(2) Contributions dealing with all aspects of these texts and their contents are invited, including textual, historical, cultural, archaeological, and philological studies. Submissions must be consistent with a faithful Latter-day Saint perspective, and make a significant contribution to our understanding, to be considered for publication. Only completed manuscripts will be considered for publication. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to jbmrs@byu.edu.

(3) A majority of our articles approach the scriptures by expanding knowledge of the context (historical, linguistic, literary, social, cultural, etc.) within which the text originated or has subsequently been used. Also acceptable will be careful analyses of the scriptures themselves using tools of sound scholarship. We do not intend to compete with publishing outlets that focus on inspirational or devotional materials. Presentations that are primarily devotional, whatever their intrinsic merit, are better published in some other outlet aimed at a different audience than ours. However, scholarly analysis of the types we emphasize may appropriately contain inspirational or devotional elements that flow naturally out of that analysis.

(4) Writers should demonstrate awareness of all relevant studies previously done on their topic, and those studies should be identified appropriately for nonexpert readers.

(5) Exposition must use sound logic, and writers need to support their arguments with appropriate data: carefully selected material from the scriptures or other texts, information from scholarly literature, and facts and cases from original research or other appropriate sources. Confident assertion or clever phrasing cannot substitute for apt facts. Writing that is sensational, argumentative, or inflammatory is unacceptable; abusive language is also out of place.

(6) The language used must be clear and understandable to the journal's readers. Good writing intended for an interdisciplinary or nonspecialist audience avoids the use of unnecessarily technical terminology and complicated phrasing.

(7) Each article will be reviewed by peers. Issues raised in the review process must be dealt with by the author to the satisfaction of the editors before an article is finally accepted.

(8) The use of illustrations, maps, diagrams, charts, and other visual materials is encouraged when they clarify and enliven a presentation but not when their effect is to dilute or confuse the central point.

JBMRS Style Guide: DOC | PDF