Submissions

Author Guidelines

We welcome original papers from Buddhist specialists worldwide. While we publish papers covering a wide range of Buddhist Studies topics, we are particularly interested in scholarly manuscripts that delve into the contemporary, lived experience of Buddhism.

Authors are required to carefully consider and diligently adhere to the following guidelines, which are integral to upholding the integrity, credibility, and trustworthiness of the publication. These guidelines ensure the overall quality, reliability, transparency, and ethical standards of JIBS.

Submission Guidelines

Please follow the online submission guidelines to submit your manuscript to the Journal of International Buddhist Studies (JIBS). Begin by visiting the JIBS registration page at Register and carefully follow the step-by-step instructions to create an account and upload your files. It is important to note that the manuscript source files used for the review process will also be required for further processing upon acceptance.

All communication regarding your submission, including the editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be conducted via email. This streamlined online submission process eliminates the need for traditional paper-based correspondence, resulting in a more efficient and convenient manuscript submission and review system.

All submissions should be preceded by a header on a separate page containing the title of the manuscript, the name(s) of the author(s), any institutional affiliations, mail and email addresses, and telephone numbers. The header should be formatted as in the following example:

Title: Title of Submission
Author(s): A.N. Author
Word length: XXXX words
Date of submission: 1 March 2024
Address:
Name of Institution
Name of Department
Full Postal Address
Email Address
Telephone Number

Please include an abstract of no more than 250 words after the header along with 5 - 7 keywords. Authors should anonymize the body of their manuscript, removing references to themselves in the text and document metadata. If it is unclear what is entailed, please consult the journal editors. If you have used a special diacritic font, please provide the name (e.g., Indic Transliterator, CS Bitstream Charter, etc.).

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have thoroughly checked the submission preparation checklist the Journal of International Buddhist Studies provided. This checklist serves as a guide to ensure your manuscript adheres to the journal's guidelines. Please take the following steps:

Checklist for Submission Requirements

Authors submitting to the Journal of International Buddhist Studies(JIBS) must adhere to a submission preparation checklist to ensure their manuscript meets the journal's guidelines. Authors must:

1. Familiarize yourself with the journal's focus and scope to ensure the suitability of your manuscript.
2. Use the provided Microsoft Word template to format your manuscript.
3. Consider important factors such as publication ethics, research ethics, authorship, copyright of text and all figures and dates, and proper reference formatting.
4. Where applicable, confirm that all authors have approved the content and submission of the manuscript.
5. Ensure that the manuscript has not been previously published or is currently being considered by another journal. Please take every step possible to prevent plagiarism.
6. Write your manuscript in clear and concise English with accurate grammar and spelling.
7. Include an abstract of no more than 250 words and 5-7 keywords that accurately reflect the manuscript's content.
8.  Ensure your manuscript is structured with clear sections, generally an introduction, subheadings in the body, a conclusion, and references.
9. Include any necessary high-quality images, figures, and tables relevant to the manuscript's content.
10. Provide accurate and complete references following the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition).
11. If required, provide necessary acknowledgments and funding recognition.
12. Double-check that all submitted files are complete, error-free, and in the correct format.
13. Review the submission preparation checklist to ensure compliance with all requirements before submitting your manuscript for consideration in the Journal of International Buddhist Studies.

Formatting Guidelines for Manuscripts

JIBS journal only accepts articles written in English. English manuscripts should use the "Times New Roman" font with a 12-point font size. It is important to note that English articles from corresponding non-native English speakers authors should include a supplemental document verifying that a qualified native English speaker or an allowed organization has proofread the article. All manuscripts must be submitted as five separate files.
       1. Cover letter file
       2. Main manuscript file (Microsoft Word document)
       3. Ethical approval letter (optional)
       4. English approval letter (optional)
       5. Supplement data (optional)

Cover letter

Submission of a cover letter from the corresponding author is mandatory, wherein it is required to assure that the article has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. The cover letter should include the following information:
       1. A concise summary of the study.
       2. A statement confirming that all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript before submission to the journal.
       3. A precise specification of the article type, such as a research or academic article.
       4. A request to suggest suitable reviewers for the research, providing their names, affiliations, and email addresses.

Journal Style Guide

 General guidelines

• Please ensure your articles are formatted according to the Chicago Style. For guidance, download the JIBS Reference Guide. We recommend using the journal's template when preparing your manuscript.

Foreign languages

All technical terms in Buddhist languages, except proper names, will be italicized. The general editors will make decisions regarding the technical terms in Buddhist languages in the case of articles. Authors should direct queries about technical terms to the above individuals and not the JIBS copy editors.

Recommendations on Terminology Usage in Buddhist Studies

No “Lord Buddha”, only “Buddha”.

This term implies the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. In cases where there may reasonably be another Buddha under discussion (in addition to Shakyamuni), this needs to be clarified and properly stated (examples: Amitabha Buddha, Samantabhadra Buddha).

“Ven.” can be used to show respect to monks, but other honorifics (“Most Venerable”, etc.) are not accepted unless they are an official monastic or academic title. Consistent use of titles is important; examine on a case-by-case basis.

Find a standard Tripitaka reference volume/number/passage system and keep it consistent.

Writers of focused academic journal articles rarely discuss Buddhism as a whole, so be prepared to distinguish the type or branch of Buddhism being discussed (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajra yana, Zen, Indian, Thai, Tibetan, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc.).

Providing the time period is helpful, even when current (if the topic is contemporary, state so in the introduction).

As an international journal, JIBS has used conventional Gregorian dating for years. If the author wishes to use the Thai dating system, please indicate this in parenthesis with the BE designation.

Example: 2024 (2567 BE)

The use of BCE and CE is required for papers dealing with antiquity (particularly near the first century), but otherwise, CE is implied and does not need to be stated.

When referencing two authors, use “and” not “&” – examples (Johnston and Chaiyaporn, 2024, 31)

Diacriticals

Sanskrit and Pali: concerning Sanskrit and Pali terms, transliterations will follow the forms in the Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Monier-Williams, the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary by Edgerton, and the Pali-English Dictionary by Rhys Davids and Stede. The form of transliteration used is as follows:

• Long vowels appear with a macron (e.g., ā, ī, ō, ū)
• Consonantal diacritics are underlined; thus, retroflex consonants are written as r t th d dh n m s
• visarga is written as h
• The palatal n that takes a diacritic is: ñ
• The two sibilant consonants are written as s and ś
• The guttural nasal is written .n
•  The danda is written |
• The Wylie system of Tibetan transliteration requires no diacritical marks. Chinese can be Romanized by either the pinyin or Wade-Giles system. Japanese need only macrons for Romanization, which can be treated as indicated above for Sanskrit. Diacritical marks are used where applicable for all technical terms, group names (e.g., Sōka Gakkai), and other names. Foreign technical terms also appear in italics. Neither diacritical marks nor italics are used for terms accepted into English and other Western languages (e.g., samsara, Pali). For consistency, diacritical marks should appear in direct quotations even if they are not original. Submission Preparation Checklist As part of the submission process, authors must check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors who do not adhere to these guidelines.

Types of Published Articles