Coming Soon: Call for Submissions for Fourth Issue
Health and Healing, Fall 2010
The intersections of religion, health and healing have emerged as a valuable site for interdisciplinary research and practice-oriented dialogue. As these issues continue to coalesce as a movement and emergent field, issue four of Practical Matters will be dedicated to exploring the interplay of religious and healing practices. A call for submissions will be issued in the coming months, so please continue to check our website for additional details. The deadline will be in April 2010. For more information or early submissions, contact issue editors Annie Hardison-Moody and Jessica Smith at religionhealthandhealing@gmail.com.
Possible questions of interest:
- How are health and healing addressed and engendered in religious traditions? What does health or healing mean to practitioners of the world's religions?
- How do religious practices effect and engender healing and conversely, how do healing practices affect religion and religious practices?
- What are the profits and perils of interdisciplinary work in religion and health? How do/ can academics and practitioners who work at the intersections of religion, health and healing best speak to one another across the disciplines? Are there common goals that unite our work?
- What are promising methodological issues in the exploration of religion, health and healing? What are the methodological challenges?
Practical Matters is an academic journal with a diverse audience. We are looking for submissions in three categories:
- scholarly work on the theme of Health and Healing for peer review;
- featured content on Health and Healing such as practitioner reflections, essays, pedagogical reflections, or field notes concerning religious practices, rituals, or other issues of concern for religious studies scholars, health care professionals, theologians, teachers, and practitioners; and
- reviews of recent books, films, conferences, and other work on broader topics in the fields of religious studies. Journal staff assign reviewers specific works; unsolicited reviews are not accepted. Please see the Reviews policy below for more information.
We are always especially interested in the submission of multimedia scholarship both for peer review and featured content, including film, video, soundscape, new media, photography, art, and performance, among other possible media. Please see the Submissions Guidelines below.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Practical Matters is a multimedia, online journal interested in submissions that investigate the broad topics of religious practices and practical theology, past or present, in any context or tradition. Generally we are interested in work that is relevant to a particular, pre-announced theme or themes.
Practical Matters is aimed at scholars, religious leaders and practitioners, teachers, students, journalists, and the general public. Submissions from all disciplinary perspectives are also encouraged. This includes (but is not limited to) work originating in religious studies, theology, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, sociology, psychology, history, political science, philosophy, media studies, the arts, journalism, or the sciences. We encourage submissions from those both inside and outside the academy as well as work about and from diverse religious traditions.
Practical Matters publishes three general categories of content for each issue:
1. Peer-reviewed scholarship, both text and multimedia, to be published in the section “Analyzing Matters.”
Our process for peer review is rigorous. Peer-reviewed submissions should be of current interest, should relate substantively to the issue theme, should demonstrate familiarity with relevant literature on the subject, and should be clearly and persuasively written and constructed. Multimedia scholarship might include submissions in the media of film, video, soundscape, audio, new media, photography, art, or performance. Further information about peer review for Practical Matters can be found below.
2. Non-peer reviewed content (personal reflections, pedagogical experiences, essays by practitioners on experiences in the field, etc.).
In each issue, we are committed to publishing both practitioner and pedagogical reflections. Practitioners, religious leaders, teachers, and activists are encouraged to submit work on their engagement with the issue’s theme, religious practices, and practical theology. Teachers of all forms might reflect on how they have introduced or would like to introduce their students to these topics. Generally, if accepted, submissions focusing on teaching and pedagogical experiences will be published in the category “Teaching Matters” and those focusing on practitioner experiences will be published in the category “Practicing Matters.”
In addition to these specific reflections, the journal encourages a wide variety of engaging and creative submissions. This might include extended topical review essays, art, syllabi, curricula, or field notes. Submissions might also be video, audio, or new media pieces not produced with specific scholarly aims in mind. If you have other ideas, please feel free to contact the issue editors for the particular issue to which you wish to submit your work.
3. Reviews of recent books, films, or conferences on the topic of religious practices or practical theology for the section “Matters Under Review.”
We do not accept reviews as submissions; however, reviews are regularly assigned to qualified scholars and practitioners for each issue. Those interested in reviewing material for the journal are invited to contact the Reviews Editor or to consult the Reviews Policy below.
General Submissions Instructions:
- Every submission, including multimedia submissions, should include a 150-word abstract of its content.
- Please note in your email if you are submitting your work for peer review, or if your submission is intended to be a non-peer reviewed reflection on pedagogy or practice or some other category of submission.
- We will respond to all who submit, but please be patient.
- Practical Matters seeks to engage a wide audience. Therefore, we are especially interested in submissions that are accessible and comprehensible beyond disciplinary boundaries.
- Submissions should not be currently under review by another journal or have been published in another venue.
- Authors, understood to be the creators of content in all media and genres, retain copyright for content published in Practical Matters, with publication rights granted to the journal. Any reproduction of original content from Practical Matters must a) seek copyright from authors and b) acknowledge Practical Matters as the site of original publication.
About Text Submissions:
- As a general rule, text submissions for peer review (articles and critical essays) should generally be between 3,000-7,000 words long, although we will consider those that fall outside of this range. Non peer-reviewed content, such as pedagogical and practitioner reflections will most often be shorter, falling under 3,000 words.
- Text submissions should be submitted by email attachment to this address: submissions@practicalmattersjournal.org, subject line “Submission.” If possible, please provide your submission as both a Microsoft Word file (.doc NOT .docx) and as a PDF. The abstract should be included in the same document as the submission itself. Please note in your email if you are submitting your work for peer review, or if your submission is intended to be a non-peer-reviewed reflection on pedagogy or practice.
- No files over 5 MB will be accepted as email attachments. If your submission includes photographs or visual components, please take care that your submission is under this size requirement. If your submission is larger than this, you must either post it on a personal web site without identifying information, or send it to us via CD or DVD.
Note: if an emailed file is too big, it is possible we will never receive it due to institutional size restrictions on email attachments. - Authors are encouraged to indicate if there is a photograph, graphic or potential visual component to their manuscript, and include that in their submission if possible.
- Because the peer review process requires anonymity, please do not include information that identifies the author(s) by name in the content of your submission.
- Text submissions should conform to The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. Please use endnotes with full bibliographic information and no separate bibliography. Reference examples can be found here.
About Multimedia Submissions:
- Multimedia submissions may also be attached by email attachment if file size permits (see below). Visual images should be submitted as JPEGs, video submissions should be submitted as Quick Time movies, and audio tracks should be submitted as MP3 files. If it is possible for you to put your submission on a personal web page, you may also submit by providing a working URL.
- No files over 5 MB will be accepted as email attachments. If your submission is larger than this, you must either post it on a personal web site without identifying information, or send it to us via CD or DVD.
Note: if an emailed file is too big, it is possible we will never receive it due to institutional size restrictions on email attachments. - If it is not possible to conform to these guidelines for the kind of submission you intend, or if you have questions about the format of your submission, please email the Editors for Peer-Reviewed Content at least two weeks in advance of the submissions deadline.
Submissions deadline for Issue 4: April 2010
Contact: submissions@practicalmattersjournal.org
How Peer Review Works in Our Journal
Submissions to Practical Matters intended for peer review, in both text and multimedia formats and genres, are subjected to a rigorous process designed to assure a high standard of excellence, as judged by researchers who have expert knowledge in pertinent fields.
Upon submission, scholarship proposed to Practical Matters is screened for conformation to the journal's Submissions Guidelines. After determining that the submission's format and content are appropriate for the journal, proposed scholarship is then reviewed by two reviewers selected by the Editorial Board. This process is double-blind: names of reviewers will not be released to authors and reviewers will not know the identities of authors whose work they review.
Reviewers are asked to evaluate the submission critically with respect to the journal’s guidelines. Factors to be considered include the work's currency, relatedness to the theme, engagement with the latest literature and debates in the respective field(s), conclusions, clarity of writing and structure, and overall presentation (including the use of audio-visual and web-based materials when available and pertinent). Practical Matters’ editors may forward questions from reviewers to authors for clarification.
After the double-blind review process has been completed, the editorial staff will use reviewers’ assessments to decide whether to accept, reject, or ask for revisions to a submission. If revisions are requested, authors may review shared comments; they have the option of re-submitting or withdrawing their submission from consideration. The Editors for Peer-Reviewed Content will keep all authors informed as to the status of their submissions throughout the process.
Practical Matters reviews material that pertains to the study of religious practices and the discipline of practical theology. The journal values scholarly inquiry across a broad range of media including (but not limited to) traditional print essays, articles, books, film, video, audio, soundscape, new media, photography, art, and performance. We are committed therefore to reviewing the same.
Reviewers are chosen among scholars, practitioners, and others who have expertise in the above fields. Practical Matters does not accept unsolicited reviews. However, the journal welcomes suggestions for materials to be reviewed. Those who are interested in reviewing material or who have suggestions for review material are invited to contact Reviews Editor Haemin Lee. For those interested in reviewing material, please indicate areas of expertise and include a curriculum vitae or resume.
Practical Matters features work by and for scholars, practitioners, and teachers. With this diverse audience in mind, a review should explore and evaluate material in terms of its primary themes as well as its contribution to the study of religious practices and practical theology. Reviews typically range in length from 500 to 1,500 words.
Practical Matters will from time to time publish review essays. These projects are developed in consultation with the Reviews Editor.
The Reviews Editor works with reviewers toward the submission and publication of reviews, including editing for stylistic and substantive content, formatting, and submission deadlines. Practical Matters retains final editorial discretion over the content and publication of reviews.