About the Journal

Focus and scope

The journal State, Churches and Religious Pluralism was founded in 2007 as an online publication by Professor Giuseppe Casuscelli, with the aim of overcoming the lengthy timelines typical of print publication in the field, including periodical journals, conference proceedings, round tables, study seminars, and similar initiatives. The journal was conceived as a flexible instrument enabling scholars in the field to participate promptly and effectively in scientific and cultural debate.

The journal is committed to providing timely publication of submitted scholarly contributions, so that they may be disseminated as quickly as possible to a broad readership, while at the same time ensuring authors receive full recognition for the authorship of their work and their intellectual contributions.

The journal does not adhere to, nor promote, any specific political or religious orientation. Its editorial policy is intended solely to serve as a platform and expression of the plurality and pluralism of scholarly schools and approaches that inform, from multiple perspectives, the disciplines concerned with freedom of religion and belief, relations between states and religious denominations, and religious rights at the national, European, and international levels. Accordingly, in full respect of the constitutional freedoms of scientific research and freedom of expression, the journal publishes without discrimination the works of all members of the established academic community (professors, researchers, lecturers). Contributions by early-career scholars (postdoctoral fellows, grant holders, doctoral candidates, etc.) require written endorsement by a tenured university professor in the relevant field or in a related discipline; the name of the endorsing professor will be made public. For all contributors, the sole and obvious condition is compliance with criminal law and press legislation.

One of the journal’s objectives is not to function as a database for collecting legislation, judicial decisions, or documents. This task is already specifically addressed by the Observatory on Freedom and Religious Institutions (OLIR), the European Centre for Documentation on Religious Institutions (CEDIR), and other increasingly numerous entities listed in the “Web Links” section on the journal’s homepage.

In order to ensure effective and pluralistic information, the journal actively seeks appropriate links with websites and online journals operating in the same field.

The journal does not charge any fees for article processing or submission.

Peer Review Process

The evaluation criteria governing scientific publications and research require the practice of peer review in order to maintain the journal’s classification in “Class A”. For reasons of transparency, the procedures adopted are described below.

Type of Review - The journal adopts a double-blind anonymous peer review process: authors do not know the identity of the reviewer, and reviewers do not know the identity of the author. Authors must submit two versions of their manuscript to the Editorial Office: one identified version intended for publication, and one anonymous version intended for the reviewer, from which all references—within the text, footnotes, and metadata—that could directly or indirectly reveal the author’s identity have been removed.

Consent - By submitting an article to the Editorial Office, the author consents to having the manuscript reviewed by an expert in the relevant scientific-disciplinary field, or in related fields, selected by the Editorial Board from designated lists.

Rules and Exceptions - All submitted contributions are subject to peer review and will bear the note “Contribution subject to peer review”.

The Editor-in-Chief, or the Scientific Committee by majority decision, may decide not to subject certain contributions to peer review when they are of particular interest to scholars in the scientific-disciplinary field GIUR-07 (former JUS/11), namely:
a) contributions by authors (Italian or foreign) of recognized academic prestige who hold significant political or institutional positions in national, European, or international bodies, including religious institutions (annotated as “Contribution not subject to peer review”);
b) contributions by professors emeriti or retired professors (annotated as “Contribution not subject to peer review”);
c) works previously published in other journals or collective volumes, for which republication is requested with the permission of the author and the original publisher (annotated as “Contribution published by courtesy of the Author and the Publisher”);
d) papers, presentations, and interventions delivered at congresses, conferences, or round tables organized by ADEC or other academic associations, or otherwise of national or international relevance, for which author anonymity cannot realistically be ensured (annotated as “Paper presented at the Conference …”).

In the section “A chiare lettere”, editorials and contributions to the sub-sections “Confronti” and “Transizioni” are not subject to peer review.

The Editor-in-Chief, after consultation with the Editorial Committee, may reject contributions that are manifestly compilatory and/or lacking the necessary requirements of scientific rigor, originality, or relevance.

Relevance - Before initiating the review process, the Editorial Board will assess whether the submission falls within the scope of the scientific-disciplinary field GIUR-07 (former JUS/11), which includes studies relating to:
– the legal regulation of religious phenomena, including from a comparative perspective, within state legal systems and religious legal orders;
– the history of canon law;
– the history and systems of relations between states and churches;
– comparative law of religions;
– legal aspects of ethical and religious pluralism.

If a contribution primarily belongs to another disciplinary field, the Editorial Board will assess whether the topic is nonetheless of interest to scholars in GIUR-07 (former JUS/11).

Evaluation Criteria - Peer review shall not be influenced by the author’s personal beliefs, theoretical orientations, or academic affiliations, and shall be based exclusively on the following five criteria: originality of the research framework and results; critical knowledge of the relevant scholarly literature and case law; methodological soundness; formal and substantive internal coherence (between title, outline, and abstract, and with respect to the author’s theoretical position); clarity and formal correctness of the exposition.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Reviewer - The reviewer entrusted with the evaluation of a manuscript shall:
– strictly adhere to the evaluation criteria listed above;
– treat the manuscript as confidential until publication and destroy all electronic and printed copies of unpublished articles and their own reports once receipt has been confirmed by the Editorial Office;
– take due account of the author’s academic seniority and qualification, known only in anonymized form (doctoral candidate, PhD holder, postdoctoral fellow, researcher, associate professor, full professor, judge, etc.);
– not disclose to others which manuscripts they have reviewed, nor disseminate such manuscripts in whole or in part;
– assign a score from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5 for each of the five criteria, using a dedicated evaluation form to be transmitted to the Editor-in-Chief for exclusive and confidential use;
– provide a concise free-form assessment addressing originality, methodological rigor, and formal quality, exercising objectivity, prudence, and respect.

Outcomes - Possible outcomes of the review are:
(a) not publishable;
(b) not publishable unless revised, with reasons specified;
(c) publishable after minor revisions or additions, to be detailed;
(d) publishable (subject, where applicable, to editorial adjustments in line with formatting guidelines).

Except in the last case, the outcome is communicated to the author by the Editorial Office, with full respect for reviewer anonymity. A favorable decision presupposes an overall assessment of “good” quality, corresponding to a total score of at least 15, with no score of “1” and no more than two scores of “2”.

Confidentiality - Reviewers and members of the Editorial Board, Scientific Committee, and Editorial Staff undertake to strictly observe confidentiality regarding the content of evaluation forms and expressed judgments, including after the publication of the contribution.

Reviewers - Reviewers are selected from among Italian and foreign scholars—both active and retired—who are experts in the scientific-disciplinary field GIUR-07 (former JUS/11) or who have made significant contributions to it while belonging to other fields, and who are willing to evaluate submissions within a short timeframe (normally two weeks), explicitly accepting the criteria and procedures described above. Their list is published on the journal’s homepage; at the end of each year, the journal also publishes the list of those who have been asked to serve as reviewers.

Binding Nature

Binding Nature - On the basis of the reviewer’s evaluation form and summary judgment, the Editor-in-Chief decides whether to publish, request revisions, or reject the submission. In exceptional cases, a negative evaluation may be deemed non-binding if the Editor-in-Chief and at least two members of the Scientific Committee consider it inadequately reasoned and decide to submit the contribution to a different reviewer, whose judgment shall in all cases be binding.

Publication Frequency

Biweekly.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides open access to its contents, believing that making research freely available to the public enhances the global exchange of knowledge.

Creative Commons License

The journal is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Legal Notices

Citations: Citations of contributions published in this journal must indicate the author’s full name, the title of the work, the full source (State, Churches and Religious Pluralism), the web address (http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/statoechiese), and the date of publication (month and year). [i.e.: G. BRUNO, Le guarentigie, in Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale, Rivista telematica (http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/statoechiese), gennaio 2007].

Links: The journal declines any responsibility for links to external websites—classified, where possible, under “Institutions” and “Online Journals and Documentation Centers”—or for any problems arising from or connected with their use.

Links to the journal’s website from other scientific or institutional websites are permitted, provided that the name “State, Churches and Religious Pluralism” is clearly indicated (http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/statoechiese)

User-Provided Data: The optional, explicit, and voluntary sending of emails to the addresses associated with this website, the Editor-in-Chief, or the Editorial Staff concerning the journal entails the acquisition of the sender’s email address, necessary for responding to requests, as well as any other personal data included in the message.

Responsibility: Authors bear sole responsibility for the content of their articles, comments, notes, reviews, and similar contributions, which do not commit the publisher, the Editor-in-Chief, or the Editorial Staff.

Reproduction: Analog or digital reproduction of published contributions is permitted. Contributions may be downloaded and printed for personal use and otherwise used in accordance with the law.