitted may make a constructive theological, ethical, or methodological argument, but should not be polemical in tone. All authors must adhere to recognized scholarly standards, include full and accurate references, and be willing and able to work with primary sources in their original languages.
Book reviews
Harvard Theological Review does not publish short book reviews. New books received in the office are, however, generally listed in a section at the end of each issue titled "Books Received." On occasion, we do commission a review essay of a significant book or set of books recently published. Ordinarily, commissioned review essays are not peer reviewed.
Translations
On rare occasion, the Review accepts English translations of articles published in other languages, if they are considered to have wide appeal and are not readily accessible to the scholarly community.
Inclusive language
The use of masculine pronouns when referring to persons generically and the use of such terms as "man" when referring to human beings in general should be avoided. Authors are asked to minimize stylistic awkwardness in adhering to our inclusive language policy. For example, it is better to use the plural pronoun ("they") rather than the singular ("he or she," "s/he"). The editors are aware that it is not always appropriate to employ inclusive language when referring to God or divine beings. In such cases, authors should adjust their usage to the historical character of the material studied.
Address and technical details
Authors should submit their papers to Harvard Theological Review's ScholarOne portal.
The Review seldom publishes papers longer than about 12,000 words.
The Review closely follows the recommendations of The SBL Handbook of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style. An article need not conform to Harvard Theological Review style (PDF) before being accepted for publication.
How articles are reviewed
Our review process involves two stages. The author may be asked to make changes after either the first or the second stage; the article may also be rejected after either review. The comments of our anonymous reviewers will be passed on to the author, whether or not the essay is accepted. If a submission seems obviously inappropriate to HTR, it may be rejected without entering the review process. Since we depend on peer review by scholars, who are often quite busy, we cannot guarantee a date by which a decision will have been made.
Ordinarily, Harvard Theological Review will not consider for publication more than two submissions by the same author within a period of eighteen months.
When an article is accepted
Between acceptance and publication, articles are edited for grammatical accuracy, felicity of writing, conformity with American spelling and usage, and accordance with the HTR style sheet of Harvard Theological Review.
Once the editing process is complete, authors receive page proofs electronically, which they are expected to read carefully and return within the week.
After publication, authors are offered twenty-five offprints of their published articles and one copy of the issue. Upon request, further offprints and issues may be ordered.
Copyright information
Copyright of articles published in Harvard Theological Review are held by their authors. The Review is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Authors receive no financial remuneration for publishing their work in the Review.
Open Access policy
A growing number of private and national funding bodies have announced Open Access policies that confirm author self-archiving (“Green” Open Access) as a legitimate route to Open Access compliance for scholars working in the humanities and social sciences. As a part of these efforts, HTR is introducing a new policy designed to offer our authors the greatest possible degree of freedom and maximize the accessibility of the research we publish while at the same time protecting financial returns for HTR.
Permissions for author self-archiving under this policy will be as follows:
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Personal webpage
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Departmental or institutional repository
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Non-commercial subject repository
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Commercial repository or social media sites
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Submitted manuscript under review
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At any time
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At any time
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At any time
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At any time
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Accepted manuscript
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On acceptance
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On acceptance
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On acceptance
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Abstract only plus link to article on Cambridge University Press site
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Version of record
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Abstract only plus link to article on Cambridge University Press site
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Abstract only plus link to article on Cambridge University Press site
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Abstract only plus link to article on Cambridge University Press site
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Abstract only plus link to article on Cambridge University Press site
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