Focus and scope

The academic journal „Theology and Morality” is peer-reviewed biannual accepting the work of scholars of the following disciplines: theology, Bible studies, family studies, sociology, communication science and media studies, philosophy, ethnology and cultural anthropology. The main purposes of the journal are to disseminate the results of new research and to serve as a forum  for the exchange of ideas of Polish and international researchers. Each issue has a leading theme. However, papers on other subjects are also accepted and every issue is completed with reviews, conference reports and excerpts from doctoral dissertations. The leading theological context of the journal also allows the expansion of the dicussion to include the perspectives of scholars representing other disciplines.

Each issue has a leading theme which provides the backbone of every edition.

The editorial office may decide to publish a special thematic edition.

Review procedure

The criteria for qualifying papers for review:

1. The subject of the paper must match the journal’s profile.
2. Formal criteria include: logical structure, academic language, the inclusion of an abstract and key words, and the use of scholarly apparatus.
3. As for the content cirteria, the authors must conduct a critial analysis of a selected research problem, rather than synthesise available academic knowledge.
4. If the problem analysed in the article has already been discussed in academic publications, the author must include new aspects and perspectives on the selected phenomenon.
5. A complete abstract covers: the subject and the goals of the research, the research methods and clearly stated conclusions.

Review procedure

1. The review procedure of the „Theology and Morality” journal adheres to the guidelines listed in the publication of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education “Dobre praktyki w procedurach recenzyjnych w nauce” (Warsaw 2011, eng. Good practives in the review procedure in sciences”) as well as the Announcement of the Minister of Science and Higher Education issued on June 2nd 2015 in regards to the criteria and procedure of evaluation of academic journals.
2. By submitting their papers to the journal, the authors consent the review procedure.
3. The sumbitted papers are first verified by the managing editor.
4. The contents of the papers are shared with two independent reviewers who hold habiliation degrees.
5. The submitted works may not be directed to reviewers who share an affliliation with the author or who may be in a conflict of interests with the author. The following circumstances may constitute a conflict of interest: professional relationships (eg. subjugation in the hierarchy), personal relations (marriage, first or second degree of kinship), direct scientific collaboration (in the two years preceding the submission of the text). The members of the editorial office and the editorial advisory board may not serve as reviewers.
6. The author and the reviewer are anonymous to one another, in accordance with the principles of the double-blind review process.
7. The review procedure is carried out in its entirety trough the PRESSto platform. Each paper receives an editorial number which is used to identify it at all stages of the publishing process. The reviewer, having accepted a request for a review, fills out an electronic review form accessible for registered users of the journal’s website.
8. A review must contain a clearly stated conclusion in regards to the conditions of accepting or rejecting the paper. Reviews which fail to meet formal and content criteria of an academic review will not be considered. This includes reviews containing unmotivated criticism or unjustified praise or reviews whose conclusion does not match the content, eg. mostly critical reviews which nevertheless recommend accepting the paper, or positive reviews which propose rejecting the text.
9. The reviewers must choose one of the following solutions:
   - the article may be published without corrections;
   - the article may be published after it is corrected (without the need for further review);
   - the article may be published after it is corrected and reviewed for the second time;
   - the article may be published in a different journal;
   - the article is not fit for publishing.

10. The reviewers should provide the reviews in a timely fashion. Typically, the review must be provided withing 14 days.
11. The rational, motivated judgments expressed in the review are binding for the author of the paper. The author is obligated to take the reviewers recommendations into account and to revise his or her paper in the suggested manner. All reviewers have the right to verify the article after the corrections have been introduced.
12. Reviewers must inform the editorial office if the paper they are reviewing is similar to any previously published works.
13. The reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of all the information they receive from the editorial office. The reviewers must not use their knowledge of the paper’s contents before the work is published.
14. The ultimate decision to accept or reject a paper is made by the editor in chief after analyzing the suggestions expressed in the review and the revised version of the article. In case only one of the reviews is negative, the article may nevertheless be accepted by the editorial board after a consultation with a third reviewer. Two negative reviews constitute a negative conclusion of the review procedure.
15. An up-to-date list of the reviewers is published once a year on the journal’s website.
16. The reviewers do not receive compensation. They do receive a copy of each issue containing papers which they have reviewed.
17. Due to its interdisciplinary character the journal does not have a fixed team of reviewers.

Review form

Anti-plagiarism policy

In order to guarantee the originality and high quality of the published papers, the journal applies the most modern review procedures including the use of the Crossref Similarity Check anti-plagiarism system and the iThenticate software. The system recognizes the similarity of the text to other published work by comparing it with the papers available online and in indexed databases and by displaying the sources of the analyzed fragments.

Papers containing incorrectly marked or cited borrowings form other texts will be rejected, and any violation of copyright or academic best practice will be reported to the author’s employer.

Open-access policy

The open access (OA) papers are published under the following licenses:

Since 2024: CC-BY 4.0 International

Between 2016 and 2023: CC-BY-ND 4.0 International

The journal provides immediate, open access to all its contents in accordance with the belief that  free availability of the results of academic research stimulates the global development of science and exchange of knowledge. The editorial office encourages the authors to share the Version of Reference of their paper in open repositories under the condition of clearly stating the authorship, title, source and the DOI number of each text, as well as providing a link to the original work on the journal’s website.

Research Data

The journal does not maintain an index of the research data used in the published papers. The author are not required to present the methods of managing and archiving the data used for the purposes of the works published in the journal. In special cases, when a concern or controversy regarding the research date emerges during the review procedure or in academic discourse following the publication, the authors may be obligated by the editorial office to provide the research data in order to prove the transparency and integrity of their research project.

Financing

The journal is fully financed with an internal grant from the Adam Mickiewicz University and does not publish any advertisements or paid announcements. All of the journal’s contents are freely available.