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Policies

Contents

Philosophy of Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

For more information, please see Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology Aims and Scope page.

Submission Guidelines

The editors of Spiritus welcome original research article submissions from scholars with earned doctorates, doctoral students, and, in some cases, master's level contributors. Works submitted should align with the journal's aim and scope. The article length should be around 5,000-6,000 words, but longer articles may be considered based on the content. All articles are peer-reviewed by reviewers with terminal degrees. See more submission guidelines below

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Book Reviews should be no more than 1,000 words in length and should give a summary of the major arguments, flow of the chapters, its major contributions, and its value in the broader conversation in the field..

 Articles should be submitted by the author or those who own the copyright. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works (an exception in the non-academic world to this might exist if the authors have, as a condition of employment, agreed to transfer copyright to their employer).

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General Submission Rules

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting material to Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology, the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology. If you have concerns about the submission terms for Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology, please contact the editors.

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Formatting Requirements

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology has no general rules about the formatting of articles upon initial submission. Articles should be about 5,000-6,000 words in length. Citation style should follow normal Chicago style footnote citations. Interdiciplinary articles may use another citation style if appropriate. See rules governing the formatting of the final submission Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for details. Authors are expected to submit an electronic version of the article in a Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or RTF file that can be converted to a PDF file.

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Rights for Authors and Digital Showcase

As further described in our submission agreement (the Submission Agreement), in consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to Digital Showcase all copyright in the article, subject to the expansive personal--use exceptions described below.

Attribution and Usage Policies

Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption or by written agreement of Digital Showcase, requires credit to Digital Showcase as copyright holder (e.g., Digital Showcase © 2025).

Personal-use Exceptions

The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from Digital Showcase provided the author does not alter the format or content of the articles, including the copyright notification:

  • Storage and back-up of the article on the author's computer(s) and digital media (e.g., diskettes, back-up servers, Zip disks, etc.), provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by persons other than the author(s);
  • Posting of the article on the author(s) personal website, provided that the website is non-commercial;
  • Posting of the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial open access institutional repository or other non-commercial open access publication site affiliated with the author(s)'s place of employment (e.g., a Phrenology professor at the University of Southern North Dakota can have her article appear in the University of Southern North Dakota's Department of Phrenology online publication series); and
  • Posting of the article on a non-commercial course website for a course being taught by the author at the university or college employing the author.

People seeking an exception, or who have questions about use, should contact the editors.

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General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the Digital Showcase website and/or software agree not to misuse the Digital Showcase service or software in any way.

The failure of Digital Showcase to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between Digital Showcase and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

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