JBC Submissions

Whether you have written for a journal before or are brand new to this genre, we want you to understand our editing philosophy. We are excited to work with authors who share our interest in biblical counseling and pastoral care. Our primary goal is to help you make your article clear and useful to our readers. To do this, our editing team will engage with you in depth. Our interactions vary depending on the situation but may include identifying jumps in logic, inconsistencies, and anticipating questions that will arise from the reader if not addressed. We may propose rewrites and suggest new material be written by you to bridge gaps. We will also check your grammar and punctuation, but that is the last stage of many.

We normally go through two to three substantive edits with an author, and one or two more to finalize smaller details. We encourage you to think of us as your consultant. We do not expect authors to agree with everything we propose and do not insist upon it. We welcome discussion and always aim to retain the author’s voice and intent in every article. We offer this description to define expectations and avoid misunderstandings. We want this process to be a positive one where the result is an article that the author is pleased with and that is also a blessing to our readers.

If your article is accepted for publication, what happens next? First, we will work with you to determine which issue your article will appear in based on your availability to engage in the editing process. Next, we will return your draft article to you with suggested edits and work with you over the course of about three months to finalize it for publication. As we are usually preparing seven or more articles at the same time, there may be gaps of time when you do not hear from us, but we will try to give you a general timeline for the process. Occasionally, we find an article needs to be dropped from the planned issue either because it will not be ready in time or the issue is too long.

We use the following policies as we evaluate and publish new content.

We publish articles that fit the genre of the JBC with clear connections and practical applications for counselors and helpers. We believe that writing forces you to do things that talking about, contemplating, and even doing counseling cannot. We do not publish unaltered dissertations, memoirs, or articles for children or young adult readers.

Articles submitted for consideration should be the original work of the author. If content in the piece is written by another individual, it should be noted on the article proposal. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the author submitting the piece to get proper permission from coauthors or publishers before submitting if the piece has been published elsewhere.

Authors should disclose in their article proposal whether the piece has been published before or is under consideration for publication by another publisher. If previously published, authors should indicate the date, publisher, and format of publication (e.g., January 11, 2022 on Christianity Today blog [digital format]).

Merriam-Webster’s and the US Office of Research Integrity define plagiarism as the stealing and passing off of ideas or words of another as one’s own. It uses another’s creation without crediting the source and includes the substantial unattributed textual copying of another’s work.

Authors are asked to verify that they have not plagiarized the work of another when an article is submitted. Where plagiarism is discovered, action will be taken at the discretion of the editorial staff and senior editorial board.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents unique challenges to publishers. This emerging field offers many promises and pitfalls and this policy will be updated as needed with new developments in the field. While CCEF acknowledges that AI is becoming more integrated in basic programs like word processors, the use of AI to write portions or the entirety of a piece is different. CCEF does not consider artificial intelligence to meet the requirement of authorship. As such, the use of AI (such as ChatGPT or large language models [LLM]) in writing portions or the entirety of an article is not allowed. Authors are asked to verify they have not used AI to write portions or the entirety of their piece.

Corrections to published materials are infrequent and only occur in cases of significant factual or theological inaccuracies. Errors in spelling, grammar, citation, and terminology are less likely to warrant a correction. Retractions to published journal content are rare and will be at the discretion of the editorial staff in consultation with the senior editorial board.

Here are the criteria we use to evaluate article submissions.

1. Does the article reflect biblical counseling goals and practice?
   The mission of the JBC is to develop clearer thinking and effective practice in biblical counseling. We seek to do this through publishing articles that faithfully bring the God of truth, mercy, and power to the issues that face pastoral ministries of counseling and discipleship. Does your article reflect these principles of our mission? We want to consistently demonstrate that counseling is one of the core ministries of Christ’s people, and that it should be both faithful to Scripture and relevant to life’s problems.
2. Is the article adapted to the JBC context?
   Many authors wish to submit something they wrote in another context. It may be a sermon, an essay or paper written for a class, or even a section from a published work. We are glad to consider any of these, but ask that you not simply send us what you have already used elsewhere. If you would like us to consider it, please be thoughtful about how your work will need to be revised to speak to our audience and align with the goals of our mission.
3. Does it add to the field?
   Does your article add something fresh to the field of biblical counseling and pastoral care? We are looking for content that either tackles a new topic, unpacks Scripture with relevance to a particular problem, or offers original guidance or biblical thought to practitioners.
4. Is it practical?
   Does your article offer practical implications? An analysis of a Scripture passage or evaluation of a particular therapy are welcome ideas, but does your article understand and suggest how this passage or approach to counseling helps a counselor or pastor when ministering to others? Our intent is not simply to exegete or analyze but to take that information and make it helpful to our readers. How can the passage help us do what we do better? How can the work of a theorist be of use to counselors or pastors?
5. Is the writing style appropriate?
   Our genre is practical theology. We try to use language that is accessible, clear, nontechnical, and free from jargon. If you are not a JBC subscriber, we suggest you read a couple of recent articles to get a feel for what we mean.
6. How long is the article?
   We do not have preset word limits but try to keep featured articles under 8,000 words. We do allow for longer works as needed. Counselor’s Toolbox, book reviews, and other pieces tend to be shorter, running from 3,000 to 5,000 words.
7. What do we look for in a book review?
   A book review should help the reader answer the question: Should I read this book? To do this, we suggest you summarize the book, noting the primary points of content. Offer a reading strategy. What should the reader keep in mind while reading? For example, what is the worldview of the author? Next, provide a thoughtful critique that assesses the book’s strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to also offer clear guidance on how to interpret the content from the point of view of biblical counseling.

If your article is approved for publication, you will be asked to sign a licensing agreement that specifies your rights as the author and ours as the publisher. We rarely complete this agreement until the article is ready for publication in a specific issue.

Articles can be rejected for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons for rejection include the following:

• The article does not match the genre of the journal. We ask that people do not submit articles used for another purpose (e.g., dissertations, class papers, blog posts).
• The article lacks biblical framing. An article can have great counseling application points and lack a biblical foundation. We seek to publish content that is not only practical, but is also rooted in a rich biblical framework.
• The article or argument is underdeveloped. The author promises too much and delivers too little.
• The article lacks a clear focus. The author tries to accomplish too much and loses a central focus of the article. There may be too many lines of argument or a central premise that gets lost as the article progresses.
• The article lacks application for counselors and helpers. An article may have a great theoretical or apologetic component yet may lack any practical application points. Authors should seek to answer the questions “so what” and “now what” for readers.
• The article restates the main premise of other published articles and adds no new or fresh insights. Articles of this type often quote other authors without providing any framing or comment on how the article adds to or develops the quoted material. We are looking for fresh content that seeks to go deeper into the issues of biblical counseling.

Your proposal can be for a book review, a case study, a practical “toolbox” piece, or a full-length article.

Files are accepted in Microsoft Word only (.doc). Do not send files in .pdf, .pages, .rtf, .txt, Google doc links, or other formats.

In addition to your proposal, you’ll send your article manuscript itself. Please rename both files to include your last name. Submit these files as attachments to an email addressed to the JBC managing editor (Kim Monroe, kmonroe@ccef.org).

You will receive an email acknowledgment that your article has been received. Proposals will be evaluated as our time permits. The JBC is a small operation! There are seasons near publication date when we get too busy to review new submissions. But in the email acknowledgment, we will give you a time frame of when you can expect an answer. If your article is approved for publication, you will be asked to sign a licensing agreement that specifies your rights as the author and ours as the publisher. We do not normally complete this agreement until the article is ready for publication in a specific issue.