Submissions

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

Author Guidelines

1. PEER REVIEW

PJTM adheres to a strict peer-review process to uphold the quality and validity of published content. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a thorough double-blind review by qualified experts in the relevant fields. The editor will conduct an initial assessment of all contributions for suitability. Suitable papers will then be forwarded to at least two independent expert reviewers for scientific evaluation. The ultimate decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests with the Editor. Editors are not involved in decisions about papers they have authored, those by family members or colleagues, or papers related to products or services in which the editors have a vested interest. Such submissions are subject to standard peer-review procedures, ensuring that peer review is handled independently of the relevant editor and their research groups.

2. USE OF WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE

All articles are required to be submitted in Microsoft Word document format. Authors using software other than Word are advised to save their files with a .doc or .docx extension. Use boldface, italics, subscripts, and superscripts as necessary. When creating tables, use a single grid for each individual table and align columns using tabs, rather than spaces. Additionally, please have the source files for figures, tables, and text graphics available, whether or not the figures are embedded in the text.

3. ESSENTIAL TITLE PAGE INFORMATION

- Title: Provide a clear and informative title suitable for information-retrieval systems. Avoid using abbreviations and formulas whenever possible.

- Author Names and Affiliations: Clearly indicate the given names and family names of all authors. Double-check the accuracy of all names. Include authors’ affiliations below their names using lowercase superscript letters. Provide the email address of each author.

- Corresponding Author: Clearly identify the corresponding author who will manage all correspondence during the peer review and publication process, as well as post-publication queries. Ensure that the corresponding author's email address is provided and kept up to date.

- If any of the authors have changed their address since completing the work described in the article, please indicate the current address as a footnote with a superscript Arabic numeral. The main affiliation address should remain the address where the work was conducted.

4. ABSTRACT

The article should contain an abstract of a maximum of 150 words. The manuscript should have a self-contained, citation-free abstract and state briefly the purpose of the research, methodology, key results, and major conclusions. The abstract should be in a single paragraph with running sentences. Do not use any subheading or point list within the abstract. Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential, they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. Abstracts should be written in complete sentences without third-person reference to ‘the author’, ‘this paper’, or ‘this essay’.

5. KEYWORDS

Authors are advised to write 3-5 keywords related to the article, separated by a comma. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes. Be sparing with abbreviations, using only those firmly established in the field.

6. FONT STYLE AND SPACING

All text, including footnotes, should be in 12-point, single-spaced Times New Roman font, with single spaces between sentences. Use one-inch margins and justify the right-hand margin.

7. QUOTATIONS

Enclose quoted material in double quotation marks and use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.

8. PUNCTUATION

Punctuation should generally be placed inside of quoted material.

9. QUOTATIONS

Quoted material exceeding 40 words should be presented as an indented block quote, with a blank line preceding and following it. The spelling and punctuation of the original must be preserved exactly, although capitalization may be silently modified. Block quotes should not be enclosed within quotation marks.

10. NAMES WITH MULTIPLE VARIANTS

For personal or geographic names with multiple variants, select a preferred version and use it consistently. Quotations, however, should maintain the original spelling.

11. DATES

Full dates should be given in the order of day, month, year, without punctuation (e.g., 1 July 2022).

12. GENDER INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Gender-inclusive language is preferred (e.g., ‘humanity’ rather than ‘man’), as is using both pronouns (i.e., ‘his/her’) when writing in the singular third person. For further text reference help, the Chicago Manual of Style is recommended.

13. REFERENCES/CITATIONS

- The author(s) are responsible for ensuring that the information in each reference is complete and accurate. Do not use grey literature (unauthentic website, news portal, social media, Wikipedia, etc) as references; only scholarly literature (journals, online books, proceedings, patents, authentic websites with permanent archival policy) are acceptable references. The accepted style is the Chicago Manual of Style (Footnotes option).

- ‘Quoted in’ citations are generally discouraged and should only be employed when the original source is inaccessible to the author and/or no longer extant.

- Every work quoted from or mentioned in the text, including films/videos and webpages (except those without authors), must be included in the bibliography. Do not include sources that are not mentioned or quoted from in the text.

- Unpublished, personal correspondence and data collected from firsthand ethnographic research should not be included in the reference list, though it should be cited in-text with a parenthetical citation, e.g., (John Doe, email to the author, 26 April 2024).

- Bibliographic references must consistently be organised alphabetically by the author's name. Dashes should not be employed as substitutes for the author’s name, even in instances of consecutive entries authored by the same individual. When citing multiple works by the same author within the same year, arrange them chronologically from the earliest to the most recent publication date and differentiate between them by appending alphabetical letters (e.g., 2023a, 2023b).

- When citing a work by three or more authors, employ ‘et al.’ within the body of the text; however, include the full list of all authors in the bibliography.

14. FOOTNOTES

- Notes must be formatted as footnotes, not endnotes.

- Footnote markers should be placed at the end of a clause, after any punctuation.

- Footnotes should be used for citations as well as substantive comments or further discussion of sources.

15. LENGTH OF MANUSCRIPT

The length of submissions should be between 6000 and 8,000 words, including footnotes and references. Book reviews should typically be no more than three pages long, while PhD summaries should be between 3000 and 6000 words. Exceptions may be considered in cases where extensive documentation is needed to evidence an argument.

16. ABBREVIATIONS

Define abbreviations that are not standard in the field in a footnote on the first page of the article. For abbreviations used in the abstract, provide definitions at their first mention there and in the footnote. Maintain consistency in abbreviations throughout the article.

17. TABLES

Submit tables as editable text and not as images. You can place tables either next to the relevant text in the article or on separate pages at the end. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Use tables sparingly and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.

18. LANGUAGE (USAGE AND EDITING SERVICES)

Authors must write their manuscripts in clear and proper English, adhering to either British or American usage (but not a mixture of both), devoid of grammatical or spelling errors.

19. ETHICS IN PUBLISHING

The Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission is dedicated to upholding ethical standards in publishing to maintain the integrity and credibility of the research and knowledge shared within its pages. Authors are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the journal’s comprehensive guidelines to ensure adherence to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. The journal advocates for transparency, proper attribution of sources, and avoidance of plagiarism. It strives to promote a culture of fairness and respect for authors, reviewers, and readers while preventing conflicts of interest and ensuring that intellectual contributions significantly contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the enrichment of these fields.

Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing: Authors are allowed to utilise generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies during the writing process to improve language and readability. However, this should be done under the supervision and control of humans. It is essential for writers to carefully review and edit the AI-generated content, as AI may produce content that sounds authoritative but could potentially be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be credited as authors or co-authors, nor should they be cited as such. Authorship responsibilities can only be attributed to and fulfilled by human beings.

Disclosure Instructions: When utilising generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in their writing, authors are required to include a statement titled "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the Writing Process" at the end of their manuscript, before the References section. This statement should specify the AI tool or service used and the purpose for its implementation. Authors must confirm that they have reviewed and edited the content after using the tool or service and also accept full responsibility for the publication's content. It is important to note that basic tools used for grammar, spelling, and reference checks are exempt from this disclosure requirement. If no disclosure is necessary, authors may omit the statement.

20 SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

- Submissions are only accepted electronically at the following link: https://journals.pentvars.edu.gh/index.php/pjtm/about/submissions. If you are unable to submit electronically, contact the Editor at jaarthur@pentvars.edu.gh for assistance.

- Upon completing the online submission process, you should receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your manuscript. Until you have such an acknowledgement, do not assume that your submission has been received and is under review. If you do not receive such an acknowledgement within one day, check your email spam folder first before contacting the Editor at the above email address.

- Online submission is a five-stage process. During this process, you will be prompted to supply various types of information (metadata) along with your actual article, including an abstract (book reviews do not require abstracts) and keywords, a short biographical statement, and contact details, among other things. This metadata is important because it facilitates the indexing of your article once it is published, leading to more citations and greater readership.

- Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word. PDFs are not acceptable for submission of articles, but authors may upload a PDF through the system as a supplementary file following submission of the Word file if you wish to bring to the attention of the Editor any particular features that will be required at the layout stage or to clarify font usage.

21. THE REVIEW PROCESS

- All submissions are evaluated through a blind review process, which may include reviews by both the Editors of PJTM and editorial board members, and will always involve external reviewers. The editors will make every effort to have all submissions evaluated in a timely manner. You will be able to track the progress of your submission through the PJTM website when you log in as an author.

- Authors of accepted articles and reviews will be sent a first proof by email and are expected to return these with corrections within two weeks of receipt. At this stage in the publication process, corrections should be confined to typographical errors or specific questions raised by the copyeditor and PJTM editors.

22. TRACK CHANGES

- PJTM editors and reviewers regularly use the Microsoft Word ‘track changes’ feature to provide editorial suggestions and corrections before returning manuscripts to authors for revision.

- This is a ‘toggle’ feature that is turned on and off via the ‘track changes’ command located on the ‘tools’ toolbar in Microsoft Word. When tracking is on, deletions and additions appear in colour (and can be viewed differently, depending on whether you select ‘simple markup’ under the ‘review’ tab and ‘normal’ or ‘print layout’ under the ‘view’ tab on the toolbar). The copyeditor will let you know how to respond to suggested changes in your manuscript.

- If the coloured editorial marks appear confusing, you may disable this colour feature by changing the document display from ‘final showing markup’ to ‘final’. This option is accessible via the document toolbar under the ‘reviewing’ function. As a result, the brackets containing substantive editorial comments will remain visible, but all coloured elements within the text will be rendered in black and white, including the editorial suggestions.

23. AUTHOR FEES

There are NO PUBLICATION FEES

24. PUBLICATION FREQUENCY

Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission is published twice a year, with regular issues released at specific intervals.

Articles

Section default policy

Book Reviews

Please format the headings of book reviews according to the following template:

Book Title: Subtitle. Year of Publication. By Author(s) Name. Place of publication: Publisher. Number of pages. Price.

Reviewed by: Reviewer Name, Reviewer Affiliation, reviewer@institution.edu

Example:

The Politics of Religious Sound: Conflict and the Negotiation of Religious Diversity in Ghana. 2018. By Justice Anquandah Arthur. Berlin: LIT Verlag. 334pp. $99 (hardcover).

Reviewed by: Genevieve Nrenzah, University of Bayreuth, jdoe@real.edu

Copyright Notice

Upon acceptance, the article must not be published elsewhere in the same form, whether in English or any other language, including electronically, without prior written consent from the copyright-holder. To ensure adherence to this policy, the article may be subjected to checks using Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software. Subscribers are allowed to reproduce tables of contents or lists of articles, along with abstracts, for internal circulation within their institutions. However, permission from the PJTM is necessary for resale or distribution outside the institution, as well as for all other derivative works, such as compilations and translations. If the article contains excerpts from other copyrighted works, written permission must be obtained from the copyright owners, and proper credit should be given to the original sources.

Requests should be addressed to: The Editor-in-Chief, Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission, Pentecost School of Theology and Mission, P.O. Box KN 1739, Kaneshie, Accra, Ghana. Alternatively, correspondence may be addressed via email to: pujournals@pentvars.edu.gh and copy jaarthur@pentvars.edu.gh .

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