Submissions
Submission Preparation Checklist
All submissions must meet the following requirements.
- 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.
- Since articles are reviewed using a double-blind system, I have removed all personal information from the article I am submitting and from the file properties.
Book Reviews
The Ethiopian Theological Journal (ETJ) is pleased to include book reviews as a vital component of our service to the academic and theological community. We believe that timely, critical, and constructive reviews are an essential form of scholarship. They guide readers, foster dialogue, and help situate new works within the broader landscape of theological inquiry.
These guidelines are intended for prospective book reviewers to ensure clarity, consistency, and quality. We welcome contributions from scholars, clergy, and graduate students in Ethiopia, across the African continent, and around the world.
1. The Purpose and Tone of a Review
A review in the ETJ is not merely a summary. While it must accurately describe the book's content, its primary purpose is critical evaluation.
- Be Analytical: Your review should assess the author's central thesis, the strength of the evidence, the soundness of the methodology, and the logic of the argument.
- Be Constructive: The goal is to engage in scholarly dialogue, not to attack or eulogize. Maintain a professional, critical, and charitable tone. Even strong disagreements should be articulated with respect and supported by evidence from the text.
- Be Contextual: Place the book in its proper context. How does it relate to other works in its field? What new contribution does it make?
- Be Relevant: We ask our reviewers to pay special attention to the book's significance (or lack thereof) for the Church and academy in Ethiopia and the broader African context.
2. Review Content and Structure
A strong review generally follows this structure:
A. Heading
Your review must begin with the full bibliographic information of the book in the following format:
Title of Book. By Author's Full Name. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Number of pages. ISBN. Price (if known, indicate cloth or paper).
B. Introduction (approx. 10%)
- Begin with a clear statement that identifies the book's author, title, and topic.
- Briefly state the author's main thesis or central argument.
- You may also include a "hook" that captures the reader's attention and indicates the book's importance.
C. Summary (approx. 20-30%)
- Concisely summarize the book's contents.
- Outline the main stages of the argument and the key themes explored.
- This must not be the main part of your review. It should only provide enough information for the reader to understand your subsequent critique.
D. Critical Evaluation (approx. 50-60%)
This is the most important section. Your analysis should address questions such as:
- Thesis: Is the author's thesis clear, compelling, and adequately supported?
- Evidence: How does the author use sources (biblical, historical, sociological, etc.)? Is the use of evidence fair, thorough, and persuasive?
- Strengths: What are the book's most significant contributions? What does it do well?
- Weaknesses: Are there any gaps in the argument, methodological flaws, or unexamined assumptions?
- Contribution: How does this book advance, challenge, or change the current scholarly conversation on its topic?
- Contextual Relevance: What is the value of this book for our primary audience (e.g., seminary student, pastors, and theologians in Ethiopia, in Africa, and scholars of global Christianity)?
E. Conclusion (approx. 10%)
- Provide a concise and balanced final assessment of the book.
- Clearly state your recommendation. Who would benefit from reading this book (e.g., specialists, graduate students, pastors, general readers), and why?
3. Formatting and Submission
- Length: Standard book reviews should be between 1000 and 1,500 words. (Review essays, which engage two or more books on a similar theme, may be longer and should be discussed with the editors-in-chief).
- Citations:
- Direct quotations from the book under review should be followed by the page number in parentheses: (p. 45).
- Please do not use footnotes or endnotes. If a comparison to another work is essential, integrate the reference briefly and fluidly into the text (e.g., "Unlike the earlier work of Tadesse, who argued...").
- Reviewer Information: At the end of your review, please include your full name, your institutional affiliation (if any), and your city and country, as you wish them to appear in print.
All reviews are subject to editorial review and may be edited for clarity, length, and style.
Copyright Notice
As an author, you hold the copyright for the article you submit.
However, by submitting your article to the Mekane Jesus Seminary Journal, you agree to its distribution under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licensing (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
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