The Journal of Philosophy and Scripture
(JPS) is an e-journal dedicated to reading scripture in light of philosophy and to examining philosophy in light of scripture. The
Journal's task is informed by three primary aims: (1) to encourage philosophical discussions of religion to attend to the primary sacred texts (e.g. the Bible, the Qur'an, the
Bhagavad-Gita) that fundamentally shape the religions under discussion, (2) to encourage a process of mutual reflection by means of which both philosophy and scripture may be more
clearly illuminated, and (3) to do the above with a keen eye to possible effects on the ways in which we practice philosophy and religion.
JPS is committed to fostering discussion involving a wide range of philosophical perspectives and religious traditions. We are especially interested in papers that engage
directly with specific passages of scripture, but we also welcome papers that deal with general issues relating to the intersection of philosophy and scripture.
Submission Guidelines
We invite submissions of any length (though typically less than 7,000 words) from a wide variety of philosophical perspectives and religious traditions. We are as interested in brief
and provocative sketches as we are in extended and polished pieces. We welcome submissions from faculty, graduate students and other researchers. Publication in JPS does
not preclude publication elsewhere. Articles should be submitted in blind-review format including a cover page with author's name, institutional affiliation, and contact information,
and an abstract of no more than 100 words.
Submissions are screened by the editorial staff and then submitted for peer review.
Participation
At the beginning of each new academic year an open call for participation will be extended to all philosophy graduate students at Villanova. Barring overwhelming interest, all interested students will be accommodated.
Editorial Structure
JPS is an e-journal housed at Villanova University, affiliated
with the Philosophy Graduate Student Union at Villanova (PGSU),
and run by interested graduate students in philosophy at Villanova.
Its faculty advisor is James Wetzel. Editorial positions are filled
by current graduate students.
Editorial positions consist of the following:
Senior Editor:
responsible in general for holding regular staff meetings, overseeing the reception and review of submissions, the solicitation of articles and interviews, the copy
editing required for each issue, and publicity efforts.
Managing Editor: primarily responsible for the solicitation of articles and interviews,
finding peer review for screened submissions, and copy editing.
Public Relations Editor: primarily responsible for announcing the publication of new
issues, the distribution of fliers at appropriate conferences, the compilation of an email list of those to whom announcements should be sent, and listing the journal with appropriate
periodical indexes and academic warehouses.
Technical Editor: primarily responsible for website maintenance, including the formatting of new issues and the archiving of past issues.
General Editorial Staff: responsible for assisting with screening submissions, copy editing, and conducting interviews.
Editorial positions are open to all interested staff members. Editorial positions will be distributed and/or redistributed at the beginning of each new academic year. Staff members
will be asked to express interest in the positions they would like to fill. If more than one staff member expresses interest in a given position, then its assignment will be determined by lot.
In the case of the position of Senior Editor preference will be given to those who have already worked on the staff for at least a year; otherwise, it too will be assigned by lot.
Decision Making Procedures
Decisions regarding the mission or structure of JPS, plans for upcoming issues, the screening of manuscripts, or other pertinent issues are to be approved by the editorial staff
as a whole. Motions and proposal may be submitted for discussion at a staff meeting by any staff member through the Senior Editor. Decisions regarding such motions and proposals
will be decided by simple majority, the vote of each staff member being of equal weight. Deadlocks should be referred to the Faculty Advisor. In addition, veto power is reserved
for the Faculty Advisor who should be advised of the minutes of all staff meetings. The Faculty Advisor should be frequently consulted about plans for upcoming issues and peer review needs.
Interviews to be conducted should be open to all interested staff members. If more than one staff member expresses interest in conducting a given interview, then assignment is made by
lot. However, if a given staff member happens to be conducting a disproportionate number of interviews, then redistribution by assignment may be necessary with the approval of a majority of the staff.
Also, attempts should be made to solicit articles and interviews from scholars from a wide variety of religious and philosophical perspectives.
Publication Schedule
The publication schedule is subject to change given
the level of interest and available material, but optimally publication
should occur at least semi-annually, consisting of a Fall issue
(December) and a Spring issue (May).
Funding
Apart from server fees, expenses should be minimal and addressed on a case by case basis
in consultation with the Faculty Advisor.
