3-Step Review Process
Step 1: Upon submission, papers will undergo a two-part, double-blind review process conducted by two editors, each of whom, after making their comments on the paper itself, will fill out a scoring rubric (see "Scoring Criteria") with their recommended decision. Once our editors are done, a senior editor will review both the paper and the two scoring rubrics, and then decide whether or not the paper should be rejected or accepted for further review. This step should take approximately 2 months from the date of the paper's submission. Authors will be notified of their decision status via email, which will contain both scoring rubrics and, if accepted for further review, their paper with comments. Authors will also be asked to write an abstract for their paper, if one has not already been included (though this is not required for submission).
Step 2: Authors will be given 3 weeks to incorporate our editors' comments. Failure to return the paper by the deadline will result in a rejection, unless a requested extension has been given (maximum of 1 week). Once returned, papers will be reviewed by one of our editors-in-chief, who will make the final decision of whether to accept or reject the paper. This should take approximately 2-3 weeks from the date of the paper's return. Authors will receive their paper with comments, regardless of acceptance.
Step 3: Authors will be given 3 weeks to incorporate these comments. Failure to return the paper by the deadline will result in a rejection, unless a requested extension has been given (maximum of 1 week). Once returned, papers will be copyedited and formatted by one of our editors-in-chief. This should take approximately 2-3 weeks from the date of the paper's return. After the paper has been copyedited and formatted, the author will receive their paper in both copyedited (with indications of changes) and formatted form for final approval. Authors will be given 1 week to respond. Upon approval, the formatted paper will then be uploaded to our website for public viewing, though not in fully "published form." Once a threshold of 6 accepted papers for a particular division (Religious Studies, Theology, or Philosophy of Religion) has been reached, papers will then be compiled, formatted, and printed as a physical journal, which will also be available for free viewing online. Each author will receive 2 free copies sent via mail.
Submission Requirements
Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in an automatic rejection. No exceptions.
Scoring Criteria
Papers will be assessed based on five criteria on a scale from 1-5: originality, content, scholarship, organization, and voice.
Originality: How insightful or creative is the argument? What new ideas are brought to the conversation?
Content: How clear and focused is the argument? Is the analysis thorough and coherent? Are all ideas and terminology developed and clearly defined?
Scholarship: Are sources used effectively? Does the author incorporate a variety of primary and/or secondary sources? Are all claims cited? Is important background information provided?
Organization: Are transitions smooth? Do all paragraphs demonstrate unity and purpose? Do details fit? Do arguments proceed logically? Is the paper generally easy to follow?
Voice: How sophisticated is the author's use of language? Is word choice specific and contextually appropriate? Are there any grammatical/spelling errors?
Limiting our Submissions
Due to our limited number of editors (and for the sake of their time), Effervescence will be limiting the number of received submissions each cycle. This means papers will be received on a first-come, first-served basis, calculated based on how many submissions each editor is willing to work on. Once our submission forms open up, they will remain open until a certain (undisclosed) threshold has been reached, and then will close shortly thereafter.
It must be noted that should a received paper be automatically rejected (see "Submission Requirements"), the Google Form to which that rejected paper had been submitted may open back up, though this decision will depend on other considerations.
