About the Journal

Focus and scope

The journal Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale was founded in 2006 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.

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

Peer Review Process

In order to meet the evaluation standards for scientific publications and maintain its classification in the highest category (“Class A”), the Journal adopts a peer review process. For reasons of transparency, its procedures are outlined below.

Type of Review - The Journal employs a double-blind peer review process: authors do not know the identity of reviewers, and reviewers do not know the identity of authors. Submissions must be provided in two versions: one identifiable version intended for publication, and one anonymized version for reviewers, containing no references—within the text, notes, or metadata—that could directly or indirectly reveal the author’s identity.

Consent - By submitting a manuscript, the author consents to its evaluation by an expert in the relevant or a related academic field, selected by the Editorial Board.

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

Exceptions apply only to those categories exempted under ANVUR regulations on the classification of academic journals. Similarly, editorials and contributions in the section “A chiare lettere,” as well as in the subsections “Confronti” and “Transizioni,” are not subject to review.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject submissions that are merely compilatory or lack the necessary standards 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.

Submissions pertaining to other fields may be considered if they are deemed of interest to scholars in GIUR-07.

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 case (d), the outcome is communicated to the author while preserving reviewer anonymity. A positive decision requires an overall rating of at least “good” (minimum total score of 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 maintain strict confidentiality regarding evaluation forms and judgments, including after publication.

Reviewers - Reviewers are selected among Italian and international scholars, both tenured and non-tenured, with expertise in GIUR-07 or related fields, who are available to complete evaluations within a short timeframe (generally two weeks) and who accept the Journal’s review criteria and procedures.

Binding Nature

Based on reviewers’ reports, the Editorial Board decides whether to publish, request revisions, or reject the submission.

Publication Frequency

Monthly.

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 (Stato, Chiese e Pluralismo confessionale), 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:  Links to the journal’s website from other scientific or institutional websites are permitted, provided that the name Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale is clearly indicated (http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/statoechiese)

User-Provided Data: Voluntary submission of emails to the Journal entails acquisition of the sender’s address and any personal data included, solely for the purpose of responding to inquiries.

Responsibility: Authors bear sole responsibility for the content of their contributions, which do not bind the publisher, reviewers, editors, Scientific Committee, or editorial staff.

Reproduction: Reproduction of published contributions, in print or digital form, is permitted. Articles may be downloaded and printed for personal use and otherwise used in accordance with applicable law.

Archiving

The University of Milan has an archiving agreement with the National Central Libraries of Florence and Rome as part of the national “Digital Warehouses” project.

Anti-Plagiarism Measures

Editors are required to act promptly in cases of errors or misconduct, whether established or alleged, concerning both published and unpublished contributions. In cases of error, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism—either in published articles or during the publication process—appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with COPE recommendations and guidelines. Corrections will be issued with due prominence, including the publication of an erratum (errors in the publication process), a corrigendum (author errors), or, in the most serious cases, retraction of the affected work. Retracted documents will remain accessible online and will be clearly marked as retracted in all online versions, including PDFs, in order to ensure transparency for readers.

Open to all authors

Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale is committed to openness and inclusivity in scholarly publishing without author-facing charges for reading or publishing. We welcome submissions from all authors, regardless of their institutional affiliation, geographical location, or academic status. Submissions only must align with the aims and scope of the journal and meet the required quality standards once the reviewing process is completed.

Community-owned

Stato, Chiese e pluralismo confessionale is owned by Milano University Press, a public institution/organisation dedicated to advancing research and scholarship. The journal’s ownership and governance structure reflect its mission to support open and accessible academic publishing. We confirm that any commercial service providers involved in our operations only deal with service-related aspects of journal publishing. All content-related aspects of publishing, such as submission, peer review, acceptance, publication frequency, and scope of the journal, are controlled by the editors of the journal.