Author Guidelines

The International Journal of Religion, Arts, and Culture (IJRAC) welcomes original scholarly submissions that align with the journal’s focus on the study of religion in cultural contexts. The journal publishes high-quality research on how religion is expressed, represented, mediated, practiced, and negotiated in relation to culture, society, and public life.

Submissions must demonstrate originality, analytical depth, methodological clarity, and relevance to current academic discussions in the field of religion and culture.

Scope of Submission

IJRAC accepts manuscripts addressing topics including, but not limited to, religion and media, religion and visual culture, ritual and performance, sacred arts and aesthetics, literature and religion, material religion, religion and heritage, identity and representation, lived religion, and comparative or transnational studies of religion and culture.

Manuscripts must clearly engage with the journal’s core focus, namely religion in cultural contexts. Submissions that are purely normative-theological, devotional, overly descriptive, or unrelated to this focus will not be considered.

Types of Manuscripts

The journal accepts:

  • original research articles
  • critical review essays
  • thematic scholarly contributions

The journal does not accept opinion pieces, sermon-like reflections, or manuscripts lacking clear academic argumentation.

Originality and Publication Ethics

Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal or publisher. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are free from plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and unethical citation practices.

Authors must also ensure that all quotations, references, data, permissions, and acknowledgements are accurate and properly presented.

Language

All manuscripts must be written in clear academic English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to have their manuscripts professionally proofread before submission.

Manuscript Length

Manuscripts should normally be between 6,000 and 9,000 words, including references, footnotes, tables, and appendices.

Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts should be organized in the following order:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Literature Review or Theoretical Framework
  • Methodology
  • Result
  • Discussion or Analysis
  • Conclusion
  • References

Authors may adjust section headings according to the nature of their study, but all submissions must include a clear research problem or question, engagement with relevant scholarship, an explicit method or analytical approach, a coherent argument, and a meaningful conclusion.

Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should be between 150 and 250 words and clearly state the topic or research problem, the objective of the study, the method or approach, the main findings or argument, and the contribution of the article.

Authors should provide 4 to 6 keywords that reflect the central concepts of the manuscript.

Citation and Referencing Style

IJRAC uses APA 7th edition as its standard citation and referencing style. Authors must ensure consistency and accuracy in both in-text citations and the reference list.

References

References should be directly relevant to the manuscript and reflect current scholarly debates. Authors are encouraged to engage with recent and reputable international academic literature, especially peer-reviewed journal articles.

Excessive reliance on unpublished materials, non-scholarly websites, or inaccessible sources should be avoided.

Tables, Figures, and Images

Tables, figures, and images must be clearly numbered, titled, and referred to in the main text. Authors must provide source information where applicable and ensure that all visual materials are of publishable quality.

Authors are fully responsible for obtaining copyright permission when necessary.

Author Information

During submission, authors must provide:

  • full name
  • institutional affiliation
  • email address
  • ORCID iD, if available
  • a brief biographical note

Initial Editorial Screening

All submissions are first evaluated by the editorial team to assess their relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, academic quality, and compliance with submission requirements. Manuscripts may be declined at this stage if they fall outside the journal’s focus, lack a clear research question or scholarly contribution, rely mainly on description rather than analysis, show weak methodological or theoretical grounding, or contain serious problems in language, structure, referencing, or publication ethics.

Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Only submissions made through the journal platform will be processed.