The Westminster Theological Journal (WTJ), published semi-annually, is one of America’s premier conservative theological journals, specializing in all aspects of theology, church history, ethics, and biblical interpretation. The journal’s inaugural issue appeared in 1938, making it one of America’s oldest continuous running theological journals. The journal exists to further Reformed theological scholarship and through it to serve the ministers and members of Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Each issue includes a number of scholarly articles and book reviews by seminary and college faculty, scholars active in their fields, and graduate students.
The journal was “founded upon the conviction that the Holy Scriptures are the word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice, and that the system of belief commonly designated the Reformed Faith is the purest and most consistent formulation and expression of the system of truth set forth in the Holy Scriptures” (WTJ, 1938, vol. 1, p.1). The journal's editors are appointed by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary and have the purpose of publishing scholarly work that defends and advances understanding of the Bible's teaching and its implications for the larger world. The editors adhere to strict publishing standards and work together to produce a high-caliber journal that has endured for over eighty years.
The journal adheres to standard practices in publication ethics and malpractice and strives to ensure that research material published conforms to internationally accepted ethical guidelines. Thus, the decision to publish an article will be based on the paper’s importance, originality, clarity, validity, scholarly acuity, robustness, and relevance to the journal’s scope. The journal does not tolerate copyright infringement, libel, or plagiarism in any form. The editors work together to encourage and maintain the highest standard of academic integrity and have systems in place to identify potential conflicts of interest. For more information on internationally accepted norms in publication ethics, please refer to the guidelines “COPE,” published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org), and the thorough discussion outlined in The Handbook of Journal Publishing (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 358-79.
Original research articles published in the Westminster Theological Journal go through rigorous peer review. Manuscripts go through a two-stage blind review process and are initially assessed for originality, merit, adherence to scholarly standards, and house style. Manuscripts that meet the initial criteria are referred internally to editors in each particular area. Some manuscripts are referred to outside experts, depending on workload, the subject matter, and level of expertise needed to evaluate each manuscript. Book reviews are assessed in a different manner, usually through open peer review, in which authors usually interact directly with the Book Review Editor.
Authors should ensure that their submissions are free from plagiarism prior to submission. Westminster Theological Journal has a zero tolerance policy with regard to plagiarism and encourages authors to properly evaluate their work with regard to proper citation and reliance upon source material. As a general rule, the journal does not publish previously published material and each submission should be free from copyright restrictions. Manuscripts published in the journal are the property of the journal and are protected under the Copyright Law of the United States. Please refer to https://www.copyright.gov/title17/ for the text of the current law. Authors desiring to republish, post, or substantially alter an article or review, either in print or in other forms of digital media, are to seek permission from the Managing Editor. Depending on the nature of the re-publication, a nominal licensing fee may be required.
Submissions to the Westminster Theological Journal are confidential and will only be shared with members of the Editorial Committee and any internal or external referees that may be used. Authors are required to submit their manuscript only to one journal at a time. The journal does not consider manuscripts that are currently being considered by other journals. Manuscripts that are rejected will not be stored digitally and will be deleted from our servers. The journal does not allow for the resubmission of articles that are rejected in toto; however, the journal does welcome resubmission of articles that have been rejected with a request for revision.
